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Old Russian Town of Kenai
The Road to Homer
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Russian Orthodox Church
We took a northwestern detour at Soldotna and visited the town of Kenai, an old Russian settlement at the mouth of the Kenai River where it flows into the Cook Inlet.
Holy Assumption Of The Virgin Mary, Russian Orthodox Church in the ancient town of Kenai
was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970. Built from 1895 to 1896, the church was the second Orthodox church at the site, replacing an 1849 structure. The church was built from logs in the shape of a ship. The bell tower was completed later in 1900.
When Russian fur traders first arrived in 1741, about 1000 Dena'ina lived in a village on the Kenai town site. The traders called the people "Kenailze" — people of the flats — or "Kenai people."
In 1791, a Russian trading post, Fort St. Nicholas, was constructed in the middle of the village for the purposes of fur and fish trading. It was the second permanent Russian settlement in Alaska.
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Modern Kenai Visitors Center
Next, we will visit Homer, The Halibut Capital of the World, on the Kachemak Bay at the southwestern edge of the Kenai Peninsula. Don't miss the pictures of the famous brown bears of Katmai National Park.
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