Palmer, Alaska ~ An Agrarian Frontier

Signing of Treaty of Cessation, March 30, 1867
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March 30, 1867 - The Treaty of Cessation authorizes the United States purchase of Alaska from Russia.


Known as "Seward's Folly," the United States reaches a Treaty with Russia to purchase Alaska for $7.2 million - roughly a mere 2 cents and acre.

Captain Glenn and Captain Culp, Portage Bay, 1898
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1898 - The Edwin Glenn U.S. Army Expedition commences through south-central Alaska and the first United States Department of Agriculture Experimental Station in Alaska is built in Sitka. 


In his journal, Edwin Glenn records the botany he observes in the Matanuska Valley, noting the potential for farming and growing crops.


After the Sitka USDA post is established seed packages are sent out between 1900 - 1903 to 750 settlers across south-central Alaska. One of these posts is manned by George Palmer, a settler in the Matanuska area who plants seeds and reports back in his letters to the USDA how fertile the Matanuska valley is for planting root vegetables with little experience and no fertilizer.

Independence Mine, Alaska
courtesy americaslibrary.gov

1906 - Gold is discovered in the Talkeetna Mountains just north of present day Palmer, Alaska.


Independence Mine is developed and an influx of miners causes population growth in the Matanuska - Susitna area as well as higher demand for goods and services. 

The Sourdough arriving at Eska Creek Spur, March 19, 1917
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October, 1917 - The Matanuska Spur of the Alaska Railroad is completed.


A transportation route to the Matanuska Valley is now in place for rail transport of coal as well as other material goods and travelers.

Matanuska Valley colonists disembarking from
Alaska Railroad locomotive, Matanuska Valley, Alaska.
May 10, 1935
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1935 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt implements the New Deal.


As part of the New Deal the Matanuska Colony is created by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. As one of 100 relief colonies created by the New Deal, the Matanuska Colony creates a new beginning for 204 families displaced by drought in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Oklahoma. Each of these families move to what would become the future site of Palmer, in the [then] territory of Alaska, to farm 40 acre tracts of land.

courtesy cityofpalmer.org 

April, 1951 - The City of Palmer incorporates.
Palmer becomes an official Alaskan city 8 years prior to Alaskan statehood.




Cause-Effect Statements
1. The purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 created a knowledge gap for the United States government concerning the resources the newly acquired land had to offer which lead to the establishment of the Sitka US Department of Agriculture Experimental Station and the Edwin Glenn US Army Expedition, both of 1898. 


2. The Edwin Glenn expedition of 1898 and the reports of the Sitka USDA station between 1900-1903 caused government documentation of the fertileness of the Matanuska Valley to be on file which was partially responsible for the Matanuska Colony being a chosen site for one of the New Deal colonies established in 1935.


3. The discovery of gold in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley region in 1906 caused an influx of miners to the Talkeetna mountain range and lead to the need for rail transportation infrastructure that was filled by the establishment of the Matanuska Spur of the Alaska Railroad in 1917.


4. The Matanuska Spur of the Alaska Railroad, established in 1917, enabled a rail route to be present from Turnagain Arm to the Matanuska Valley causing the Matanuska Valley to be a prime location for a new colony as there was adequate transportation for families to be relocated to the Matanuska area.


5. With 204 new families thrust into the Matanuska Valley in 1935, and the presence of miners already in the Matanuska area, the population explosion in the Matanuska Valley lead to a high demand for goods and services any midwestern town could provide causing the city government of Palmer to incorporate in 1951.

Module IX: Alaska Governance and Contemporary Issues

Essential Question: Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 1971 - Discuss two ways that this legislation has impacted Alaska and two specific ways it has impacted Alaska Natives.

courtesy technicsoilandgas.com

One key way the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 impacted Alaska was in how it cleared the way for the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline to be built. The pipeline itself could not be developed until land agreements were decided between the federal, state and Native governments. With the signing of ANCSA on December 18, 1971 land ownership was defined and construction of the pipeline could begin. This in turn led to the creation of many jobs and a time of heightened economic growth and development within the state of Alaska.  The development of the pipeline also led to the eventual development of the Alaska Permanent Fund and the current issues Alaska faces that are associated with oil and natural gas development today.


Another impact ANCSA had on Alaska was inherent in its determination of how Alaska's land was divided and allocated to the federal government, state of Alaska, and to the private ownership of Native corporations. This had a profound impact on Alaska because much of the 43.7 million acres that became privately owned Native lands are located in easily accessible and strategic locations that limit the opportunity for growth and expansion to occur.


For example, much of the land owned by the Eklutna corporation lies adjacent to the municipality of Anchorage which limits expansion for the municipality. Other strategic areas owned by Native corporations limit timber, coal and mineral resource extraction without the corporation's express involvement. Thus, while ANCSA led to a huge amount of economic growth as far as the development of the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline, it has stunted economic growth and development in other areas.

courtesy dec.alaska.gov

One specific way ANCSA has affected Alaska Natives is through the formation of the 12 Native Corporations that it created. These corporations have directly created jobs for Alaska Natives and have enabled a system of royalties for those Natives who are shareholders in their corporations. The development of Native corporations through ANCSA also elevated Alaska Natives to have a more equal say in the political and economic development of Alaska as cited in this video from the Alaska Native Knowledge Network. 


