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George W. Palmer  an Alaskan Pioneer
1855-1930

by Coleen Mielke 2008

The town of Palmer, Alaska is named after a rugged, pre-Klondike Alaskan pioneer named George W. Palmer. Born in 1855, he was the son of Amos and Lavina Palmer of Erie County, Pennsylvania. Palmer came to Alaska in the spring of 1893, at the age of 38, to seek his fortune and escape the depression that gripped the Seattle area where he had been working in the logging industry. That first summer, he discovered gold on a small tributary of Resurrection Creek**. The discovery helped bankroll some of Palmer’s first financial endeavors.

One of those first endeavors was a small log store that he built between 1894 and 1898. It was located on the bank of the Matanuska River (near present day George W. Palmer Memorial Bridge just outside of Palmer on the Old Glenn Highway). Because Palmer was manning a variety of enterprises at the same time, his Matanuska store was an unmanned, self-serve type store. All of his merchandise was packed in cans to protect it from the elements and vermin. His customers, mostly Copper River Ahtna, took what they needed and left payment. Using the honor system, legend has it that Palmer said nothing was stolen from the store. It is uncertain how long he operated this store, however, it is believved that it was in operation until 1910-1915.

George Palmer was the agent for the Alaska Commercial Company at Knik in 1900. He also made money selling beach coal which he harvested at Point Campbell and Tyonek. He lightered freight (from large steamships at Goose Bay) to the beach at Knik and he hauled freight overland, by horse, for gold miners to the Willow Creek Mining District.

In 1901, when the Alaska Commercial Co. closed its doors in Knik, Palmer started his own store there. He continued to expand this very successful trading post until it boasted more than 10 buildings including his house, the store, warehouses, and a saloon, etc.

A fearless boatman, Palmer routinely bucked the relentless Turnagain Arm wind and tides, with small open boats, to transport people and freight from Knik to the towns of Tyonek, Sunrise, Hope and Seldovia.  In 1904, Palmer was appointed Postmaster of Knik.

Palmer’s temper was legendary. In 1894, he severely beat a Russian Orthodox priest for advising a woman she should not live with Palmer without the benefit of marriage. His temper only got worse when he began manufacturing large quantities of home brew called White Mule.  By 1906, he was a serious alcoholic with a penchant for brutality towards his wives, his animals and business partners. During this time, the Post Office was often closed and his Knik store was closed for lack of merchandise.

Though Palmer was widely known for his alcoholism and temper, he was also well known for his dedication and fair treatment of the Dena’ina population. George Palmer had four Dena’ina wives, many stepchildren and 2 biological children. The mother of his biological children (Annie born 1897 and John “Bud” born 1900) was Pelageia Chanilkhiga of Knik. Her older son Nicolai caused a lot of trouble for George Palmer. Nicolai shot and killed Talkeetna Stepan during an argument near Talkeetna in 1917.  Seven years later, Nicolai was shot to death in Anchorage after he killed an Anchorage City Police officer named Harry Cavanaugh.

By 1913, Palmer was drinking less and was acting more responsibly. He purchased another schooner and used it to bring merchandise from San Francisco three to four times a summer. In 1916, he was on the board of directors for the newly established Bank of Anchorage.

In 1917, an Anchorage newspaper held a contest to name the new railroad siding 8 miles north of Matanuska Junction. The winning entry was PALMER, after George W. Palmer, whose self-service store was about a mile or so from the siding. (Eighteen years later the Matanuska Colonists settled in Palmer, Alaska)

When Palmer’s store and attached buildings burned to the ground in 1918, he moved to Snug Harbor where he and a partner built the first clam cannery on Cook Inlet. His interest in this new venture was short. He sold the cannery in 1921 and moved to Kenai. There, he and partner Truman Parish opened a general store.

By 1930, Palmer was 75 years old, in ill health and suffering from chest pain, which local doctors had no remedy. On the morning of April 11, 1930, George Palmer ended the suffering. The ultimate Alaskan Pioneer took his own life with a single pistol shot to the heart. Many attended the funeral, which was held at the Elks Hall in Anchorage.  He was buried in the Pioneer section of the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery.  His adventures as a gold miner, entrepreneur, boat captain, trapper, postmaster, agriculturist and freighter genuinely qualify him as a true Alaskan Pioneer.

** The Resurrection Creek tributary, where Palmer discovered gold in 1893 was later named Palmer Creek. Today, if you drive to the town of Hope, you will see PALMER CREEK ROAD that leads back to Palmer Creek.