January 1, 1970
[caption id="attachment_1573" align="alignright" width="150"] Scott Reisland, owner of Denali Grizzly Bear Resort & Campground[/caption]
Briefly describe business:
We are the oldest pioneer Alaska family tourism business in the Denali National Park area. My parents, Jack and Ede Reisland, homesteaded our property back in 1958 when Alaska was still a territory. With a chainsaw and an ax, my folks blazed a road into our property and started clearing for development. In 1968, my Dad bought a 5.4 KW Witte generator, so we now had limited electricity and, in the spring of 1969, we opened with about 10 campsites and a couple of rental cabins. We charged $2 a day for camping. Over the course of the summers, my two younger sisters and I would help mom and dad build more campsites and rental cabins. Today our property has a 72-room cedar hotel. Every room has a private deck with tables and chairs overlooking the Nenana River. We have 33 cabins ranging from rustic with no running water to six-person cabins with full kitchens, bathrooms, etc. We also have a liquor store, convenience store and gift shop on our property.
When did you first become involved in the visitor industry?
I first became involved in the visitor industry and tourism business as a small boy, about 10 or 11 years old. Denali was very remote back in those days and there was no direct driving route from Anchorage or Fairbanks. It was only accessible by train or the gravel Denali Highway. Even then, it had its host of adventurous tourists. Ice was an extremely rare commodity in Denali National Park back then.MORE >
Briefly describe business:
We are the oldest pioneer Alaska family tourism business in the Denali National Park area. My parents, Jack and Ede Reisland, homesteaded our property back in 1958 when Alaska was still a territory. With a chainsaw and an ax, my folks blazed a road into our property and started clearing for development. In 1968, my Dad bought a 5.4 KW Witte generator, so we now had limited electricity and, in the spring of 1969, we opened with about 10 campsites and a couple of rental cabins. We charged $2 a day for camping. Over the course of the summers, my two younger sisters and I would help mom and dad build more campsites and rental cabins. Today our property has a 72-room cedar hotel. Every room has a private deck with tables and chairs overlooking the Nenana River. We have 33 cabins ranging from rustic with no running water to six-person cabins with full kitchens, bathrooms, etc. We also have a liquor store, convenience store and gift shop on our property.
When did you first become involved in the visitor industry?
I first became involved in the visitor industry and tourism business as a small boy, about 10 or 11 years old. Denali was very remote back in those days and there was no direct driving route from Anchorage or Fairbanks. It was only accessible by train or the gravel Denali Highway. Even then, it had its host of adventurous tourists. Ice was an extremely rare commodity in Denali National Park back then.
What's the best part of your job?
Many of Denali’s accommodation properties are very closely packed together. Denali Grizzly Bear is located where there are miles of wilderness north, south and west of our location. With miles and miles of wilderness on three sides of our property, we tend to have wild animals walk through our property or meander along the riverbank. Our guests often run into our office excited about a small herd of caribou passing through along the riverbank or that they watched a mother moose coax her baby to swim across the river right below their hotel room or cabin deck. This excitement I see in their eyes is what makes it all worth it to me. Yep, you’re in Alaska!
What should Alaska do to better support/protect the visitor/cruise industry?
The cruise ship Industry is a viable and important component to tourism in Alaska. This industry segment brings over one-half of all visitors to Alaska. Many small mom-and-pop Alaska businesses depend heavily on the cruise ship passenger as they travel throughout the state, purchasing items from their gift shops, convenience stores or taking their shore excursions. The cruise ship industry provides hundreds of millions of dollars into Alaska’s economy through jobs, taxes and the money their passengers spend. Tourism is a renewable resource on the incline. It is important to keep the tourism industry healthy. We need to be vigilant and support regulations on the cruise industry that make sense. We need all industries in Alaska to be robust, vibrant and healthy. It’s good for Alaska - good for our families.