Virtually from the day of its announcement, the matanuska program in particular received both flowery praise for its. Transient publication project, san francisco, california. In 1935 the federal government begin a project called the matanuska valley colony in the alaska territory. Stone 1950 has described the history of the agricultural colony. A month after the first contingent of middlewest farmers and their families arrived here, the eightcamp community has a government of its own, railroad. Imagine how our little town exploded in population colonists, support personnel, and transient workers. Colony barn restoration rescues vestiges of vanishing. The matanuska colony barns an enduring alaskan legacy. The settlement and economic development of alaskas matanuska. This project moved very quickly through government channels. In matanuska valley memoir johnson and stanton wrote about the towns growth. Matanuska pioneers have own government and even baseball team. They came from five specific designs done by david r. June 7apthe 1935 pioneers matanuska valley s colonists from the united states have spanned the gap to modernity in one month.
Matanuska colonization project of 1935 tangled roots and. The matanuska valley settler colony the alaska native. Palmers central school served as community center for. July 3, 2016 palmer, ak a tribute to the people from mi, mn and wi who during the great depression in 1935 came to alaska under the usa government mantanuska valley colony project to establish an agriculture area in alaska.
Some people disapproved of using federal funds on a territory. The chief outfitting point for the matanuska and susitna valley gold mines was knik, the largest town and the main port on the inlet, reported to have a population of 250 people in 1914. Includes portraits, views on a train, registering at the dock, on board the us army transport corps ship, the st. Please consult government travel advisories before booking. As part of a federal emergency relief administration project, president franklin d. Sweet home alaska takes place shortly after the great depression just as president roosevelt announced his new deal and the matanuska colony project, a homesteading endeavor where families received a parcel of land in palmer, alaska to build a home and farm. As part of each familys farmstead, a magnificent barn was raised, a sturdy square structure 32. Situated in the matanuska valley, about 45 miles northeast of anchorage, alaska, the colony was settled by 203 families from minnesota, wisconsin and michigan.
Wilderness place lodgetucked away on a remote river northwest of anchorageoffers excellent access to nearly any freshwater fish you came to alaska for, along with a unique ecotravel experience that comes with a high level of service, a variety of nonfishing activities and the mellow freedom to create. This project will involve, but is not limited to, clearing, grubbing, excavation, import and placement of borrow material, import and placement of aggregate base course, import and placement of hma, installing. Historical background the matanuska colony project created headline news around the world. Matanuska valley federal credit union building better. In that area, many of the matanuska valley colony homes were similar. Roosevelt commissioned families from the states of minnesota, wisconsin, and. Wisconsin to the matanuska valley, alaska territory. Within a year, however, there were enough farmers to form an agricultural cooperative, and over the next few years, about 400 homesteads were applied for. The climate of the matanuska valley national weather service.
In 1935, the federal emergency relief administration created an experimental farming. The funds dealt to the territorial government for the experiment came through the federal relief administration program, that as part of the new deal resettlement plan which initiated almost 200 such projects throughout the united states. Farming in alaska had been proven feasible by the u. Detailed plans for the colony were formed rapidly in early 1935 and the colonists were moved to the matanuska valley in april and. The trading post was to serve as the commissary and grocery store for the new colony, within franklin delano roosevelts new deal. It is known for the world record sized cabbages and other vegetables displayed annually in palmer at the alaska state fair. The commemorative tokens are easy to spot because instead of being stamped with two identical sides they have a tales side that reads. Exploring alaskas backcountry lakes, forests and rivers is a phenomenal experience. But by the end of 1943, all 242 members had current. Gary kuretich is at matanuska valley colony project, palmer, alaska.
Highways were built, the wide matanuska and knik rivers were bridged, and the town of palmer became the center of commerce and society in the valley. To this day, if you travel around the area, you can easily identify the homes of the colonists of. Many families in this area were completely destitute. Central to every colony farm was the barn, a core structure integral to the operation of these family farms. Lively also points out the project and the project people were celebrated and at the same time overwhelmingly criticized. Of all the resettlement projects, the matanuska colony has more structures that survive. Within this valley is the magnificent matanuska river, with typical. Roosevelts new deal project moved 203 families from minnesota, wisconsin and michigan to plots of land in the matanuska valley around palmer. A month after the first contingent of middlewest farmers and their families arrived here, the eightcamp community has a government of its own. Industry agriculture the matanuska valley colony litsite alaska. Overall, what did new deal programs such as the matanuska valley project accomplish. Central and western parts, wishbone district by robert s. A handful of people settled in the area prior to arrival of the alaska railroad in 1916. The relief project sought to alleviate rural poverty in one region and populate a fertile valley in.
What was one of the major reasons the matanuska valley colony project was controversial. The federal emergency relief administration fera and the department of the interior agreed to undertake the project in midjanuary, 1935. The matanuska susitna borough is soliciting bids from qualified contractors to realign, upgrade, pave and improve the drainage along 2,241 linear feet of canter circle. The trading post history of a colony project building. By 1948, production from the colony project farms provided over half of the total alaskan agricultural products sold.
