The Anchorage Glacier Pilots celebrate during a game against the Mat-Su Miners on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage, part of the America250-Alaska Week of Dreams celebration honoring the history of baseball in the state. (Photo by Stephanie Burgoon)

As the state’s official historian, Katie Ringsmuth was tasked by the governor to oversee part of Alaska’s celebration for the America250 campaign.

She thought to herself, what better way to begin celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday than with one of its oldest sports and favorite pastime: baseball.

“We do it a little different up here, and this is another great opportunity to not only celebrate the America250 but help share with the whole country how unique Alaska is, especially in terms of its baseball history,” Ringsmuth said.

As Alaska’s America250 co-commissioner, she helped lead the effort to organize a week’s worth of events called “A Week of Dreams,” which launched Saturday night at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

The opening ceremony before the Anchorage Glacier Pilots and reigning Alaska Baseball League champion Mat-Su Miners featured guest speakers such as Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Edna DeVries and representatives from the state’s many diverse communities.

One of Ringsmuth’s favorite sayings is, “When the miners came up to Alaska, yeah, they were looking for gold but they also built diamonds in the wilderness.”

“You think of places like Kennecott where they were looking for copper, they played baseball right on the glacier,” Ringsmuth said. “Out in places like Ketchikan, they had very little places to build a diamond, so they played out on the mudflats, but when that Pacific Ocean came up, that was the end of the game.”

Olympic gold medal-winning skier Kikkan Randall approaches the mound to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the start of a game between Anchorage Glacier Pilots and the Mat-Su Miners on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage. (Photo by Stephanie Burgoon) Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy addresses the crowd during the opening ceremony of the America250-Alaska Week of Dreams celebration. Emcee John Thompson is at right. (Photo by Stephanie Burgoon)

She pointed out how the Indigenous people of Alaska took a game that they learned from foreigners and made it uniquely their own to accommodate their specific regions and terrain.

One of the speakers was John Wayne Melovidov, president of the Aleut Community of St. Paul, on St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea.

His tribe recently rediscovered the history of the Knock Down and Skin ‘Em baseball team. It was established in 1868 in St. Paul and is believed to be Alaska’s first reported baseball team.

“We’re happy to be here at today’s event to help kick off the America250 events,” Melovidov said.

His organization has been working closely with Ringsmuth to help further uncover the history of the team and share its story and significance to the state’s history with America’s favorite pastime.

“They’re named Knock Down and Skin ‘Ems because of our commercial fur seal harvest,” Melovidov said. “A very key piece of the harvest is knocking down the seals and skinning them.”

St. Paul served as a commercial fur seal harvest community until 1983, and its “longstanding and unique history” with the state and federal governments made seeing their contributions recognized particularly special, he said.

“To represent our community, represent our people and represent the fun history of Alaska’s first baseball team, we’re excited to participate in the events happening this week,” Melovidov said.

Their tribal members took part in a softball game Sunday against the Mountain View Lions Club team, and on Monday, they’ll attend another celebration event at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

“When you play a game, people come together, and it oftentimes doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from or your politics,” Ringsmuth said. “We just remember that we’re all here to celebrate the joy of baseball, and I think that’s a special thing right now, and that kind of joy is something that we can all really use.”

The Anchorage Glacier Pilots celebrate during a game against the Mat-Su Miners on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at Mulcahy Stadium. (Photo by Stephanie Burgoon)

MLB ambassador relishes return to state

Among the honored guests for the opening ceremony were a pair of former professional players, one of whom has a direct connection to Alaska baseball.

Greg A. Harris was born and raised in Lynwood, California, but in the summer of 1976, he called Alaska home as a member of the Alaska Goldpanners baseball team.

“It’s the most beautiful place to fly into on the planet,” Harris said. “The only problem this time was that the clouds were so low that they covered up the mountains.”

Major League Baseball ambassadors Greg A. Harris, left, and DJ Carrasco shake hands during the opening ceremony of the America250-Alaska Week of Dreams celebration. (Photo by Stephanie Burgoon)

He vividly recalled playing against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in Wichita, Kansas, for a tournament championship that year.

Back then, there were only four teams in the league, the others being the Pilots, the Peninsula Oilers and the then-newly minted Valley Green Giants, who had to change their name to the Mat-Su Miners due to copyright issues with a canned vegetable company.

“It’s an experience that these kids are never going to forget, and it’s also a stepping stone to be able to push them to the point where they sign a professional contract and do what we did back in the day,” Harris said.

Harris, a pitcher, played for eight MLB teams over the span of his 15-year career, starting with the New York Mets in 1977 coming out of Long Beach City Junior College in California.

One of the highlights of his career came in 1984 after he was traded to the San Diego Padres, and had a chance to pitch in the World Series that year.

“Your dream is to always play in the World Series,” Harris said. “It’s not something that happens all the time, and it’s a special position to be in if you’re able to.”

He pitched in Game 3 of the series on the road against the eventual champion Detroit Tigers for 5 1/3 innings in relief, which tied a major-league record at the time.

“Those are all memories that you’ll never forget,” Harris said.

He credits the summer he spent in Alaska with the Goldpanners for jumpstarting his eventual professional career, and he said he was glad that his first time back to the state in 50 years was for a great cause.

“What I did here was able to make me the pitcher that I was for 15 years,” Harris said. “It is phenomenal to be able to recognize the baseball that started here.”

More information about Alaska’s America250 celebration and the Week of Dreams events is available at america250.alaska.gov.