Touring Fort William H. Seward in Haines, Alaska

The United States and Canada were involved in a boarder dispute in 1901.  The US government decided to establish a military presence in the settlement of Haines.

The fort was named in
honor of William H. Seward,
the Secretary of Defense who
arranged the purchase of
Alaska from Russia.

Work on the Fort started

in 1903.

All the building materials for the fort arrived in by ship.  

One of two Enlisted Men's
barracks.

The second barracks

burned down in 1981.

The former hospital

The Officer's Quarters are on the hill,

above the parade ground.

Fort William H. Seward served as a training base for Alaskan recruits during World War I and World War II.  In 1946, the fort was declared surplus property and decommissioned.  

Fiver World War II veterans and their families bought the surplus buildings and 400 acres.  In 1947 Fort William H. Seward was renamed Port Chilkoot.  The veterans established businesses at the old  Fort and became active members of the Haines community.