Earliest
Homesteaders of the Matanuska Susitna Valley
The
following list of settlers was taken from a newspaper article in
the
"KNIK NEWS" dated March 6, 1915
It
was titled: Settlers in the Mat-Su Valley from Knik to Palmer in 1915
A.G. Swanson
O.G. Herning
J.D. Whitney
Albert Atrain
John Wilson
A.A. Cobb
O.C. Miller
Joseph Grimes
E. Weiss
Peter Hebert
F.H. Andrews
H.C. Shough
E. Shepard
G.J. Blake
Martin Leckvold C.B.
White
John Parks
Adam Werner
Wm. Campbell
A.G. Henry
F. Terry
W.J. Bogard
J.J. Page
G. Danielson
J.F. Edlund
C.H. Bauer
G.A. Haller
Roy Cornelius
M. Kinsinger
Axel Olson
A.H. Olson
D. Greenwaldt
J.W. Hoope
H.H. Drake
C.J. Hertel
A.J. Pierce
Herman Hugh
A. Thorsen
H. Hoppell
A. Reising
Wm. Dalton
John Eusturin
C.C. Thorpe
S. Lutchinger
Anton Schmidt
C. Egtvet
Hans Walby
L.O. Olson
E.A. Duncklee
John Springer
N. Neklason
Ray Haugham
H.A. Brown
Chas. Schiller
Geo. Clyde
C. Stern
J.H. Conway
Kenneth Larsen
F.A. Brown
O.J. Jacobson
G.A. Gates
William Hughes
J.J. O'Brien
Al Crocker
A.C. Kramer
Jacob Metz
Geo. Nylen
T.H. Jeter
Axel Hirvilla
Herman Nelson
H.H. Sharp
P.E. Pitchford
Timothy Calmes
A.W. Madsen
E.W. Lawson
H. McCaughey
M.E. Shortleigh
J.W. Downing
John M. Loken
Estelle Dalton
John Lanquist
G.B. Fisk
Curtis Ross
Chas. Johnson
Louis Lund
Henry Wilson
T.S. McDougall
I.V. Miller
Ben Marino
A.E. Danielson
S. Anderson
Dan S loan
E.B. Sparling
T.O. Larsen
F.F. Winchester Samuel
Marsh
O.N. Nelson
Olaf Hjelm
J. Fleckinstein
C.H. Wilson
Hans Hugh
J.G. Johnson
Wm. Larsen
John Noonin
G. Moffat
L.B. Anderson
Mary Morrison
J. Rasmussen
J. Bugge **
A. Egtvet
I.N. Bennett
P. Fleckenstein
W.W. Dietzel
H. Asbron
Oscar Carlson
Chas. Martin
A. Walter
A. Christopherson E.J. Tomlinson
M.K. Sullivan
W.S. Ferguson
A.S. Lee
W.S. Fenton
H.W. Mitchell
Chas. Ulankey
H. McKinnon
P.J. Jewell
Fred Winter
E.F. Krueger
Jas. St. Clair
C.A. Larsen
F.M. Crocker
** 1st Homesteader in the Palmer area.
A
1992 Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Department published a present
day map of the
valley
with the early homesteads locations shown on it. It's titled: Settlement
and Homestead Sites 1914-1940
The
following is a list of very early valley residents and their homestead
locations
on present day maps
Frank Arnold Homestead / Parks Highway at Goose Creek
William Davis (later Johnson) Cabin / Off of present day Parks Highway near Little Willow Creek
Frederich Crocker Homestead / Present day Settlers Bay Drive
Oscar Tryck House / Parks Highway near Lucille Street in Wasilla
Charlie Isaac Cabin / Between Lucille Street and Wasilla Fishhook near Nelson Avenue in Wasilla
Clyde Thorpe Cabin / Near Intersection of Park Highway and Knik Goose Bay Road (on Knik Goose Bay Road)
Earl McHenry Cabin / Davis Road off of Fairview Loop Road Wasilla
Dave Reedy Cabin / Davis Road off of Fairview Loop Road Wasilla
T. J. Wilson Cabin / Fairview Loop Road Wasilla
John "Fred" Edlund / Fairview Loop Road near Davis Road Wasilla
Peter Murray Homestead / Gershmel Loop Road Wasilla
August "Wrinkle-Faced" Swanson Homestead / Gershmel Loop Road Wasilla
Jacob Metz / Palmer Wasilla Highway between Hyer Road and Seward Meridian Road Wasilla
Felton (later Cunningham) Cabin / Palmer Fishhook Road Wasilla
Adam Werner Homestead / Werner Road off of Palmer Fishhook Road Wasilla
Roy Cornelius Homestead / Near corner of Trunk Road and Palmer Fishhook Road Wasilla
Oscar Anderson Homestead / Near intersection of Trunk Road and Palmer Wasilla Highway
Edward and Mary Saindon House / 871 Blunck Street Palmer (concrete house...see below)
Eugene Marsh Cabin / On Old Glenn Highway between Clark Road and Smith Road
John Springer Cabin / Springer Loop Road Palmer
Bodenburg (later Falk) Cabin / Bodenburg Loop Road on Old Glenn Highway out of Palmer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mr. Thomas (Pat) Carter, in his personal papers, listed the families that were living in the town of Wasilla in 1930:
Mr. & Mrs. Orville Herning and son Stanley
Mr. & Mrs. Cadwallader and their twins, Jane & Mary
Mr. & Mrs. Freidland and a 4 year old daughter
Mr. & Mrs. Wilmoth
Gus Swanson (a freighter)
Mr. & Mrs. Tryck and 2 sons, Charles and Billy
Mr. & Mrs. Issac
Mr. & Mrs. Oberg with family of 5 and 1 married daughter
Mr. & Mrs. Snider with family of 4 on Lucille Lake
Mr. & Mrs. Thorpe
Jack Fabian
Peck Family at the depot
Fred Nelson
Pete Nelson
In the general vicinity of Wasilla and as far as Knik, Wasilla Lake, Finger Lake, Anderson Lake & Kings Lake:
Charlie Johnson - lived on 1st Wasilla Lake
Mr. & Mrs. Veil and children Mary, Harry and Stewart
Mr. Stern - lived on 2nd Wasilla Lake called Green Acres
Mr. & Mrs. Ellexson at Knik
Mr. & Mrs. Edlund with grown family
Mrs. Anderson living on King's Lake with son and daughter Marie. She also has a brother living across the lake
from her and a married oldest daughter, Mrs. Carla Duff, who lives on the same lake.
