Fact Sheets

The information for these fact sheets were compiled by the Valdez Museum and is based on materials from the Valdez Museum’s historical collections.

Newspaper Editorials

The year 2001 marked Valdez’s centennial. On July 1, 1901, Valdez residents voted to incorporate and form an official City government. Valdez’s first newspaper was published on March 9 of 1901 just before the vote to incorporate. The Valdez News was printed weekly and recorded the events of the newly formed City of Valdez. It…

The Vote

The year 2001 marked Valdez’s centennial. On July 1, 1901, Valdez residents voted to incorporate and form an official City government. How did that vote compare to municipal votes today? For one, there were stricter requirements for who could vote. Voters had to be male, older than 21, a resident of Alaska for one year,…

Valdez Airport

Valdez has a long transportation history. Since it was founded over a hundred years ago, it has served as a hub for road, sea, and air travel. Valdez has had an airport since October 1927 when local residents worked with the Alaska Road Commission to build the first runway adjacent to the Old Town. Building…

Bob Reeve

Valdez has a long transportation history. Since it was founded over a hundred years ago, it has served as a hub for road, sea, and air travel. Bob Reeve is a familiar name to many Alaskans. He is best known for his long-standing airline “Reeve Aleutian Air” that serviced the Aleutian Islands from the 1940s…

Housing and Pipeline Construction

In the spring of 1968, the first major oil discovery was made in Prudhoe Bay. A year later, announcements were made that an 800-mile pipeline would be built to Valdez. Over the next four years, permits were issued, legal and environmental issues worked out, and land claims settled. Work began on building the pipeline in…