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Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club

Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club

Auteur(s): Michael R Dougherty
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 Great memories of the Anchorage, Alaska you love

www.anchoragememoriesclub.comMichael R Dougherty Monde Sciences sociales
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  • Your Anchorage Driving Test Comments

    Your Anchorage Driving Test Comments
    Feb 8 2026
    Our edition about Anchorage First Driving Test Memories received a lot of interesting comments.Jerry remembers his 1953 Driver’s License Number:“In 1953, I got a driver's license. The license numbers were the next in line. My license number was 53467, so the next person would be 53468, regardless of where they were in Alaska. I was in line in the 1970s to renew when everyone was checking their numbers to see how low their numbers were. When I showed them mine. They all gasped, I was the winner by quite a margin.”Pat drove once around the block:“When it came time for me to get my driver's license, Dad decided I should go to a driving school. The instructor was a fellow by the name of Cox. He was also a music teacher. So the day came for the driving test, and I told the examiner that I was taught by Cox. The examiner told me to drive around the block. Once around the block and that was it. I don't think he ever looked up from his paperwork.”Tom remembers a lot of yelling:“I remember learning to drive from my dad, who meant well but yelled at me a lot, and my mom, who was a bit nervous but less prone to yelling. I finally took the test in March of 1978, 6 agonizing months after my 16th birthday, at the DMV on Dowling Road.It was probably the easiest driving test in the history of the automobile: I turned left on Dowling, right on the frontage road along Seward Highway, then right on Tudor, right on Lake Otis, and right again on Dowling, turning left back into the DMV. Two left turns the entire test. And then there was no parking test!”Michael was nervous in Bethel:“I was 16 and was one of the few students in high school in Bethel to have a driver’s license in 1970. Back then the tests were given at the AST office. I was nervous but just had to drive down the street and back and that was it. I passed!”Mark was a seasoned driver at 16:“I turned 16 in 1971. By that time I'd been driving my dad's 1962 International Scout for almost two years. (Until just before the driver's test, the Scout had no tail lights; I just lightly rode the brakes whenever I passed a trooper or city cop.) So I was a confident veteran driver when I arrived at the old DMV location on 5th Avenue. Even parallel parking was not a huge challenge. I Passed easily.”Comments from our Facebook PostSherry didn’t pass:“During my driving test, my instructor told me to stop. I slowed down and stopped. He "failed" me because I didn't slam on the brakes. He didn't say "STOP!"; he said stop.”Note from Anchorage MemoriesWe feel your pain, Sherry.Karen had to fix a roadside problem:“I took my test in Eagle River in my VW bug. As we started up Meadow Creek Drive my automatic choke slipped, as it did from time to time, so I pulled into a cul du sac, got out, opened the hood and put it back the way it should be.As I got back in the car and turned off the flashers, the tester told me to go ahead and just head back to the DMV. I thought that meant the test was over, and I'd have to go again, but I was wrong. She told me she was very impressed with how calm I remained and how I fixed the problem. She passed me without even parallel parking.”Grover had to parallel park a station wagon:“Oh yes, in Anchorage... in mom's 1957 Ford station wagon. Parallel parking was intimidating in that critter, but Dad had his truck at work. I lucked out, and slipped right into the spot. The rest of the test was a piece of cake.”Kathy was driving in downtown Anchorage:“Nope. Failed to stop at a red light before I made a right-hand turn in downtown Anchorage. Oops! The guy was nice though. I re-took the driving portion a week later and passed.”Michael took his test in something unique:“I was at Anchorage’s 4th Avenue DMV. Driving a two and a half ton shop truck with a jib-boom. The person giving me the test was impressed. Lol, farm boys! What can I say.”Cindy had things under control:“Yup. First day I was allowed to take the test. In my Mom’s big boat of a station wagon. One trip around a short residential block and parallel parked that puppy like it was nothing. Passed with flying colors plus a huge compliment from the examiner for my parking.”Vivien told a fib:“Took mine at DMV on 5th Avenue. When we were coming back to the DMV the tester asked me if I knew how to parallel park. I knew how, but told him I didn’t because I didn’t know what he was going to have me do.”Ebe remembers it was very casual:“Yep, I took my test in Nenana in 1968... no red light, one stop sign, no parallel parking. We basically just drove around talking.”Edi learned with a stick shift:“I don't think I had to take a driving test in 1950. My dad taught me to drive, sometimes with my little brother or sister in the back seat laughing at my jerky attempts in a standard-transmission car. When he thought I was able to drive, he simply took me to the DMV to buy the license.”Yes, You Can Share This EditionAnd when you do, your friends and ...
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    9 min
  • Anchorage First Driving Test Memories

