The recent stock market crash of 2008 wasn’t the first serious economic setback in American history.  Back in 1929 the market crashed – seriously crashed and folks found themselves in very bad times for a very long time.  People were without money and jobs.  Newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the “New Deal” with more than 100 projects to end unemployment and restore American prosperity and hope.  One such project was the Matanuska Colony in Palmer, Alaska just a short distance from Iditarod Headquarters.

In 1935 farm families from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were recruited to relocate in the fertile Matansuka Valley.  A total of 203 families were selected for “relocation.”  In exchange for their willingness to uproot, the families would be given passage to Alaska via train and ship.  Upon arriving in Palmer, they’d be given 40 acres of land, a house, a barn, and a well.

Transient workers from California, selected for their skill in building, were sent ahead to construct the settlement.  But when the first families arrived, land had yet to be cleared for fields; houses and barns had yet to be built.  The colonists drew for their tract of land and resided in tent camps near their future farm until their house was completed.  The families could choose from five modest house plans.  Every barn was the same – a 32 foot square gambrel roof structure.  Because of the backlog of work for the transient construction crews, many colonists worked together with friends to clear their land and build their homes.  Regulations strictly prohibited taking work away from the transients but the colonists were determined to have housing before the winter of 1935 took hold.  By the end of October, all the colonists were in their new homes.

The “New Deal” for the Scandinavian families was filled with challenges along with the hope of a new beginning.  There was little time to contemplate the move – often just a couple of days to pack belongs and begin the journey.  It was a big step but they could always return to the lower 48.  As it turned out, more than 60% of the colonists left Palmer within a few years.

The Havemeister Dairy Farm is the only working dairy farm in existence from the original colony.  It’s possible to tour the milking parlor, barn, and gardens.  A log cabin built by colonists Joseph and Blanche Puhl of Rice Lake, Wisconsin stands on the outskirts of Palmer.  The Colony House Museum is a stick built structure from the original colony that’s been moved to its present location near the center of Palmer.  It contains original furnishings and belongings brought by the colonists to Alaska.  The curator of the museum was the first baby to be born in the newly constructed colony hospital in November of 1935.

Well, there you have it – some information about the brave farmers from the mid-west who relocated at colonists in Palmer, Alaska.  If you’re visiting Iditarod Headquarters, it’s just a short drive to Palmer and the Colony House Museum.  You might like to read a book about colony life called Mosquito Girl by Sally Gwin.

Born to Run,

Sanka