A second specific way ANCSA has impacted Alaska Natives is by consequently establishing two socio-economic classes of Alaska Natives. This quote from Gary Moore's article captures it best, 

"The aftermath of ANCSA has basically established two classes of Native people. Those fortunate enough to be employed by these corporations have largely prospered and migrated in large numbers to the urban centers of Alaska. Those that are not employed with these companies have either remained in the village to scratch a living from traditional methods or have migrated to urban centers in search of whatever work they can find. Shareholder dividends, from even the richest corporations, are hardly sufficient to sustain a family for any period of time."

While ANCSA set out to settle the debate over Native entitlement to land, it lead to far reaching results that through the years have not played out in the best interest of the Native people.

Examine Question: Identify the Alaska Senate and House district in which you live (use current letter and number). Identify the name and political party of your state senator and representative. Identify the type of local government you have (city, borough, what class?) Identify the tribal government, if any, in your area and if possible find out if it is an IRA or traditional council.

Senator Linda Menard
courtesy senate.legis.ak.us

I live in House District 13 Senate District G within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. I live outside the city limits of Palmer and Wasilla so the area in which I live falls under Borough authority. My state senator is Linda Menard (R)  and state representative was the late Carl Gatto (R) whose servant-leadership and accessibility to his constituents will be greatly missed by those in our district.


Knik Tribal Council, Chickaloon Village and Eklutna Native Village are three federally recognized tribes near the area in which I live. While these tribes do not govern the specific area I live in they are each traditional councils affecting the region in which I live. I'm including this helpful link that lists each of the tribes served by the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs.


Evaluation:
This Module was jam-packed with information and I have to say it would have been helpful to have 2 weeks for the content involved. Perhaps it could be broken into two modules for future classes as I found myself having to skim over a lot of content I really wanted to know more about. I did like that there were more essential questions to choose from during this module which helped me focus in on topics in government that I knew little about. Overall the module was extremely informative and the links were very helpful in further understanding the content.


Colleague Reviews:
Kristin distinguished between the terms "evacuation" and "internment" in her discussion of what happened to many Aleuts during WWII.
Betty highlighted Alaska's strategic location as a primary U.S. defense during WWII against Japanese empire building.
Tina presents a clear and concise overview of the Lend-Lease Program and ALSIB projects and how they involved Alaska during WWII.

Module VIII:

Essential Question: Explain how Alaska's location was considered "strategic" during World War II. What were the war activities/events that supported the perspective of "strategic" Alaska?

Alaska's location was considered strategic during World War II because of it being the closest U.S. land mass in proximity to Japan as well as a supply point for West Coast military forces enroute overseas. The map to the right is a World War II rendering of the Aleutian Chain and the islands' close proximity to Japan courtesy of the National Parks Service. The efforts that reinforced Alaska as a strategic location that was key to success of the U.S. and their allies during World War II include the building of several military bases and the construction of the 1420 mile wilderness highway known formally as the Alaska Highway but also referred to as "the Alcan."

Military bases that were built include bases on Attu, Adak, Umnak, Unalaska and Kodiak Islands as well as bases in Sitka, Anchorage and Fairbanks. The majority of these bases have become World War II National Historic Landmarks.

The Alaska Highway was developed to provide a third transportation route to the Alaskan front during the war as transportation by boat or plane had been the only options up to that point. The war-time cost of building the highway came to $138 million, just under $100,000 per mile. The road was considered a necessity by President Roosevelt and he approved it's development in February 1942. The Alaska highway was completed by October 1943. Also of note is the importance of the building of the Alaska Highway in the Civil Rights movement due to three engineering units made up of African-Americans worked alongside the units of white engineers to construct the road. According to one historian "the Alaska highway was not only the greatest engineering feat of the Second World War, it is a triumph over racism."

Examine Question: Is there a National Guard unit in your area? Describe it including it's mission, size and recent activities. 

The Air National Guard unit in my area is located at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER). The 176th Wing includes over 1400 National Guard troops and their mission involves combat search and rescue, tactical and strategic air lift, air control and rescue coordination. There is also an Army National Guard Unit located at JBER. Currently 126 Army National Guard troops from the 143rd Infantry Regiment are serving in Afghanistan and will be stationed there through November 2012.

The Alaska National Guard based at JBER has recently been involved in saving two victims of a plane crash on Knik Glacier on March 30th, 2012 as well as many other humanitarian and rescue endeavors cited by the State of Alaska Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. These include medical trips to 16 villages near Nome and aide during recent snowstorms in Valdez and the Bering Sea region. In 2011 The Alaska Air National Guard also deployed 125 troops to Afghanistan to air drop food, water and supplies to soldiers serving abroad. 

Evaluation:

I found the history and significance of World War II in Alaska rich with information that I never knew before taking this course. The building of the Alaska Highway was of great interest to me as I've heard stories from my grandfather who traveled the road in the 1950s and 1960s and describes it as more of a trail than the highway it was named as. The sources were helpful, but I did find it difficult to find specific information on the individual National Guard units and their numbers so extra links to sites on this subject may be helpful to include. 

Colleague Review
Claire brought up the fact that the landscape of Girdwood and Valdez have encouraged and brought about thriving ski slopes and heli-skiing ventures.


Margie mentioned that many Alaskan communities have festivals that celebrate birds, wildlife and Alaska's bounty. The Moose-dropping festival in Talkeetna comes to mind!


Heidi's discussion on various forms of Alaskan recreation was concise, yet thorough. I agree that basketball is a big part of Alaskan recreational culture and that it takes a whole to of gear and the right clothing for most outdoor activities!