Alaska State Song on a Mural - Anchorage, AK, USA - Immortalized in Lyrics on Waymarking.com

In downtown Anchorage, on the side of a building off 4th Avenue, is a long mural that has facts about Alaska's flag and song, and painted murals that illustrate Alaska's inspiring beauty.

The murals are on a building that houses one of the Polar Gifts shops. The wall that the murals are on faces a green where a tourist information center in a log cabin structure is situated. There are seven panels, each with a similar style having a painted scene with people painted in as black silhouettes, and in a setting if they were looking out a window on a train, and text at the base.

The first panel text states that Alaska's state motto, "North to the Future" was written by Richard Peter and adopted by the legislature in 1967. The painting is of a massive mountain and a bog with a moose, and people looking on, with cameras.

The second panel states that the flag was designed by 14 year old Native Alaskan Benny Benson, and adopted by the territorial government in 1927. The scene shows the Anchorage skyline across a bay, with people [and a dog??] enjoying themselves.

The third panel states that the poem about the flag that became the song was written by Marie Drake and the music composed by Elinore Dusenbury. The scene is of a seascape with puffins, and people either looking out or enjoying a game of chess.

The fourth through seventh panels have the words to the poem/song, which is presented in full, below. The scene in the fourth panel shows a glacier while onlookers are enjoying a meal in the dining car. The scene in the fifth panel shows a smoking volcano and fishermen (OK, they might not be on a train or it would just be weird). The sixth and seventh panels is of a hilly region with a glacier covered peak in the background, while people look on.

Personally, I saw a little of everything in my visit to Alaska. I saw mountains everywhere, but the last two panels reminded me of the train trip I took to Seward. The puffins were seen while on a scenic boat trip in Resurrection Bay by Seward. We saw no moose, but we did see all sorts of wildlife, especially while staying at Katchemak Bay State Park near Homer. Of course, we were in Anchorage, but I did see the skyline from a point by the airport, and from Flattop Mountain to the south.

The flag is a simple blue flag with stars on it, in the arrangement of the big dipper and the North Star, Polaris, shown as a single star in the upper right corner. This star, which is fairly low in most of the U.S., is high in the sky in Alaska. The big and little dippers are also part of a larger pair of constellations, the big and little bears (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor). On the last night of the trip, I finally was able to see the constellations and saw, first hand how high they were.

So, this mural and song remind me of the great things I saw and did in Alaska - I will be back!

Musician: I'm assuming various people. Name of Song: Alaska's Flag Relevant Verse: Eight stars of gold on a field of blue - Alaska's flag. May it mean to you The blue of the sea, the evening sky, The mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby; The gold of the early sourdough's dreams, The precious gold of the hills and streams; The brilliant stars in the northern sky, The "Bear" - the "Dipper" - and, shining high, The great North Star with its steady light, Over land and sea a beacon bright. Alaska's flag - to Alaskans dear, The simple flag of a last frontier. Location website: [Web Link]

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