did you know that in the heart of Alaska is a town almost entirely cut off from the rest of the world
everyone here lives in a one block apartment building with limited amenities such as a post
office Health Clinic church and laundromat only accessible by a relatively new train tunnel this
is Whittier Alaska and today we will discover its unusual past I'm your host Ryan socash and you're
watching it's history [Music] it may surprise you to learn that whitnier was not always the Sleepy
town that it is now rather it began as a military installation during the height of the second world
war during the years before the attack on Pearl Harbor the U.S military's construction across
Alaska was met with a significant problem as the need for supplies increased so did The Strain on
the railroad traffic on the port of Seward the distance was also an issue issue sword
was almost 60 miles further south than what would later become Whittier hence the Alaskan command
needed a solution to these issues and fast as such American General Simon Buckner Jr sought a
suitable location for hidden military installation once complete this installation would vary both
troops and cargo to Anchorage and Fairbanks as well as to other bases it would also serve as a
support if Seward's Port were Disturbed Buckner's proposed headquarters had three core Parts access
to an ice-free deep water Port natural protection from airstrikes and topography that would block
enemy air surveillance and Whitner was perfect its water was ice-free year-round its location
at the head of Passage Canal was ideal the mountains surrounding it were so impassable
that the military had to blast a hole through them to link the port by railroad to Anchorage checking
off off the last two must-haves of Buckner's lists its weather was also crucial to keeping
the installation hidden from enemy surveillance Whitner gets almost 198 inches of rain annually
and it's the wettest city in all of Alaska not only that but the average annual snowfall is 258
inches its powerful winds reach up to 80 miles per hour and clouds almost always surround it it
also has ship access through the prince of William sound and passage canal and can be further secured
with controlled tunnel access The Man Behind the tunnel operation was Anton Anderson Anderson was
originally from New Zealand but came to the US in 1914 as a surveyor he graduated from Seattle
University with a degree in civil engineering by 1916 Anderson had moved to Alaska where he
was crucial in developing the Alaskan Railroad however the Whittier project was unlike any
anything Anderson had ever encountered before he needed to construct two successive tunnel
segments to connect the planned military facility to the central seaward Anchorage railroad along a
14-mile Spur tunnel digging had begun in 1941 and despite the extreme weather that the construction
crew had to work through temperatures often Sub-Zero the project was completed a year
and six months ahead of schedule these results stemmed from a new sense of urgency spurred on
by the tragedy of Pearl Harbor one that occurred not long after the commencement of construction
the tunnel was 3.5 Miles when finished and was initially built to accommodate only trains its
first train passed through on June the 1st 1943 and its first shipload of troops arrived a week
later this was the first use of the tunnel in the Northeast base at the time it was one of
the longest highway tunnels in North America and with that it became a crucial transport hub for
the U.S military defenses the site was initially named Camp Sullivan it wasn't until after the war
that it was renamed Whittier after the 19th century American poet John Greenland Whittier
its accommodations included buildings such as Barracks a mess hall a theater and a chapel
made primarily of wood the 714th railway operating Bastion oversaw the infrastructure that serviced
the railroad and port at the time Whittier sheltered over 1 200 personnel and was kept a
heavily protected secret during the high stakes wartime no civilians were permitted to enter
and any railroad photography was classified the settlement was monitored very closely to ensure no
words of Whittier would get out to The Wider world this secrecy paid off though as alaskans Aleutian
Islands were later raided by Japan the attack never reached Whittier which remained secure
as World War II ended it seemed that whitnir II had reached its expiration in a sense while
it had been crucial in times of War there was little need for a town like this in a time of
peace that was until the cold war came about and caused a second boom in whittier's development as
it was decided that the Garrison was needed more than ever before it was intended to house over 1
000 Army Personnel in a quote City Under One Roof The Buckner building built between 1949 and 1953
and named for Simon Buckner Jr was the answer to this plan it Incorporated almost 300 000 square
feet over six floors and at one point was the largest building in all of Alaska according to
Atlas obscura this building included a hospital a 320-seat theater a four-lane bowling alley a
six cell jail a barber shop a church a bakery a library a radio station a photo lab a rifle
range a commissary a cafeteria and kitchen plus there was an officer's lounge and accommodation
for soldiers and their families it was built to support and house the military personnel to
