Page 147 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

keep the spirits confined to the Eklutna Cemetery,
colorful miniature houses are built on top of the See Video
graves; each structure is topped with the distinctive
cross of the Russian Orthodox Church. The tiny
houses are painted with family colors and contain
personal items of the deceased such as cups, plates,
spoons, a comb, a pipe, or even a rifle or camera.
Ten thousand years ago, at the end of the
Pleistocene Age, Portage Valley was covered by a
massive glacier, which has since largely retreated.
Visitors can take a one-hour cruise or stroll along the
lakeshore to wonder at hulking blue-white icebergs
and learn of the Portage Glacier area’s geology and
history. Three road-accessible campgrounds with 55
campsites are available to the public in Portage Valley.
For thousands of years, Alaska’s Natives have
produced arts and crafts that are both functional and
beautiful. Decorative pieces crafted from animal
skins, ivory, bone, grasses and many other materials
have allowed Natives to memorialize the history and
traditions of their ancient cultures. The Alaska Native
Heritage Center is the first-ever visitor attraction to
share Alaska Native traditions through educational
programs. Visitors enter the Center through the
Welcome House, which has interpretative displays,
a theater hosting a film presentation and daily
performances of traditional Native dance troupes.
A trail will introduce visitors to Native Tradition
Bearers, artists and performers as they tour five
village exhibits surrounding a lake on the 26-acre
campus.
At Crow Creek Mine, visitors can pan for gold as
miners did nearly one hundred years earlier, or hike
part of the famous Iditarod Trail, which linked the
port town of Seward with interior towns and villages Log Cabin Visitor Information Center
photo by:
before the advent of rail and roads. Roy Neese
Alaska is renowned for its outdoor life, replete with

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