Campus Center - Anchorage, Alaska - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

"The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 is without parallel in the history of the United States or the world, either in the record of land distribution or of government-aboriginal relations. As the scene of the 1971 meeting at which Alaska's Natives ratified the Act, the Campus Center, although achieving significance [in 1971], qualifies as a building associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history and as one of exceptional importance.

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was the largest settlement ever made to quiet aboriginal claims. The approximately one billion dollars and forty million acres conveyed to Alaskan Natives were without equal in records of such settlements, either in the United States or in other countries. The concept embodied in the Act of transferring these entitlements to regional and village corporations is also unusual, and represents a significant departure from traditional agreements executed to extinguish aboriginal title.

The Campus Center, in 1971 was the scene of a three day meeting attended by more than 600 Alaskan Native delegates. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act had been passed by the United States Senate in November on a vote of 76 to 5, and on December 14, a conference committee version of the bill was adopted by the House of Representatives on a vote of 307 to 16. For three days the delegates discussed the newly-passed law. On December 18, President Richard M. Nixon was advised that the delegates, by a vote of 511 to 56, had accepted the agreement. The delegates, clustered on the second floor of the Campus Center in the large dining area, heard the President say (by special telephone arrangements) "I want you to be among the first to know that I have just signed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act."" - National Register Nomination form

Street address: University Drive Anchorage, Alaska County / Borough / Parish: Anchorage Year listed: 1979 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event Periods of significance: 1950-1974 Historic function: Education, Social Current function: Education Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/29/2011 li1gray visited it