A traveling baseball exhibit is celebrating Alaska's history from a new perspective. The exhibit, "Alaska's Fields of Dreams: Baseball in America's Far North," details the history of baseball in the state starting in the late 1800s.
State Historian Katherine Ringsmuth began the project about a year ago as part of a national effort to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, which culminates on July 4, 2026.
Ringsmuth, working with the Alaska Historical Commission, was tasked with finding a unique way to depict the state's past, and she said the history of baseball in Alaska seemed to do just that.
"I mean, I don't know anybody who plays baseball in glaciers, but we do in Alaska," she said.
While Alaska is often regarded for its winter sports, baseball has woven itself into the state's history since the beginning.
"Most people may not know that baseball has been around for as long as Alaska has been American," Ringsmuth said. "We have baseball games and fields up here that are as old as Philadelphia or New York City."
The exhibit's nine-frame narrative is meant to emulate the nine innings of a baseball game. Each frame brings an aspect of Alaska's lesser-known history to light.
The exhibit also shows how baseball has brought Alaskans together throughout the years, whether watching or playing.
"It was a multiracial group of people, young people and old people, and they're all sitting together on the sidelines and what were they doing?" she said. "They were all sharing this experience, they all kind of knew, which was baseball. They all had hopes and dreams. They weren't really that connected. But what connected them was baseball."
Ringsmuth believes that connectedness found through baseball is not only historically significant but also important for future generations. The state adopted the phrase "history for tomorrow" as its America 250 motto to emphasize how the past can help shape the future.
Ringsmuth said the exhibit is already impacting the younger generation, and the kids who come to look at it are among her favorite viewers.
"The most really satisfying people who have looked at the exhibit are all the Little Leaguers who will stop and read every word and say, 'Wait a minute, Satchel Paige played in Alaska. What? Are you kidding? That's Aaron Judge. He played here too,'" she said.
Ringsmuth and her team are excited to see the community embrace the exhibit. It will continue to travel throughout Alaska in the coming year, visiting various schools and museums across the state until July.
It can be found Oct. 18 and 19 at BOSCO's in Spenard.
