| Cooper Landing,
also commonly referred to as Cooper's Landing or The Landing, is a census-designated
place (CDP) in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States, about 160
kilometers south of Anchorage, at the confluence of Kenai Lake and Kenai
River. The town was first settled in the 19th century by gold and mineral
prospectors, and has become a summer tourist destination thanks to its
scenic wilderness location and proximity to the salmon fishing of the Kenai
River. As of the 2000 census, the population in Cooper Landing was 369.
Cooper Landing was named
for Joseph Cooper, a miner who discovered gold there in 1884. However,
Peter Doroshin, a Russian engineer, had identified gold prospects as far
back as 1848 when the territory was still part of Russian America.
Cooper Creek was first recorded
in 1898 by the U.S. Geological Survey. In 1900, the Census found 21 miners
and 1 wife living at Cooper Creek. The Riddiford Post Office began operations
in 1924, and the Riddiford School opened in 1928. In 1938, a road
was constructed to Seward. In 1948, a road to Kenai was opened, and by
1951, residents could drive to Anchorage. The Cooper Landing Community
Club was first formed in 1949. The Cooper Lake Hydroelectric Facility was
constructed in 1959-60. |
