Saint Nicholas Orthodox Mission

Valdez, Alaska USA

Orthodox Church in America (Russian)

Church Website

Valdez is on a deep water fjord in Prince William Sound. Because it is an ice-free port, the town developed as a debarkation point for prospectors on their way to the Eagle Mining District and the Klondike gold fields. After a landslide during the 1964 earthquate the town was rebuilt on stable bedrock foundation 4 miles to the west. Rapid growth resulted from the development of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline terminal in the 1970s.