Tag Archives: Palmer

W. T. Geisman, Photographer

Posted on January 13, 2019 by Helen Hegener

As the official photographer for the Matanuska Colony Project, Geisman documented every aspect of the venture, from the kitchen help aboard the North Star to the colonists’ children playing in the tent city, from officials posing stiffly for portraits to farmers working together to build homes before winter. His photographs portray proud farm wives showing their neat tent kitchens, and a small girl sitting in an Alaskan berry patch grinning at the cameraman. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, Colony Barns, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, News & Information | Tagged "A Mighty Nice Place", .R.R.C., Alaska, ARRC, Col. Frank Bliss, Colonist, Colony, Don Irwin, Helen Hegener, Jim Fox, L. N. Troast, Mary Nan Gamble, Matanuska, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, North Star, Northern Light Media, Palmer, photographs, Willis Geisman, Willis T. Geisman | Leave a comment

Alaska Railroad 1902-1923

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Helen Hegener

This 400-page book is a wide-ranging look at the many ways in which the railroad played a major role in Alaska’s growth and development. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Alaska Railroad, Book Reviews, Books | Tagged Alaska Central Railroad, Alaska Railroad, Anchorage, coal mining, Fairbanks, Golden Spike, Guggenheim, Hurricane Gulch, monopoly, Morgan-Guggenheim Syndicate, Nenana, Palmer, Seward, steamboats, Talkeetna, Turnagain Arm, Wasilla | Leave a comment

Kindle Edition: “A Mighty Nice Place”

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Helen Hegener

The story of the 1935 Matanuska Colony Project, which settled 200 families near Palmer, Alaska. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Colony Barns, Kindle eBooks, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, News & Information | Tagged "A Mighty Nice Place", Alaska, Book Reviews, Colony, eBook, farming, Great Depression, history, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, New Deal, Palmer | Leave a comment

The Beautiful Matanuska Valley

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Helen Hegener

The Beautiful Matanuska Valley, by Helen Hegener, includes chapters on Palmer, Wasilla, and other communities within the Valley, both still-existing and long-gone. Stories and photos of Knik, Sutton, Matanuska, Big Lake, Chickaloon and others tell the story of the founding, settling, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Matanuska Valley, News & Information | Tagged Alaska Railroad, Big Lake, Chickaloon, Eklutna, Hatcher Pass, Independence Mine, Knik, Knik Arm, Matanuska Valley, Palmer, Sutton, Wasilla | 2 Comments

Parks-Archer Colony Barn

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Helen Hegener

The magnificent Parks-Archer barn which sat on the south side of Bodenburg Butte is gone now, another loss to Matanuska Valley history, but it was included in my 2013 book on the Matanuska Colony barns (see below for ordering). Comprised … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Colony Barns, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, News & Information | Tagged Alaska, barns, history, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, Palmer, The Matanuska Colony Barns | 2 Comments

The Parks-Archer Colony Barn

Posted on April 23, 2016 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, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, Uncategorized | Tagged Alaska, Alaska History, Albert Marquez, Barbara Hecker, barns, Bodenburg Loop Road, Bonita Parks Strong, Dave Rose, Eric Vercammen, Glen Archer, Jim Fox, Joanie Juster, Lynn Sandvik, Matanuska, Matanuska Colony Project, Matanuska Valley, Palmer, Parks-Archer, Pioneer Peak, Ron Day | Leave a comment

Matanuska Valley Books

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Helen Hegener

The colorful history and the captivating beauty of today’s Matanuska Valley are captured in these four books from Northern Light Media, including three which address the history of the 1935 Matanuska Colony. Click on any book cover for more information … Continue reading →

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

Knik Arm

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Helen Hegener

Only a River . . . Knik Arm is the northernmost branch of Cook Inlet, a great body of water which stretches 180 miles from the Gulf of Alaska and splits at Anchorage into Knik Arm and the more southern … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged Chugach Mountains, Glenn Highway, Helen Hegener, Iditarod, Knik, Matanuska Valley, Northern Light Media, Palmer, Parks Highway, Pioneer Peak, Talkeetna Mountains, Wasilla | Leave a comment

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 →