    Anchorage First Driving Test Memories
    Jan 25 2026

    The photo above is of 1950s Anchorage

    If you were an Anchorage teen, you probably went through the exciting, but scary process of getting your Alaska driver’s license.

    Or perhaps you were an adult when you got your first Alaska Driver’s License.

    Anchorage streets are challenging. In the winter, you have to drive on ice and snow. Remember, “Pump your brakes and turn into a skid.” In the spring, there is muddy water everywhere, and roads are filled with potholes as big as moon craters.

    What are your memories?

    Did you start with a Learner’s Permit?

    Mary of Anchorage Memories shares her story:

    Mary’s Anchorage Driving Test Adventure

    “Nope. When my sister Betty went to get her Alaska driver’s license, she failed the driving test because she drove over a curb. Later, when she took the test for a second time, she passed.

    When I was 16, my stepfather Bob took me to the DMV in our 1968 Camero.

    Yep. I passed the written test. Then on to the driving test. I followed all the instructions from the DMV guy who was in the passenger seat, telling me what to do. “Turn left, turn right, cross the railroad tracks.” I was then instructed to head back to the DMV for the parallel parking test. Yep. I passed.

    As Bob drove me home, he told me that he knew the guy who gave me the driving test. And if I hadn’t passed, he was going to tell him that I was his step-daughter, and you need to give her a passing test score.

    Yep. When we got home my mom was happy that I had gotten my Alaska driver’s license because she didn’t drive, and I could be her chauffeur.”

    Yes, You Can Share This Edition

    And when you do, your friends and family will be so happy that they will send you a free Lucky Wishbone burger basket every week for a year… well, it could happen.

    Thanks for reading and listening to the Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

    Mike’s Anchorage Driving Test Adventure

    “As a teen, I started with a driver’s permit. My mom and dad took turns teaching me the finer points of driving. Like how to stay on the road and off the sidewalk.

    Then came the big day when mom took me to the Anchorage Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to get my Alaska driver’s license.

    After I nervously passed the written portion, I was ready for the scary part… the actual driving test.

    Remember, the Driver’s Manual plainly stated that I was not to talk to the person giving me the test.

    “Pull out into traffic. Stop here. Turn right, turn left.”

    Then I made a mistake. I pulled to a stop after passing the stop sign. Quickly, the man testing me said matter-of-factly, “Stop in front of the stop sign not behind it.” Ok, I was sure I had just failed the test.

    Moments later, he said, “Head back to the DMV.” At that moment I really got nervous because I thought the dreaded parallel parking test was coming up, and I hadn’t practiced that one.

    However, when we arrived back at the DMV, he said, “Pull up, park and turn off your engine.” Wow, I didn’t have to parallel park. Then, after scribling a few notes, he got out of the car without saying a word and went back into the DMV.

    I wondered if I had failed the test. Moments later, I was inside the DMV and a woman came over, handed me a piece of paper and said, “Go over there to get your picture taken.” I had passed my test!

    Later, I stood on the sidewalk, basking in the warm summer day and thinking to myself, “I have my Alaska Driver’s License.” I got in the car and mom drove us home.”