Joe Palmer - lived on 2nd Wasilla Lake
Paddy Marion
____ Moses - lived on Barry's Lake
Jake Metz
BOGARD
ROAD
Ernest
and Olga Peck with daughter Rosie who married Lyle (1930's)
Chester
and Roberta Ricker (post 1945)
Peter
Corcoran (single)
Joe
Palmer...had fox farm...homestead purchased by Wells Irwin
Tverten
homestead on Wasilla Lake purchased eventually by Al Hagen
SHROCK
ROAD
Cecil
Shrock homestead
Ed and
Elenor Hartner dairy farm
Curt
and Linda Menard
Dan
Sullivan homestead
Robert
Martin
C. W.
Martin
R. Patton
Richard
Patten
Gene
Holmberg (teacher)
Eloy
and Maggie Garcia
Chuck
and Alice Bergland
Pat
and Barbara Carney
Dale
Carney
Ed and
Lee Ellen Baker
Paul
Huppert
Alex
Sotto
FIRST
SETTLERS NORTH OF LITTLE SUSITNA RIVER
Basil
and Sue Telliers
Paul
and Ona Mahoney
Will
and Kelly Mahoney
Opan
Toomey
M. R.
Sites / Clara Sites
Kelly
Palmquist
Martin
and Beulah Olsen
SHROCK
ROAD EXTENSION TO PARKS HIGHWAY
John
and Emma Bozeroff
Walter
Shampine
Pete
and Shirley Dreith
Bob
Cherney
Vernon
Caswell
FISHHOOK
ROAD
Blind
Nick............Indian, single
Rufe
and Annie Stephan Irene, Doris and James
Doc
Slope (?) Clarine Stroup....single (handwriting hard to read on this name)
Dan
Patchell
James
Hilliard family
C. Kelton
.....2 children
Lois
Kelton....music teacher
Roy
Holtz....music teacher
Herman
Boom
Keith
Poppert
George
Venne homestead
Neftsinger
homestead
Vic
McNeil .........owned land Blind Nicks cabin was on
Warren
and June Jones
Fred
Nelson ....owned land that the cemetery is on now
Marvin
Kneff homestead
Harold
Nichols
Martin
and Petty Betts
G. Gatzloff
Frank
Sorenson
Clyde
Poisal
Phil
Serrels
Bob
and Gertrude Clark
Elizabeth
Suckling Wells and sister (both teachers)
UPPER
WASILLA FISHHOOK ROAD
Dewey
and Mary Welch (Welch Road)
Art
Welch
Les
Green and family (east of Fishhook Road, airstrip and shop)
Some Palmer,
Alaska Historic Buildings
The Lucas House which is at 1450 North Glenn Highway. This house was originally moved from Chickaloon in about 1927. It was disassembled and brought to Palmer on the train.
Jim Felton house which is at 342 S. Colony Way in Palmer. It was built in 1916-1917. At one time it was a general store and post office.
Gladson House which is at 267 S. Bailey Street in Palmer. This house was built in the early 1920's.
Monaghan Barn which is at 4055 North Palmer Fishhook Road Palmer. This was built in the early 1930's as part of a dairy business.
Ross Hecky Barn which is at 1000 North Glenn Highway was built about 1916.
Clark House at 320 East Arctic Ave. Palmer was built out of two dismantled railroad cars (pre-1930).
Evan Jones House which has been relocated to the Alaska State Fair Grounds at Palmer, built in 1918 in Anchorage and movd to the fair grounds in 1978.
I will be adding to this list very soon, please check back.
Information extracted from 1988 Mat-Su Borough publication titled "Evaluation of Historic Sites in Palmer, Alaska"
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