More than 30 years before Alaska was to become a state, the Alaska Department of the American Legion sponsored a territorial contest for Alaskan children in grades seven through twelve. A flag was needed to represent the future state of Alaska and somebody thought it would be a good idea to tap in to the creativity of these kids.

A total of 142 designs were forwarded to Juneau and the winner of the contest was a seventh grade Aleut student, thirteen-year-old John Bell (Benny) Benson from Chignik. He was living in an orphanage in Seward at the time of the contest.

He designed the present Alaska State Flag with a blue background to represent the sky and the Forget-me-not flower. On that background were placed eight gold stars to represent the Big Dipper and the North Star. The Big Dipper forms part of the constellation Ursa Major or Great Bear, symbolizing strength. The North Star represents the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the Union. Benny's simple, elegant design was adopted by the Alaska Territorial Legislature in May, 1927. A plaque in Benny's honor has been erected near the Seward cruise port.

Situated at the head of Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula, the small coastal town of Seward is one of Alaska's oldest and most scenic communities. Located 126 miles south of Anchorage, Seward is known as the 'Gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park'. Seward is a picturesque town with a bustling harbor and historic downtown district filled with quaint shops and art galleries. The town is the southern terminus of the Alaska Railroad, dating back to its origins in the early 1900's. Seward was named after William H. Seward, who was an early member of the United States Republican Party, and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln. As Secretary of State, he fought for the U.S. purchase of Alaska which he finally negotiated to acquire from Russia.

While docked in Seward, we took a thrilling (shortened) 6-hour cruise to the beautiful Kenai Fjords National Park. Unfortunately we encountered very rough seas which prevented us from reaching the Park. We did view various marine life including puffins, sea lions, sea otters and seals. Our cruise culminated with a whale breaching under our boat into the prop. We do not know how seriously the whale was injured, but there was considerable blood observed in the water.