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Kenai, Alaska: Log Chapels Testify to Kenai History
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log chapel, built in 1906 near the Holy Assumption Church,
honors Father Igumen Nikolai, who started the first permanent
parish in Kenai in 1845. He baptized 1,432 Kenaitze Indians.
The Russians also inoculated Native people against smallpox,
in 1860. Starting in 1888, the town served as a fish cannery.
Canneries were in full swing until the Depression in the
1930's, providing cheap protein to people in the Lower 48.
A big breakthrough for Kenai came in 1957, when oil was
discovered at nearby Swanson River. In 1962, a Chevron refinery
was built just to the north. Today, Kenai is the largest
city in the Kenai Peninsula. The word "Kenai"
is thought to mean "riverbank dwellers." The town
itself is located on a bluff, which is a fine place for
spotting beluga whales. In fact, whale watching is a popular
pastime here, especially two hours before and after high
tide. Belugas are small mammals, up to 15 feet long. The
group in Cook Inlet numbers between 600 and 1,100 whales.
Whales breed and bear their young here. Blue-gray when born,
belugas eventually turn white. |
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