The Ranger Boat Chugach

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me: What Have We Learned Over the Past 40 Years and How Do We Address Future Challenges" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Forest Service in Alaska has long relied on marine vessels to access the wild and remote country of the Chugach and Tongass National Forests. The MV Chugach, a ranger boat listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was integral to successful forest administration and the maritime history of the Pacific Northwest. Launched in 1925 she influenced the regional economy while providing for the welfare and safety of isolated communities and vessels in distress. Her role in revealing the rich and complex cultural identity of Alaska Natives is well documented, not only by the hundreds of archaeology sites discovered off her bow but by the likes of noted archaeologists and anthropologists who plied Alaska waters. Frederica de Laguna, Kaj Birket-Smith, Aleš Hrdlička and Robert F. Heizer all spent time aboard the Chugach visiting villages and staging significant excavations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me: What Have We Learned Over the Past 40 Years and How Do We Address Future Challenges

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25493