About the KMTA GeoTrail:
Welcome to a geocaching trail exploring Alaska’s only National Heritage Area. In 2009, Congress designated the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm (KMTA) region of Southcentral Alaska as a National Heritage Area (NHA). This designation formally recognizes the history of an area that has deeply shaped the legacy of Alaska and the nation. It is the history of the Alutiiq, Sugpiaq, and Dena’ina people—the original stewards and inhabitants of the Kenai Peninsula. It’s that of the Iditarod National Historic Trail, Alaska Railroad, Gold Rush, Seward Highway, and local industries that give KMTA its character. KMTA’s geographic footprint bridges Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound via mountains, glacial valleys, and productive rivers. Throughout this landscape are communities and stories that connect us to our past and future. It includes the small and vibrant communities of Bird, Indian, Girdwood, Whittier, Hope, Cooper Landing, Moose Pass, and Seward, and all the wilderness between them. As Alaska’s only National Heritage Area, KMTA aims to enhance, preserve, and share the region’s natural and cultural resources— in essence its heritage. Above all else, KMTA strives to foster pride of place and an enduring stewardship ethic for this special place. As you travel through the Heritage Area to complete this GeoTrail, we encourage to keep that stewardship ethic front of mind as you learn about and enjoy the richness of the region.
As you search for the geocaches making up this GeoTrail, you’ll be asked to complete a passport that qualifies you to purchase the KMTA GeoTrail Geocoin. For more information on the Passport and GeoTrail, please visit KMTA-GeoTrail.GCAK.org
KMTA field guide link: https://kmtacorridor.org/field-trip-guide/
The unique code word for this cache is found on the front of the logbook and/or on the inside of the container lid.
**Cell coverage warning: this location may have limited cell phone coverage (at least for data). It would be wise to download the cache information before arriving at GZ.**
KMTA GeoTrail #12: Cooper Landing Museum
Location description: the Cooper Landing Museum offers a broad view of the local history. Perhaps the most unique feature is how the Cooper Landing Museum delves into local personalities of former settlers. Limited season and hours: call for availability (907) 598-1042.
The first thing that greets a visitor when they enter the Cooper Landing Museum is the articulated brown bear skeleton created by Cooper Landing students under the guidance of teachers Sheryl and Ed Sotelo (can you find the recreated bones in the skeleton?). The second being the personal nature of the museum. Here are letters and photographs of not only the founders of Cooper Landing but also those who knew them— some who are current members of the Cooper Landing Historical Society. The close connection to the founding of this area is a trait shared by all the community museums in the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area. But it certainly resonates particularly true in the Cooper Landing Museum.
Volunteers at the museum can provide hundreds of letters, photographs, documents, and stories from their past. The Cooper Landing Museum, like all of the community museums in the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area, is a treasure for visitors wanting a crack at coming face-to-face with history.
Geocache description: museum personnel have granted permission for a geocache here. The container is a small lock-and-lock hidden nearby. The container can be accessed even when the museum is not open.
This cache is maintained by local Alaskan geocacher alaskatim.
Please contact him with any questions or maintenance requests.
