{"product_id":"tom-marys-polar-bear-cafe-kodiak-alaska-1945","title":"Tom \u0026 Mary's Polar Bear Café, Kodiak Alaska 1945","description":"\u003cp\u003eTom and Mary's Polar Bear Cafe was a popular local restaurant and gathering place operated by Tom and Mary Gallagher in downtown Kodiak, Alaska. This menu is dated 1945.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cafe served residents, fishermen, and service members. Tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel were stationed across Alaska during the final months of World War II and many servicemen and women would have dined here.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMajor units included the Eleventh Air Force, troops at Elmendorf Field, Ladd Field (now Fort Wainwright), and personnel assigned to Aleutian Island bases like Shemya and Attu.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough it is called the Polar Bear Café, we’ve found out that there are no polar bears in Kodiak. Kodiak Island is home exclusively to the Kodiak brown bear, a unique and massive subspecies of the brown bear. Polar bears in Alaska live much further north in areas with sea ice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMale Kodiak bears weigh 600 to 1,400 pounds, stand up to 5 feet on all fours, and reach nearly 10 feet when standing upright.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey match Polar Bears as the largest bears on Earth, much larger than mainland grizzly bears.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Café was ultimately destroyed by the tsunamis that followed the catastrophic 1964 Alaska earthquake, which lasted for four minutes and 38 seconds and was a 9.2-9.3magnitude megathrust earthquake. It remains the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Northern America.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe earthquake generated tsunamis along the entire south-central coast of Alaska but was most damaging along the shores of the Kodiak group of islands and the Kenai Peninsula. The wave action lasted for about 11 hours after the earthquake, and many communities were inundated by 7ft to 10ft waves over periods lasting from from 30 to 90 minutes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe regional Alaska Tsunami Warning Center was established in 1967 as a direct result of this earthquake to provide efficient tsunami warnings to the coastal areas of Alaska.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGallery quality Giclée print on natural white, matte, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using Epson Ultrachrome HD archival inks. Custom printed with border for matting and framing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.2;\"\u003eEach order includes a print of the interior menu.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.2;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAll printed in USA.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vintage Menu Art","offers":[{"title":"8.5x11\" Archival Print (Unframed) $25.00","offer_id":46593040187494,"sku":"8.5x11\"","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"11x14 Archival Print (Unframed) $30.00","offer_id":46593040220262,"sku":"11x14 U","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"13x19 Archival Print (Unframed) $40.00","offer_id":46593040253030,"sku":"13x19 U","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20 Archival Print (Unframed) $55.00","offer_id":46593040285798,"sku":"16x20 U","price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"20x24 Archival Print (Unframed) $85.00","offer_id":46593040318566,"sku":"20x24 U","price":85.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x36 Archival Print (Unframed) $135.00","offer_id":46593040351334,"sku":"24x36 U","price":135.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0131\/3352\/files\/tom-marys-polar-bear-cafe-kodiak-alaska-1945-posters-prints-visual-artwork-451.webp?v=1786906087","url":"https:\/\/vintagemenuart.com\/products\/tom-marys-polar-bear-cafe-kodiak-alaska-1945","provider":"Vintage Menu Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}