Chapel by the Lake, Auke Bay, Alaska, ca 1960
[photo by Howard C. Robinson]
The unused postcard shared this week features a photo by Howard C. Robinson of the Chapel by the Lake. At the bottom left on the reverse there is C8716 and credit to Robinson. At the upper left on the reverse is a short blurb: “World famous Chapel by the Lake, Auke Bay, Alaska, with Mendenhall Glacier in the background.” The card was published by C.P. Johnston Company of Seattle, Washington using color by Mike Roberts. This card was one of several found in a jumble box at a local antique mall.
Architects Howard Foss and Linn A. Forrest designed this Presbyterian church located in Auke Bay, Alaska. Construction began in 1954 and was completed in 1958. There is no date or postmark on the card but the date of the card can be estimated based on the new-like appearance of the interior shown on the card. The style is an example of Rustic architecture. There are large windows behind the altar that look out across Auke Lake to the famous Mendenhall Glacier. The scenic, suburban location makes this chapel a popular venue for weddings.
Auke Lake is found in Auke Bay, Juneau, Alaska. In addition to Dolly Varden, cutthroat, and steelhead there are four other varieties of salmon live in the lake. The views from the Glacier Hwy side of Auke Lake are often photographed.
Mendenhall Glacier has been significantly receding. When my parents visited in the early 1960s
the glacier was close to the visitor center and the lake was much smaller with almost no beach.
When Bob and I were there in 2019, Mendenhall Lake had increased and the visitor center was at the beginning of a trail down to the large lake beach.
As can be seen in these photos from 2019, Mendenhall Lake has grown in size between the edge of the glacier and the pathway down from the visitor center. The glacier is still massive but is continuing to shrink.
Mendenhall Glacier and beach with people standing by the lake, 2019
Mendenhall Glacier is about 13.6 miles or 21.9 km long and is located about 12 miles or 19 km from downtown Juneau. The glacier and the surrounding areas are protected as the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area within the Tongass National Forest. Since 1942 the Juneau Icefield Research Program has monitored the outlet glaciers. Since 1929 when the lake was created, the glacier has receded 1.75 miles or 2.82 km. It has receded a total of 2.5 miles or 4 km since 1500. A statement from the U.S. Forest Service, which manages the Mendenhall Glacier, says: “because glaciers are a product of climate, they respond to climate change.” The glacier is expected to continue receding in the foreseeable future due to a generally warming climate in Southeast Alaska.
Nugget falls, the beach, lake, and Mendenhall Glacier, 2019
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