Alyeska
Encyclopedia
Alyeska is an archaic spelling of the Aleut word Alaska meaning "mainland", "great country", or "great land". The American
state of Alaska
derives its name from this word. Alyeska is related to the word Unalaska (or Ounalashka) from the samoe root. Alyeska in loose translation also means "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed," or "that which the seas breaks against."
An alpine ski area developed in the early 1960s near Girdwood took the name "Alyeska" and, in following years, the developing neighborhood of ski cabins, condominiums and supporting facilities built an unincorporated community using the name. Located about 35 miles (56.3 km) southeast of Anchorage
(in the Municipality of Anchorage
), Alyeska Resort
at Mount Alyeska is a few miles northeast of Girdwood
, a town alongside the Seward Highway
that was largely abandoned after the 1964 Alaska earthquake lowered its elevation below the high tide levels of Cook Inlet
, causing the town to move to a new site 3 miles (4.8 km) inland, absorbing the Alyeska community into Girdwood.
The oil companies building the Trans-Alaska Pipeline also used the name when forming Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
in 1970, the corporation that would operate and maintain its pipeline.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
derives its name from this word. Alyeska is related to the word Unalaska (or Ounalashka) from the samoe root. Alyeska in loose translation also means "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed," or "that which the seas breaks against."
An alpine ski area developed in the early 1960s near Girdwood took the name "Alyeska" and, in following years, the developing neighborhood of ski cabins, condominiums and supporting facilities built an unincorporated community using the name. Located about 35 miles (56.3 km) southeast of Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
(in the Municipality of Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
), Alyeska Resort
Alyeska Resort
Alyeska Resort is a ski resort that is located in Girdwood, Alaska, approximately 27 miles from the city of Anchorage. Mount Alyeska is part of the Chugach mountain range...
at Mount Alyeska is a few miles northeast of Girdwood
Girdwood, Alaska
Girdwood is an unincorporated year-round ski resort community within the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. It lies in a valley in the Chugach Mountains near the end of the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, 36 miles southeast of Anchorage proper.It is surrounded by seven permanent...
, a town alongside the Seward Highway
Seward Highway
The Seward Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends 127 miles from Seward to Anchorage. It was completed in 1951 and runs through the scenic Kenai Peninsula and Turnagain Arm, for which it was designated an All-American Road by the U.S...
that was largely abandoned after the 1964 Alaska earthquake lowered its elevation below the high tide levels of Cook Inlet
Cook Inlet
Cook Inlet stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage....
, causing the town to move to a new site 3 miles (4.8 km) inland, absorbing the Alyeska community into Girdwood.
The oil companies building the Trans-Alaska Pipeline also used the name when forming Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
The Alyeska consortium refers to the major oil companies that own and operate the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System through the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company.-History:...
in 1970, the corporation that would operate and maintain its pipeline.