Delaney Park Strip

The Delaney Park Strip is an 11-block park in the municipality of Anchorage, Alaska. It was originally Anchorage's airfield.

History

Known to the Anchorage community as the Park Strip, Delaney Park is the oldest park in the city. It was established as part of the original Anchorage township plat in 1917 and named for James Delaney, one of the first mayors of Anchorage.

The park was originally used simply as a firebreak, but in 1922 it became “The Golf Course.” The community used the space both for a golf course and an airstrip. In 1932, however, Merrill Field opened, so the Delaney Park airstrip was no longer necessary.

In 1954 the Parks & Recreation Department began to develop recreation facilities for a variety of activities and events, including ice skating, softball, horseshoes, and, later, tennis. In 1958 the Park Strip hosted the Alaska Statehood Celebration.

Presently, the park is used for a variety of community events, sports, and festivals year-round.

Facilities

Engine 556, a 2-8-0 built by Baldwin Locomotive Works, was used by the Alaska Railroad in the 1940s and 1950s following initial service in Europe during World War II. The locomotive is shown on display at the southeast corner of Ninth Avenue and E Street, where it has sat since 1959.

• Two soccer fields
• Six softball fields
• Eight tennis courts
• Two sand volleyball courts
• Five horseshoe pits
• Ice hockey rink and ice skating area
• Winter running route around the park
• Fitness center at Pete’s Gym
• Memorial to Pope John Paul II, who visited the Park Strip in 1981
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
• Victims for Justice Tree
• Purple Heart Memorial
• Aviation Memorial
• E.G. Fenn Memorial
• POW/MIA Tree
• Organ and Tissue Donor Memorial
• C.A. Berg Tree
• R.O. Robertson Tree
• Veterans' Memorial
• Bandstand
• Centennial Rose Garden
• Parking spaces available along 10th Avenue on the park side

External links

• photos

Coordinates: 61°12′48″N 149°54′06″W / 61.21333°N 149.90167°W / 61.21333; -149.90167