Benny Benson Memorial

The feel

A small park at the corner of the Seward Highway and Dairy Hill Lane honors Benny Benson, the 13-year-old orphan at Seward's Jesse Lee Home who designed Alaska's flag in a 1927 territorial contest. His design beat roughly 700 other schoolchildren. A boardwalk, a court of flags and a large mock-up of his winning design sit on Seward Lagoon.

The quarter-mile boardwalk runs north and south between the highway and the lagoon, across from the Seward small boat harbor. Kingfishers and swallows sit on the powerlines and eagles perch in the spruce, and warblers and sparrows work the alder and willow thickets. The design has the North Star, the Great Bear constellation for strength, and a blue background for the sky and the forget-me-not.

What to expect

What it is

A memorial park for the designer of Alaska's flag, with a boardwalk, a court of flags and a mock-up of his design on Seward Lagoon.

Crowds and best time

Vehicle traffic and small-town noise affect the site.

Parking

Small pullout parking at the corner of the Seward Highway and Dairy Hill Lane, on a dirt lot.

Season and access

Roadside at milepost 1.4 on the Seward Highway; turn west on Dairy Hill Lane.

Mingo says

Visit from mid-summer to late fall to watch returning adult salmon in the lagoon. Watch the water for the V-shaped wake of a river otter.

Before you go

• Look for the pullout at the corner of the Seward Highway and Dairy Hill Lane; the lot is dirt.
• Look for the court of flags and the large mock-up of the winning design beside the lagoon.
• Walk the boardwalk, which also leads to a small lake.

Written October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page.