The enduring legacy of the 1935 matanuska colony project, by helen hegener, photographs by eric vercammen, stewart amgwert, albert marquez, dave rose, joanie juster, ron day and others. In the summer of 1935 the milwaukee journal assigned reporter arville schaleben to chronicle the beginnings of the matanuska valley colony. By 1965, only 20 of the first families were still farming the. The new deal resettlement project moved 202 families from the upper midwest to southcentral alaska. Geology and ground water resources of the matanuska valley. The matanuska colony, fifty years 19351985 matanuska impressions printing, palmer, alaska 1985, by brigitte lively, notes that the matanuska colony project was the only colony ever established in the united states. The cutover region was known for the devastation caused by lumber companies who totally cleared all the timber in the area. Primarily photographs related to an attorneys residence in palmer. Click on the photo to see the official photo album alaska rural rehabilitation corp. Since establishment of the matanuska colony in the 1930s, residents of the matanuska valley have enjoyed a rural lifestyle under the grandeur of pioneer peak, lazy mountain, and other peaks of the talkeetna and chugach ranges figure 1. The collection consists of jack omalleys surveying and engineering papers including survey field books, research files, and maps and plans. These homes used a frame construction, assembled from logs.
Gina is working with the alaska energy authority as part of the susitnawatana hydroelectric project to make accessing the matanuska susitna lidar and imagery easier. From time to time, mvfcu employees will give of their time as volunteers for this incredible program. But today, as farms give way to subdivisions, some surviving colony barns are getting new life. To limit the spread of the coronavirus, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. The matanuska colony was one such project that moved 201 families from the cutover region of michigan, minnesota, and wisconsin to the matanuska valley in alaska. The two years 1914 and 1915 were kniks golden years. It was not the only rural rehabilitation colony, but opinions about matanuska were greatly divided.
Of the five preserved buildings, four were part of the original matanuska valley colony and include two houses, a barn and a church. Matanuska valley colony wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Matanuska colonization project of 1935 the matanuska colonization project was part of franklin roosevelts new deal, a series of programs to help the country recover from the great depression. First rural rehabilitation colonists, northern minnesota. The matanuska valley was deemed feasible to be used for the colony project in june 1934. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Alaska far away tells the absorbing story of the unusual and controversial government experiment known as the matanuska colonization project of 1935 and of the unsuspecting families thrust into the national spotlight. Logs of representative wells in the matanuska valley agri cultural area. An introductory history of the transient workers of the matanuska valley colony of 1935. As part of each familys farmstead, a magnificent barn was raised, a sturdy. To plan and conduct a history project related to a new deal resettlement community 6. Government transported 200 families from the great depressionstricken midwest to a valley of unparalleled beauty in alaska, where they were given the chance to begin new lives as part of a federallyfunded social experiment, the matanuska colony project. Before the new deal and the colony project, the matanuska region received little attention. Matanuska valley colony project, palmer, alaska palmer.
Palmer colony celebrates 80th anniversary local news. The wishbone hill district, matanuska coal field, alaska. Show all projects filter by project type select a project type bridge project communityrecreational project fish passage project flood repair project landfill planning project port project public safety project road project road service area upgrade salmon research school project. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the matanuska colony project, when 406 adults, constituting 202 mostly midwestern families, moved to alaska as part of a great depressionera project to. The location of the area mapped in the present investigation is shown in figure 1. Surveys included the original matanuska valley colony sites done with anton anderson. This lesson is based primarily on matanuska colony historic district national register nomination, the settlement and economic development of alaskas matanuska susitna valley multiple property nomination, and primary sources detailing the new deal in alaska. We are happy to announce that our films alaska far away and.
Palmer historical society the 1935 matanuska colony project. It took another year to complete the 287 miles of power lines mea needed to reach all its members. It was a story of hope in the 1930s great depression. Within a year, however, there were enough farmers to form an agricultural cooperative, and. The matanuska colony the history of farming in alaska. The palmer central school served as the community center for the matanuska colony, a new deal agricultural resettlement project established in the matanuska valley in.
The alaska state fair is also home to colony village, which began in 1975 as a bicentennial project. It was more expensive than similar projects in other areas. Matanuska valley, precolony the 1935 matanuska colony. Check out the alaska state fair website for events, exhibits and dates. The 1935 matanuska colony project was an audacious plan to move 200 hardhit farm families from the droughtstricken upper midwest to new homes and farms in alaska, then an only barelysettled frontier land. The project resettled many midwestern families, hit especially hard by the great depression, to the fertile matanuska valley, in an attempt to help families start a new life in the territory of alaska. The matanuska valley had received little attention previously only a handful of. Junior achievement is the worlds largest organization dedicated to educating students in grades k12 about entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy through experiential, handson programs. Roosevelt promised to build new communities and put people to work through his new deal programs. Two hundred northern midwest families founded the matanuska colony in palmer in 1935. The frontier in alaska and the matanuska valley colony by orlando w. In 1935, the federal emergency relief administration created an experimental farming community known as the matanuska valley colony as part of the new deal resettlement plan.
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