1964 Earthquake in Anchorage Alaska

Meet survivors of the 1964 earthquake in Anchorage Alaska, as they tell their stories.

1964 earthquake in anchorage alaskaphoto by Ed Rosek

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And hear the introduction from a survivor



5:36pm, Good Friday, March 27, 1964

The Earth Shook Violently for 5 Minutes

It was a peaceful afternoon, just like any other.

Schools were closed because of the holiday.

At 5:36 pm, as Anchorage was beginning to settle in for a quiet evening, the world turned upside down.

Suddenly, the earth started to shake.

At first, it appeared to be a quake similar to the ones that Anchorage experienced from time to time.

But it quickly became violent as it slammed, convulsed, and began ripping apart buildings, roads, and sidewalks.

The noise was deafening. It sounded like a powerful wind and a loud train as it roared by.

And there was no place to hide.

As it continued, it began to feel as though it would never end. That it would go on and on until the earth was but a memory.

Can you imagine how that must have felt?

Both Mike and Mary of Anchorage Memories are survivors of the 1964 earthquake, and their stories about what they experienced are horrifying and unreal.

“We were literally shaking to the core of our being. And what we saw, felt, and heard will never leave us.”

When it was finally over, the world learned that the earthquake was a magnitude 9.2 and that it had lasted an incredible 5-minutes.

The aftershocks were intense and terrifying.

Meet the Survivors

As you read the following stories, you'll meet people who were living in Anchorage when the earthquake struck on an otherwise quiet afternoon.

Through their stories, you will discover what they experienced.

Do You Have A Story?

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Memories submitted by survivors

Click on the following stories to learn more…

She Wrote an Earthquake Letter 
My name is Pamela , and I was just 4 years old when the 1964 earthquake struck. We were living in Anchorage and my mother, Mildred Eichelberger, wrote …

My 1964 Earthquake Adventure 
I had just gotten off work at JC Penney, driven home and parked the car in the garage. I walked into the house at 1333 11th Avenue when the house started …

1964 Earthquake
Story from
Turnagain
 
I was in southern California during the 1964 earthquake, but I heard the following story told by a woman in the hard-hit area of Turnagain. Her words …

I Survived
The 1964 Earthquake
Inside the 4th Avenue Theater
 
It was Good Friday, 1964. Our Dad dropped us off at the 4th Avenue Theater to see a Walt Disney movie. He was going to pick us up later when the movie …

Shake Rattle and Roll 
I was a little over six years old at the time of the 1964 earthquake, so this is what I remember. We lived near Jewel lake. I don’t remember the …

The Doctor got a Shot
in His Thumb
 
I was five years old when the 1964 Earthquake struck. My father, brothers, and sister were home. My brother was watching Fireball XL5 on TV. The …

KTVA's Buckaroo Show
and the 64 Earthquake
 
The 1964 Good Friday earthquake caught me by surprise. I was hosting the Buckaroo Show live at 5 from the KTVA studios on the first floor of the McKinley …

Salvaging
Earthquake Damaged Homes
in Turnagain
 
Many of us who were older (as in 17) volunteered for Civil Defense duty after the 1964 quake. We were assigned to different projects over the coming weeks. …

My 1964 Earthquake Experience
in Turnagain
 
For you G.T., I promised this to you some time ago. And to you C.H. because your post regarding the 1964 quake and PSTD really hit home for me and …

I Saw the School Split in Half 
I was stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base at the time of the 1964 earthquake. I was just outside the gate on Government Hill in a drug store picking …

We were lucky in Spenard 
When the 1964 earthquake first hit , my mom was in the kitchen making sloppy Joe's for dinner. The three of us were huddled around the television watching …

Imprinted Forever
by the 1964 Earthquake
 
I was 11 years old when the earthquake impacted my life. We lived in what my mom liked to call the cesspool, an apartment at 13th & Cordova. I was …

Mommy’s House Broken 
Our family was spared by the Grace of God! We lived in a single-family house on a typical street in our neighborhood of “Turnagain By The Sea.” …

Great Alaskan Earthquake
Survivor
 
My older brother Norman and I were shopping downtown in the JC Penney's Department store. At 5:36 p.m. and 14 seconds, panic swept over us. Suddenly, …

I'll Never Forget 
I was 6 years old when I experienced the 1964 earthquake. We lived on West 29th Place, which back then was a dead-end street off Spenard Road. …

