Indian is an Alaska Railroad siding and small community at the entrance to a deep valley on the northern shore of Turnagain Arm, about 21 miles (34 km) northwest of Portage and 21 miles (34 km) southeast of Anchorage, Alaska. It lies along the Seward Highway and is surrounded by Chugach State Park. The community’s name originates from Indian Creek, which begins at Indian Creek Pass and flows south for 7 miles (11 km) to Turnagain Arm, draining a large watershed in the Chugach Mountains. Local gold prospectors used this name, and it first appeared on maps in 1898, documented by Captain Edwin Glenn. He led a U.S. Army expedition to find a route to the Klondike goldfields.

In 1910, Peter Strong discovered a quartz vein in Indian Valley, having arrived in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush. He had previously staked a small gold claim in the area. Strong worked this claim through the 1920s and 1930s, during which he built a cabin and an assay house, now the oldest known buildings in the Turnagain Arm region. A small community gradually developed around the mine, and by 1922, it was a flag stop on the Alaska Railroad. Today, the railroad still passes through the community’s southern edge, but there is no regular passenger stop. In 1989, the Indian Valley Mine was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now a popular tourist attraction.

On March 7, 1964, the Alaska Earthquake caused severe seismic shaking in Turnagain Arm. In Portage, about 21 miles (34 km) southeast of Indian, ground fissures up to 4 feet (1.2 m) wide opened, damaging buildings, the highway, and the Alaska Railroad grade. Ground subsidence of more than 5 feet (1.5 m) was particularly damaging as it led to the entire area being inundated by tidal flooding. Once it became evident that the town would be continually flooded during high tides, residents moved many buildings to higher ground, with some relocated to Indian and Bird. Read more here and here. Explore more of Indian Valley and Turnagain Arm here: