![]() ![]() His expedition was mysteriously lost in 1788 while navigating the South Pacific. Though he survived Alaska, Lapérouse never returned to France. In a letter dispatched back to France, he wrote, “the fury of the waves in that place left no hope of their return.” He added, “Nothing remained for us but to quit with speed a country that had proved so fatal.” Lapérouse searched for their bodies but found none. The waves and currents wrecked the boats all 21 men aboard died. Lapérouse had ordered them to avoid the breakers and wait for a calmer passage, but their captains charged for the gap without hesitation. On July 13, 1786, three of his boats attempted to pass out through the narrow entrance to the bay. The most notable pre-1958 incidents involved the French scientific expedition dispatched by King Louis XVI and led by Jean François de Galaup, Comte de Lapérouse. The name derives from the Tlingit Ltu.aa, meaning “lake within the point.” The bay has been the site of several previous giant waves and tragedies. Lituya Bay is a seven-mile long, two-mile wide fjord on the southeast coastline of Alaska, roughly a hundred miles southeast of Yakutat. More forgotten is the tragic 1958 Lituya Bay earthquake and its accompanying megatsunami. Then there is the latest earthquake, whichever one that is at the time, that sends Alaskans rushing to their computers, refreshing websites until there are details on magnitude and epicenter. The 2018 Anchorage earthquake was a less deadly but more recent touchstone. Older or historically knowledgeable residents will recall the 1964 Good Friday earthquake, a defining and harrowing event for those who lived through it. ![]() Ask an Alaskan about earthquakes, and they will probably name one of three such events. Today, earthquakes dominate news cycles and discussions. Hard as it might be to believe now, news of the 1917 quake was buried on the sixth page of a 10-page paper. As the local newspaper declared, “What is believed to have been an earthquake shock was reported by various employees of the (railroad) commission yesterday afternoon.” The article continued, “Recently similar shocks have been experienced, according to those working on the railroad reserve, but nothing has been heard of tremors being felt in the city proper.” This was a new experience for many residents of the young town, to the point that some were not sure what had happened. On July 25, 1917, the first documented earthquake in settler-era Anchorage struck. Have a question about Anchorage or Alaska history or an idea for a future article? Go to the form at the bottom of this story. Part of a continuing weekly series on Alaska history by local historian David Reamer. The red arrow shows the location of the landslide, and the yellow arrow shows the location of the high point of the wave sweeping over the headland. Damage from the 1958 Lituya Bay megatsunami can be seen in this aerial photograph of Lituya Bay, Alaska as the lighter areas at the shore where trees have been stripped away. ![]()
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