The Fireball XL5
Great Alaska Earthquake
Connection
 
What does “Supermarionation” have to do with the 1964 earthquake? Right after the quake, one of the first questions all of us survivors asked each …

Shaking on Boniface Road 
We lived in a trailer court on Boniface road. The 1964 earthquake in Anchorage Alaska started as a dull roar and vibration as you expect when a jet …

Home Alone 
The original… “Home Alone” I had turned 11 years old in March, a couple of weeks before the 1964 earthquake. My brother was 15. We lived in a mobile …

Alaskan Earthquake
No Place to Hide
 
Ground fissures were opening up all around me as the earth began to shake more violently than ever before. I was 17 years old and suddenly, I knew I …

I Remember 64 
I was 11 years old in 1964 and living with my parents in the Turnagain By The Sea residential area on Captain Cook Blvd. It was a snowy day, gray, and …

The 1964 Earthquake
was a
Shaking Experience
 Not rated yet
My sister and I were sitting together, watching our favorite TV show, Fireball XL5, at our home on 3900 Arctic Blvd. As I remember, there was some kind …

Ron Moore
1964 Earthquake Memories
 Not rated yet
Anchorage radio DJ, Ron Moore remembers the 1964 earthquake. Ron: "Scotty Ferguson and yours truly were doing a 5:30 pm news-sports cast on KFQD. …

The Street just Disappeared Not rated yet
A friend of mine, Tom Jones (not the singer), used to go to the 4th Avenue Theater nearly every weekend and then go grab a shirt or pair of pants at our …

I was 13
and my Little Brother was 10
We Recall the Quake Vividly
 Not rated yet
My brother and I have vivid recall of the 64' earthquake. My name is Ron Dionne and my brother is Ross Dionne. Dad was a ranking Officer at Elmendorf …

Click here to write your own.

1964 Alaskan Earthquake
Memories
 Not rated yet
It was my husband's birthday, and I was cooking and had just placed his cake on the table. All of a sudden, things started shaking. The doors of …

Click here to write your own.


1964 Earthquake in Anchorage Alaska


BONUS

pictures of the 1964 earthquake

Take a look at these rare

1964 Alaska earthquake pictures


While Anchorage has its fair share of earthquakes, the one on Good Friday, 1964 was much stronger and more destructive than any other one before or since. 

And those who experienced the terror and devastation first hand, still vividly recall their experiences – and always will.

Anchorage Memories wishes to thank all the survivors who contributed their stories.

BONUS

Memories of the Powerful 1964 Earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska by Michael R Dougherty

First-hand accounts of what our reader's experienced during the largest earthquake in North America.

Read on Substack

What You Just Discovered

The 1964 Earthquake was a magnitude 9.2, or 35 times more powerful than the 1902 earthquake in San Francisco.

The shaking lasted nearly 5 minutes.

At the time, estimates of damage were somewhere around $500 million dollars. In today's dollars, we're looking at $4,787,255,806 and some change.

From reading the first-hand accounts on this page, written by survivors of the earthquake, you learned what they saw, heard and felt as the shaking continued.

Michele recalls the quake:

“I remember looking out their living room window and seeing the neighboring trees sway so violently that they seemed to touch the ground with each change in motion.

Those 5 long minutes of the earthquake seemed like an eternity. And the sound – so loud – like 100 freight trains going through your house.“

Eric has this memory:

“As we were making our way out through the small kitchen and out the back door, the house would sway and roll with the ground waves. It was difficult to stand up, much less walk.”

Jack remembers this:

“Someone hollered “earthquake” and everyone ran for the door. When I got out in the parking lot, the ground was really shaking and the cars that were parked there were being thrown around. All I could do was kneel, so I wouldn't fall.

I looked across the road just in time to see the Government Hill Elementary School split in half and drop into the ground. Thank God it was a holiday and the school was closed.”

Mike recalls his narrow escape:

“A huge brick smoke stack continued its violent and wild dance from left to right. And just as I wondered, “how could that smoke stack do that without falling apart?” the smoke stack crashed downward, blowing a laundry room to pieces.

Moments ago, I had considered making my way toward the laundry room for safety. Now it was a death trap.”


Memories of the 1964 Earthquake in Anchorage Alaska, live on.


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