David Reamer
@anchistorian.bsky.social
Historian with daily Alaska history posts & weekly column (https://www.adn.com/author/david-reamer/). Black Lives in Alaska (2022) co-author & 2023 co-Alaska Historian of the Year. Support at Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/davidreamer).
Promotional material, perhaps merchandise prototypes, for Anchorage's failed bids for the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics. Via UAA Archives. #alaskahistory #alaska #anchoragehistory
January 6, 2026 at 1:59 AM
Promotional material, perhaps merchandise prototypes, for Anchorage's failed bids for the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics. Via UAA Archives. #alaskahistory #alaska #anchoragehistory
Reposted by David Reamer
Did you know, per the 1958 Alaska Statehood Act, the President has the power to withdraw a large portion of the state, wherein "the laws of the State of Alaska shall not apply"? Learn more in my latest article: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
January 5, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Did you know, per the 1958 Alaska Statehood Act, the President has the power to withdraw a large portion of the state, wherein "the laws of the State of Alaska shall not apply"? Learn more in my latest article: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
Dwight Eisenhower signing Alaska statehood proclamation on Jan 3, 1958. Can you name anyone else in the picture? Some prominent Alaskans are standing. Also, you'll never guess how long the whole ceremony took. Learn more details in my latest article: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
January 5, 2026 at 5:00 AM
Dwight Eisenhower signing Alaska statehood proclamation on Jan 3, 1958. Can you name anyone else in the picture? Some prominent Alaskans are standing. Also, you'll never guess how long the whole ceremony took. Learn more details in my latest article: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
Jan 3, 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower used this pen--and 5 others--to sign the proclamation officially declaring Alaska a state. And there's more to that story, from the necessary compromises to the rush for souvenirs. Learn more in my latest article, www.adn.com/alaska-l...
January 5, 2026 at 3:00 AM
Jan 3, 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower used this pen--and 5 others--to sign the proclamation officially declaring Alaska a state. And there's more to that story, from the necessary compromises to the rush for souvenirs. Learn more in my latest article, www.adn.com/alaska-l...
Did you know, per the 1958 Alaska Statehood Act, the President has the power to withdraw a large portion of the state, wherein "the laws of the State of Alaska shall not apply"? Learn more in my latest article: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
January 5, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Did you know, per the 1958 Alaska Statehood Act, the President has the power to withdraw a large portion of the state, wherein "the laws of the State of Alaska shall not apply"? Learn more in my latest article: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
Do you know why Alaska didn't officially become a state until 6 months after the Alaska Statehood Act was signed? Or about the PYK Line? Or the mad rush for pens when Eisenhower signed the statehood proclamation? That and more in my latest article: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
January 5, 2026 at 12:28 AM
Do you know why Alaska didn't officially become a state until 6 months after the Alaska Statehood Act was signed? Or about the PYK Line? Or the mad rush for pens when Eisenhower signed the statehood proclamation? That and more in my latest article: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
Reposted by David Reamer
@anchistorian.bsky.social I thought you’d appreciate this vintage Anchorage shirt I got from a woman in my Buy Nothing group & wore for the first time last night.
(Does a place that closed in the early 2000’s count as vintage? It’s certainly nostalgic.)
(Does a place that closed in the early 2000’s count as vintage? It’s certainly nostalgic.)
January 4, 2026 at 5:21 PM
@anchistorian.bsky.social I thought you’d appreciate this vintage Anchorage shirt I got from a woman in my Buy Nothing group & wore for the first time last night.
(Does a place that closed in the early 2000’s count as vintage? It’s certainly nostalgic.)
(Does a place that closed in the early 2000’s count as vintage? It’s certainly nostalgic.)
And some more examples I have for my future Alaska/Anchorage T-shirt history exhibit.
January 2, 2026 at 11:56 PM
And some more examples I have for my future Alaska/Anchorage T-shirt history exhibit.
Some of my other shirts for my future exhibit.
January 2, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Some of my other shirts for my future exhibit.
