The area is home to thousands of sea otters, bald eagles, sea lions, and killer whales. The Valdez Glacier proved an insurmountable barrier. Copper was discovered in the Wrangell mountains in the early 1900s and the town revived. The earthquake of 1964 devastated Valdez with tidal waves, and the government ordered the town moved four miles away from the origi nal townsite. Modern Valdez lives on the oil boom that resulted in the building of the Trans-Alaska pipeline, bringing oil from the north slope oil fields to the terminal in Valdez.
Fishing is important to the economy as well.
The oil terminal houses 18 large storage tanks which hold the oil until it can be pumped into tanker ships. Valdez Heritage Center , a museum, concentrates on the 1964 earthquake and the impact of the pipeline. Displays show early Native history and maps from the Russian period. Mineral Creek Road provides a scenic drive with alpine views. The gem of Prince William Sound is the Columbia Glacier , which once filled the entire sound.