ensure they wouldn't have to leave and expose themselves to enemy surveillance in 1957 it
was accompanied by the 14-story Hodge building the Hodge building would later be renamed the
baggage towers and was the Lone Survivor between the two after the Buckner fell into disrepair
and it may surprise you that these two behemoths were planned to be the first of 10 buildings at
its dedication the Hodge building was considered the most expensive military construction project
besides the Pentagon at the time of its opening the Hodge building was given the lofty title
quote the Wilderness skyscraper however as the tides of the Cold War shifted so too did
whittier's military relevancy in 1960 military forces started pulling out though that wasn't the
only major event in whittier's history you see not long after tragedy struck the biggest earthquake
in Alaskan history struck on March the 27th 1964. the earthquake's epicenter measuring 9.2 on the
Richter Scale was just 33 miles away from Whittier though the after effects and the three tsunamis
caused by it caused most of the devastation by the time the destruction was over it had claimed the
lives of 13 people and generated over 5 million dollars worth of Damages the Waterfront and Port
facilities were left inoperable and many buildings were damaged including the Hodge and Buckner
buildings a monument was erected in 2020 to commemorate those who tragically lost their lives
so where do the buildings of Whitner stand today well as stated before Buckner Tower was abandoned
during the earthquake of Alaska the building was later purchased in 1972 by the city of Whitner
but no developer was found for the property hence it changed hands multiple times hoping to one day
be renovated though those hopes were sadly never fulfilled it was continually delayed by factors
such as a lack of financing not to mention the lack of a decent road to the town as such it is
a shadow of what it once was this once magnificent structure is now covered in graffiti and asbestos
mold and mildew or perhaps best put in the words of history.net which quotes the building is too
expensive to renovate but too historic to pull down slowly crumbling back into the mountains
from which it was constructed the building went into foreclosure in 2016 and was repossessed
by the city the city of Whitner still hopes to restore it and preserve its history however the
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation recommends the opposite that it's not feasible to
fix and should be torn down the result is that the Buckner building is caught in limbo too expensive
to restore or tear down baggage Towers on the other hand had a much brighter future it was
transferred to civilian owners in 1973 and was updated for modern usage became a building that
now houses most of whittier's permanent residence standing strong against the rain snow and wind its
many hallways serve as streets to the residents and some claim that several residents have
not left the building in weeks months or even years its accommodations include Condominiums
rental units a church a pharmacy a clinic a gym a police department a mini market and city offices
now although the abandoned Tower and the inhabited ones seem like two separate entities they are in
fact connected by utility and this has caused some major issues you see a pair of active
boilers were housed in the abandoned structure yet served the main building and as the property
decayed so did the vital utility leaving the town with only one functional boiler which experienced
daily issues and this was no joke as under the threat of harsh Alaskan Winters residents were
uncertain of their future as if the boiler stopped moving hot water through the pipes
they'd burst what's more the metal inflow and outflow pipes were becoming blocked by
calcium and iron the sewage system was getting closer and closer to failure every day the harsh
winds drove rain into the cinder blocks of the exterior causing window frames to deteriorate
and leak thankfully the U.S department of Agriculture approved a 3 million dollar
Grant in September of 2015 and Restorations were underway to keep the towers livable for
its residents in the foreseeable future though Whittier was only accessible by trainer boat in
2000 the central segment of the Anton Anderson Memorial tunnel was upgraded to accommodate
road vehicles in a single Lane directional flow as such the tunnel remains among the longest railroad
Highway tunnels in North America at 2.7 miles long this new point of access then put Whittier on the
map for more and more people leading directly to a flow of tourists to the unique Town thanks to
its location and history the tunnel however is as unique as the Town Cars can only cross once
an hour in either direction and the tunnel closes entirely after 10 30 PM it's not uncommon to see
residents who missed the last Crossing in their cars waiting until the next day to come home
and even less unusual is for residents here to wear shirts reading pow prisoners of Whittier
the summer is by far the town's busiest season as it's known among tourists for its kayaking
Waters and cruises into Prince William's sound it can see up to 1 000 boats in town
but in the winter most tourist businesses shut down as the crowds clear out and that'll do it
for this video thank you all so much for watching until next time this is Ryan so cash signing off