A Creek, a Hill & a Forty book just published
My newest book, A Creek, a Hill & a Forty: The early years of Alaska’s Matanuska Colony, seen through a colonist’s letter home—Margaret Miller’s story, has just been published. The book is a firsthand...
Category: Agricultural history
History of Alaskan agriculture, U.S. Experiment farms, Matanuska Colony, Tanana Valley agriculture, & more
Palmer train depot served as a link between Matanuska Colony and the rest of Alaska
Prior to construction of the Alaska Railroad through the Matanuska Valley, there was little development in the area that would one day be Palmer. One of the first white men in the valley was...
Lemeta neighborhood is eclectic mix of rustic cabins and modern homes
The late 1940s through the 1950s were a tumultuous period for Fairbanks. Military personnel and civilians poured into the area at an alarming pace as the Cold War with the Soviet Union heated up...
Slaterville: from hayfields to housing developments
The development of the Slaterville area, on the north side of the Chena River across from downtown Fairbanks, started soon after the city was established. It is a residential area now but began as...
This Dunkel Street cabin is one of the oldest buildings in downtown Fairbanks
The small log cabin shown in the drawing is located at 105 Dunkel Street, just to the west of the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center in downtown Fairbanks. It is a unique part...
Matanuska Experiment Farm survives government ups and downs
Manager’s house at Matanuska Experiment Farm in 1918. The drawing is based on a photograph in the Alaska Engineering Commission collection at the Anchorage Museum. The Matanuska Experiment Farm, located 38 miles northeast of Anchorage...
Palmer’s United Protestant Church dates from early days of Matanuska Colony
Palmer UPC as it looked in the 1980s. The church is also called the “church of a thousand trees.” The federal government finalized plans in the spring of 1935 to relocate families from Wisconsin,...
