School of Agriculture and Land Resources Management, Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station
Abstract
We acknowledge indebtedness to the historians and developers of Alaskana
who preceded us and provided much of the information we have compiled
into our account of the birth of a community. Many "old timers" from
the Valley provided valuable insight into situations they had experienced.
Mr. Roland Snodgrass, Mrs, June Murphy and Miss Dolores Pommier
assisted in compilation and preparation of background data. Mr. James
Hurley made available to us the ARRC unpublished files for compilation
of certain data. Various public officials aided us in many ways as we
worked· our way through recorded . history. Several old photos were
contributed by Mr. Walter Teeland of Wasilla and Mr. Don L. Irwin of
Palmer. Several persons in public and private life who know Alaskan
conditions have reviewed the manuscript and suggested improvements,
Special acknowledgement is due Don L. Irwin, Director of the Alaska
Agricultural Experiment Station, His vision and foresight were largely
responsible for the undertaking, His encouragement and advice bolstered
our lagging spirits before the long task was completed. He has read
each chapter critically and has assisted particularly with interpretation
of materials since 1935,The Matanuska Valley was created through action of ice, water and
wind. When the last glaciers retreated up the Susitna, the Knik and the
Matanuska valleys, vegetation began cove ring the scars, Over several
centuries a dense growth of trees and brush screened the land from Knik
Arm to the mountain slopes of the Talkeetna range . Here and there a
lake broke the uniform forest mantle. A salt marsh at the mouth of the
Matanuska River kept the rank undergrowth from reaching tide water,
A few low spots near the Little Susitna and other swampy areas supported
a thick cover of moss or grass.
The Valley, which really isn't a valley at all but a reworked foreland,
rises from the Matanuska River in a series of benches ranging in width
from a few hundred feet to more than a mile. Some areas are flat,
others are rolling. Soil depth varies from eight feet in thickness for
the region bordering the Matanuska River to a few inches in sections
west of Wasilla. The soil mantle, of windblown loessial materials, is
of relatively new geologic development, The Valley is bounded by the
Chugach Mountains on the east, the Talkeetnas on the north, the Susitna
Valley on the west and Knik Arm on the south. Winters are long but
usually not unduly severe; summers cool and relatively moist,
To this country came trappers, prospectors and traders in closing years
of the nineteenth century. Hordes of insects, difficult trails, sparse
population and great distance s from supply points discouraged many
potential residents, Those who stayed were interested primarily in the
Willow Creek gold field or the Matanuska coal deposits.
Another generation, an uneasy international situation and social crises
within the United States were required before the Matanuska Valley and
the rest of Upper Cook Inlet were ripe for use. This history of the
Valley is designed to trace the many human elements affecting the ebb
and flow of agricultural development here. It brings into focus many
problems that must be solved before new areas in Alaska can be settled
satisfactorily