I recently picked up this official Binky Fan Club T-shirt, from the 1994 incident where the Alaska Zoo polar bear ripped a shoe off a stupid tourist. A pop-up exhibit of Anchorage/Alaska T-shirt history is one of my dream projects, and it's becoming more and more possible.
January 2, 2026 at 6:47 PM
I recently picked up this official Binky Fan Club T-shirt, from the 1994 incident where the Alaska Zoo polar bear ripped a shoe off a stupid tourist. A pop-up exhibit of Anchorage/Alaska T-shirt history is one of my dream projects, and it's becoming more and more possible.
1985 Multivisions sweepstakes Anchorage commercial. Multivisions brought cable to Fort Richardson/Elmendorf in 1980 & Anchorage proper in 1980. Multivisions was subsequently sold several times, from Sonic Cable to Prime Cable to GCI. #alaskahistory #alaska #anchoragehistory
January 2, 2026 at 2:00 AM
1985 Multivisions sweepstakes Anchorage commercial. Multivisions brought cable to Fort Richardson/Elmendorf in 1980 & Anchorage proper in 1980. Multivisions was subsequently sold several times, from Sonic Cable to Prime Cable to GCI. #alaskahistory #alaska #anchoragehistory
Dec 1980 Fireweed Tuxedo commercial, located on Fireweed Ln in Anchorage. This is what the stylish Anchorage resident was wearing. This is from a block of 1980 Anchorage television put online by Rob1390 (www.youtube.com/_rob...). #alaskahistory #alaska #anchoragehistory
January 2, 2026 at 12:16 AM
Dec 1980 Fireweed Tuxedo commercial, located on Fireweed Ln in Anchorage. This is what the stylish Anchorage resident was wearing. This is from a block of 1980 Anchorage television put online by Rob1390 (www.youtube.com/_rob...). #alaskahistory #alaska #anchoragehistory
Dec 1980 Golden Lion Restaurant commercial. Located in the Best Western at 36th and New Seward in Anchorage, it opened in 1977. This clip is from a block of 1980 Anchorage television put online by Rob1390 (www.youtube.com/@rob...). #alaskahistory #alaska #anchoragehistory
January 1, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Dec 1980 Golden Lion Restaurant commercial. Located in the Best Western at 36th and New Seward in Anchorage, it opened in 1977. This clip is from a block of 1980 Anchorage television put online by Rob1390 (www.youtube.com/@rob...). #alaskahistory #alaska #anchoragehistory
Dec 1980 commercial for the Alaska Dance Machine, male dancers performing at PJs, an Anchorage strip club. PJs was on Spenard at 36th, open 1969 to 2010. Clip is from a block put online by Rob1390 on YouTube (www.youtube.com/@rob...). #alaskahistory #alaska #anchoragehistory
January 1, 2026 at 6:57 PM
Dec 1980 commercial for the Alaska Dance Machine, male dancers performing at PJs, an Anchorage strip club. PJs was on Spenard at 36th, open 1969 to 2010. Clip is from a block put online by Rob1390 on YouTube (www.youtube.com/@rob...). #alaskahistory #alaska #anchoragehistory
It's been a down and up year. Among the stranger things, I didn't expect viral Instagram posts. (I'm anc_historian there if you didn't know, sometimes posting different things than here.) This silly Fairbanks commercial has been seen 2.5 million times, which is fun and weird.
December 31, 2025 at 11:48 PM
It's been a down and up year. Among the stranger things, I didn't expect viral Instagram posts. (I'm anc_historian there if you didn't know, sometimes posting different things than here.) This silly Fairbanks commercial has been seen 2.5 million times, which is fun and weird.
While tracking the history of illicit Anchorage massage parlors, I scanned the phonebook listings for massage parlors from 1970-2002, catching the rise & fall. They're still around, just much less open. The names & ads are of a different era. See it here: drive.google.com/fil...
December 31, 2025 at 8:13 PM
While tracking the history of illicit Anchorage massage parlors, I scanned the phonebook listings for massage parlors from 1970-2002, catching the rise & fall. They're still around, just much less open. The names & ads are of a different era. See it here: drive.google.com/fil...
