During the
third voyage of James Cook to discover the
Northwest Passage, much of what would later be named the
Cook Inlet was explored in 1778 by
HMS Resolution. In 1976, a statue of James Cook created by Derek Freeborn was installed in Resolution Park in
Downtown Anchorage. The statue is a replica of one in Anchorage's sister city,
Whitby,
England, and was donated by
British Petroleum to commemorate the
United States Bicentennial. In 2008, the statue appeared on the finale of
The Amazing Race 12. In the aftermath of the
murder of George Floyd, some residents sought the removal of the statue due to Cook's links to colonialism and exploitation of Indigenous people. On June 25, 2020, the
Mayor of Anchorage,
Ethan Berkowitz stated that the native village of
Eklutna would determine the monument's fate. Removal was considered on the grounds that Cook only remained in Anchorage for two weeks and never left his ship. Supporters of the statue felt it should be kept to retain good relations with their sister city of Whitby. The residents opted in favor of retaining the statue. However, a new plaque was added to the statue to put a
Dena'ina native view on Cook to state that he just doccumented places rather than discovering them. ==References==