What's a Spenard? Meet Anchorage Pioneer Joe Spenard

What's a Spenard? Learn how Joe Spenard helped shape early Anchorage with vision, promotion, and a legacy still recognized today.

joe spenard

Written by Michael R Dougherty of Anchorage Memories.


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Joe Spenard first set foot on the banks of the mouth of Ship Creek when what would become Anchorage, Alaska, was nothing but a rugged tent city.

Spenard was
a Visionary
and a Promoter

Discover some of the firsts Joe Spenard brought to the new frontier.

He was ahead of his time and got the word out to the public with all kinds of unusual methods.

joe spenardJoe, driving his City Express taxi

A Lake
a Road
and a Town

In What's a Spenard?, you'll discover that while Joe wasn't in the Anchorage area for very long, he left a legacy that still stands today.

A Few Chapters from the Table of Contents:

  • A Colorful Character
  • The Valdez Connection
  • Joe Spenard, the Showman

and more

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“What's a Spenard?” (from a newspaper article)

Joe Spenard caused considerable excitement Saturday afternoon when he attempted to drive his yellow car through the doors of Robarts Pool Hall.

He made the attempt for a box of cigars promised him by Jack Robarts if he accomplished the feat: otherwise he was to pay the damages. Joe is still smoking his pipe.”


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Whats a Spenard