A reminder . . .
Have you ever wondered where I find all my pictures, videos, and other sources? Well, my gift to you this morning is ten pages of the online resources I use the most, with some annotations and research tips. Get it here: (docs.google.com/docu...).
December 31, 2025 at 5:52 PM
A reminder . . .
Out of the articles I wrote in the past year, this is the one with the best look at local lore. Prompted by an online question, I decided to write a definitive history of "termination dust," from origin through the evolution of its usage. Article here: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
December 31, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Out of the articles I wrote in the past year, this is the one with the best look at local lore. Prompted by an online question, I decided to write a definitive history of "termination dust," from origin through the evolution of its usage. Article here: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
Looking at past year of articles, I can confidently say I've written more in one place than anyone else on the history of billikens, particularly as they intersect with Alaska. My wife later liberated the second billiken from another university. Article: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
December 31, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Looking at past year of articles, I can confidently say I've written more in one place than anyone else on the history of billikens, particularly as they intersect with Alaska. My wife later liberated the second billiken from another university. Article: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
Famed crime author Dashiell Hammett--also a middle-aged, alcoholic Communist--wound up serving in the remote Aleutians during World War II. Even Army brass then seemed surprised by it. One of my best articles of the last year dove into that experience: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
December 31, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Famed crime author Dashiell Hammett--also a middle-aged, alcoholic Communist--wound up serving in the remote Aleutians during World War II. Even Army brass then seemed surprised by it. One of my best articles of the last year dove into that experience: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
Looking at past year of my articles, I was made to write on the 1957 UAF volcano hoax--second greatest erupting volcano hoax in Alaska history. 2nd photo is that year's UAF yearbook photo of the professor involved in creating in the hoax. Article here: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
December 30, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Looking at past year of my articles, I was made to write on the 1957 UAF volcano hoax--second greatest erupting volcano hoax in Alaska history. 2nd photo is that year's UAF yearbook photo of the professor involved in creating in the hoax. Article here: www.adn.com/alaska-l...
Looking at past year, someone once asked me to write more political history. This was right after 2 of 3 articles were about protests. Perhaps I am too subtle. Anyway, here's a unique article on effigy burnings in Alaska history: (www.adn.com/alaska-l...)
December 30, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Looking at past year, someone once asked me to write more political history. This was right after 2 of 3 articles were about protests. Perhaps I am too subtle. Anyway, here's a unique article on effigy burnings in Alaska history: (www.adn.com/alaska-l...)
Looking back, a year's worth of articles. The one on bohunk--eastern European--discrimination in early Anchorage is one of my most unique subjects, for its perspective on untold Alaska history and what it means for the evolution of racism. Article here: (www.adn.com/alaska-l...)
December 30, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Looking back, a year's worth of articles. The one on bohunk--eastern European--discrimination in early Anchorage is one of my most unique subjects, for its perspective on untold Alaska history and what it means for the evolution of racism. Article here: (www.adn.com/alaska-l...)
Looking at past year, one of my favorite articles was the one about Spenard's borders. It's not an exaggeration: I have yet to find two people who agree on what the neighborhood borders should be. Article used maps people filled out at one of my talks. (www.adn.com/alaska-l...)
December 30, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Looking at past year, one of my favorite articles was the one about Spenard's borders. It's not an exaggeration: I have yet to find two people who agree on what the neighborhood borders should be. Article used maps people filled out at one of my talks. (www.adn.com/alaska-l...)
Looking at past year, my article on the Alaska Railroad golden spike driven by President Warren Harding was published exactly 1 year ago. The spike was up for auction, with the city of Nenana and Anchorage Museum later buying it together. Article here (www.adn.com/alaska-l...)
December 30, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Looking at past year, my article on the Alaska Railroad golden spike driven by President Warren Harding was published exactly 1 year ago. The spike was up for auction, with the city of Nenana and Anchorage Museum later buying it together. Article here (www.adn.com/alaska-l...)