Category Archives: Alaska History

Matanuska Colony History

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Helen Hegener

On Wednesday, May 20, I gave an hour-long talk and slideshow on the history of the 1935 Matanuska Colony Project for the Palmer Historical Society. It’s always interesting to given presentations of that history in Palmer, for many of those … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History | Tagged Colony, Matanuska, Palmer, Palmer Historical Society, Willis T. Geisman | Leave a comment

PHS History Night

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Helen Hegener

I’ll be giving a slideshow and presentation about four of my books for the Palmer Historical Society’s History Night on Wednesday, May 20th, at the Palmer Public Library. Through photos, stories, and a look at the history behind the Colony … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged Colony, Helen Hegener, history, Matanuska, Northern Light Media, Palmer | Leave a comment

S. Hall Young, Mushing Parson

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Helen Hegener

“In the summer of 1879 I was stationed at Fort Wrangell in southeastern Alaska, whence I had come the year before, a green young student fresh from college and seminary–very green and very fresh–to do what I could towards establishing … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History | Tagged Alaska, Alaska Days with John Muir, Chilkoot Pass, Crow Creek Pass, Dr. Young, Fort Wrangell, Glacier Bay, Helen Hegener, Iditarod Trail, John Muir, Klondike, Knik, mushing, mushing history, Northern Light Media, Old Knik, Reverend Young, S. Hall Young, Samuel Hall Young, Seward, Stickeen, The Mushing Parson, Yukon River | 3 Comments

Alaskan Roads and Trails History

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Helen Hegener

Alaska’s history can be defined in large part by the network of trails and roads which criss-cross the state, threading through the seemingly endless forests and across the wide tundra lands; winding over great mountain ranges and bridging tumultuous rivers. … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History | Tagged Alaska Highway, Alaska Road Commission, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Glenn Highway, Iditarod National Historic Trail, Iditarod Trail, Nome, Richardson Highway, roads, routes, trails, U.S. Army, Valdez | 1 Comment

The Matanuska Colony Barns

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Helen Hegener

In 1935 the U.S. Government transported 200 families from the Great Depression-stricken midwest to a valley of unparalleled beauty in Alaska, where they were given the chance to begin new lives as part of a federally-funded social experiment, the Matanuska … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged Alaska, Albert Marquez, Barbara Hecker, barn, barns, Breeden, Colony farm, Colony Project, Dave Rose, Eric Vercammen, Great Depression, Havemeister, Hegener, Jim Fox, Joanie Juster, Matanuska Valley, MATI, Northern Light Media, Palmer, Ron Day, Stewart Amgwert, The Matanuska Colony Barns | Leave a comment

Iditarod National Historic Trail

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Helen Hegener

The 2015 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is over, but the Iditarod Trail is much more than just a sled dog racetrack. This network of over 2,300-miles of winter trails, which first connected ancient Native Alaskan villages, opened the territory for … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History | Tagged Iditarod, Iditarod National Historic Trail, Iditarod Trail, Knik, National Historic Trail, Nome, Seward | Leave a comment

Along Alaskan Trails

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Helen Hegener

Along Alaskan Trails, Adventures in Sled Dog History, by Helen Hegener, is a collection of true stories about Alaskan sled dogs and the role they played in the development of the north, with dozens of historic photos from the archives … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged Baldy, Balto, Chinook, Fritz, Helen Hegener, Iditarod Trail, Jujiro Wada, Leonhard Seppala, Mary Joyce, mushing, mushing history, Northern Light Media, Scotty Allan, Slim Williams, Togo | Leave a comment

Arthur Treadwell Walden

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Helen Hegener

“Let me tell you about this man Walden.” These words, found in the introduction to Arthur Treadwell Walden’s classic book, A Dog-Puncher on the Yukon (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1928), are the reader’s invitation to meet one of the most respected … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged A Dog-Puncher on the Yukon, Antarctica, Arthur Treadwell Walden, Chinook, Circle City, Dawson City, Helen Hegener, Kate Sleeper, Katherine Walden, mushing, mushing history, New England Sled Dog Club, Nome, Northern Light Media, Richard E. Byrd, Yukon River | 2 Comments

1935 Matanuska Colony Talk

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Helen Hegener

On the third Wednesday of May I’ll be giving a presentation about my book on the 1935 Matanuska Colony for the Palmer Historical Society’s History Night. Through photos, stories, and a look at the history behind the Colony Project, I’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books | Tagged Alaska, Colonist, Colony, Fireside Books, Helen Hegener, Matanuska, Matanuska Valley, New Deal, Northern Light Media, Palmer | 1 Comment

The Huskies and the Reindeer

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Helen Hegener

From 2009 through 2013 the twice-weekly Team & Trail column, written by Northern Light Media’s Helen Hegener, ran in the online newsmagazine Alaska Dispatch, and featured news of interest to the mushing community, including sled dog race reports, news, photos, articles, … Continue reading →