September 18, 2025 Seward Folly

The Tonsina Trail, winding from Lowell Point to Tonsina Beach, draws hikers from all over the Seward area. But what many don’t realize is that this scenic walk is only a part of the much larger Caines Head State Park system, a network of trails and history that stretches all the way to Caines Head.

This past weekend, the park took center stage as locals gathered at the Seward Community Library to celebrate both its natural beauty and its unique history. The highlight: a tribute to Fort McGilvray, the old military outpost perched above Resurrection Bay that played a crucial role during World War II.

The event packed the library’s community room, leaving standing room only. Festivities began with a screening of a rarely seen “secret” silent film, produced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1941, documenting the construction of Fort McGilvray. The grainy reels showed workers pouring concrete and building bunkers at sites across Resurrection Bay — from Caines Head to Humpy Cove, Rugged Island, and Safety Cove. For many locals in attendance, the film was a revelation. It was hard not to be impressed by the scale of the effort, especially considering the rough terrain and unpredictable weather. All of these fortifications went up in less than a year — only to be dismantled just as quickly once the battlefront shifted to the South Pacific.

Following the film, Jack Sinclair, who helped establish the park in the early 1980s, took the floor in WWII regalia. Sinclair regaled the crowd with stories of blazing the Tonsina Trail with a skeleton staff, which at one point included two prisoners from Wildwood Prison in Soldotna.

The evening’s final speaker was Kendra Warlow, a lively park volunteer with a passion for WWII history. Warlow, who hails from Pennsylvania, brought to life what daily existence was like for the young recruits stationed at Fort McGilvray in the 1940s. Her presentation mixed deep research with engaging storytelling, drawing on her lifelong fascination with history — a love that traces back to her childhood in a home filled with stories and antique cars.

Warlow’s passion project took off this past summer as she volunteered with Alaska State Parks, focusing on the story of the 250th and 267th Coast Artillery Battalions. She dove into archives, tracked down old photographs, letters, and films, and even digitized a year’s worth of the “South Beach Sourdough,” the fort’s original weekly newsletter. Most of these sources were found through the Seward Community Library Association’s newspaper archives.

Her work didn’t stop there. Over the summer, she created an interactive map of Fort McGilvray, charted a timeline of its construction and the battalions’ history, and designed new educational signs along the Fort Trail and inside Battery 293. Warlow also launched a new nonprofit, Friends of Caines Head State Recreation Area, to further conservation, education, and preservation efforts for the park and its WWII sites.

After the presentations, the celebration continued with a 1940s-themed three-course dinner at the Flamingo Lounge, capping off an evening that combined community, history, and a sense of ongoing stewardship.

Caines Head State Park, and the wider Seward community, have clearly benefited from the energy and dedication of volunteers like Warlow. Those interested in getting involved are encouraged to contact Friends of Caines Head State Park through Alaska State Parks at https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/.