    Connect with Mike and Mary

    What are your memories of taking your Alaska Driver’s Test, or even taking the written Driver’s Test as an adult in Alaska?

    Do you have a comment?

    You can also reply to this email.

    Or, you can Contact Us right here.

    Until Next Time

    Mike and Mary

    The Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club



    Get full access to Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club at www.anchoragememoriesclub.com/subscribe
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    5 min
  • Anchorage Double Memories

    Anchorage Double Memories
    Jan 11 2026

    You can see the Ship Creek Meat Market in the middle of the picture.

    Oscar Anderson made his way from Seattle to Seward, Alaska, then onto Ship Creek in 1915 and what would become Anchorage.

    Anderson said he was the 8th person to set foot in the rugged tent city that was located on the north shore of Ship Creek.

    His first job was cutting wood in an area that would later become known as Government Hill.

    In the weeks that followed, Anderson teamed up with a man named Jensen. The two decided to put together a cold storage business. That operation became a meat packing company, serving the entire Cook Inlet region.

    Later, Anderson headed for Seattle to purchase equipment for a cold storage plant and what would become the Ship Creek Meat Company.

    After purchasing a lot on 4th Avenue in Anchorage, where Stewart’s Photo is now located, he opened the Ship Creek Meat Market.

    Live Cattle were then shipped from Seattle and kept in corrals in Anchorage.

    The Ship Creek Meat Market became the largest fresh meat supplier in Alaska. The business closed in the 1950s.

    Yes, You Can Share This Edition

    And when you do, your friends and family will be so happy that they will send you on an adventurous tour of Alaska in a dog sled… well, it could happen…Mush!

    Thanks for reading and listening to the Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

    Woolworth’s in Downtown Anchorage

    Photo by Ward Wells, June 27, 1961

    Oh, the memories.

    Located on the south side of 4th Avenue and F Street, Woolworth’s was an Anchorage favorite.

    Remember the lunch counter, known as the Frontier Room? Mike of Anchorage Memories remembers when his mom, Louise Dougherty, worked there.

    And Mary remembers going into Woolworth’s to buy a large (about two feet long) bag of popcorn and some candy to take with her to see a movie at the 4th Avenue Theatre. And back in those days, the 4th Avenue Theatre was nice enough to let you do that if you asked nicely.

    The Woolworth Grand Opening

    From Mary of Anchorage Memories:

    “As I walked into Woolworth's for the first time, I saw the café on the left, makeup, and school supplies in the middle and my favorite aisle… the toy section.Woolworth's was just a few doors down from the 4th Ave Theater, and that made it a happening place to go. My entire family went to Woolworth's Grand Opening in Anchorage when I was in grade school.”

    BONUS

    Enjoy Mary’s Woolworth’s grand opening adventure.

    Take a look at Mary’s story, “Woolworth’s Grand Opening” and remember.

    From Our North Stars (that’s you)

    From our Alaska Flag story.

    Eric recalls:

    “The best Flag and the best State Song in the Union. As a child in school, we would sing it every morning. I still sing it for friends.”

    Jerry’s Daughter sang at the World Fair in Seattle:

    “At the World's Fair in Seattle in 1962, the Alaska exhibit was well attended. The announcer was describing the Alaska flag and the Alaska song that went along with it. Then asked if anyone knew the Alaska song? My two very young daughters, ten and eleven, sang it alone for the entire crowd. They received loud applause.”

    Jerry Knew Benny Benson:

    “Benny was a great friend of mine and many others in Kodiak. He was an outstanding Elk of the Kodiak Lodge, 1772. I have an Alaska flag signed by Benny.”

    Connect with Mike and Mary

    This double memories edition really brought back some great memories.

    You can share your memories by commenting below.

    You can also reply to this email.

    Or, you can Contact Us right here.

    Until Next Time

    Mike and Mary

    The Anchorage Memories Club



    Get full access to Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club at www.anchoragememoriesclub.com/subscribe
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    3 min
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