Anton Anerson was an engineer & surveyor with the Alaska Enginering Commission when the Matanuska Colony came to Alaska in 1935. He was charged with establishing locations of the Colony Community Center facilities which grew to become the heart of the town of Palmer. Anton and his wife, Alma, with their two daughters, arrived in 1935 and remained in Palmer until 1937. While living here they took photos of people, activities and structures associated with those earliest days of establishment of the Colony Project seen in this collection.
Colony Barn Under Construction 3
Hewitts Photo Shop
A typical Matanuska Colony barn is under construction and almost complete. Scaffolding is still in place and roofing paper is yet to be applied.
Image is a front and left side view of a typical Matanuska Colony barn under construction and almost completed. Scaffolding is still in place and roofing paper is yet to be applied.
Matanuska Valley, Alaska
Colony Home 29
Anton Anderson
A summer view of a white, frame house initially belonging to Colonist's Harold and Edith Davis
Image is a summer view of a white, frame house constructed the previous year and belonging to Matanuska Colonists Harold and Edith Davis
Tract #127 north of Palmer, Alaska
Community Center 2
Anton Anderson
Southeasterly view over the Co-op warehouse and creamery, including the new schoolhouse and gym. Preparations for celebrating the first Matanuska Valley Fair are evident with streetside booths, a baseball field and livestock barns visible.
Oblique view looking southeast over the Co-op warehouse, creamery, the schoolhouse and gym. Preparations for celebrating the first Matanuska Valley Fair are evident with streetside booths, baseball field and livestock barns erected across the road at left. Homestead clearing and hay field in background.
Palmer, Alasaka
Community Center 3
Anton Anderson
The south rail spur into the industrial section of the community center is shown leading toward the warehouse and powerhouse, both with construction scaffolding in place.
Image shows the south rail spur into the industrial section of the community center, the warehouse and powerhouse still with construction scaffolding in place. The water tower is not yet under construction.
Palmer, Alaska
Community Center 4
Anton Anderson
Oblique south view from the water tower showing the new hospital school, Chugach street, a Colony staff house and smoke from the powerhouse smoke stack in foreground.
Image is a south view taken in summer 1936 from the newly-installed water tower. View includes the hospital, school, Chugach street, a Colony staff house and smoke from the powerhouse.
Palmer, Alaska
Community Center 5
Anton Anderson
Brush field and forest scene of the Colony Community Center in 1935 prior to any buildings being constructed
Image is of an east view across a brush field clearing with hand-written notation indicating the scene is the location of the Community Center in 1935 prior to any buildings being constructed.
Palmer, Alaska
Homestead 8
Anton Anderson
John Bugge's field exhibits the fall harvest of grain assembled into shocks to dry.
This view is looking east across homesteader John Bugge's west field toward the Knik Glacier valley (washed out in the photo). The foreground shows a field with many shocks of harvested grain scattered over it. At left in middle ground the buildings of Bugge's farmstead are visible. At right in background Bodenburg Butte is seen and other mountains are partially visible.
Palmer, Alaska
Homesteaders & Friends 3
Alma Anderson
Anton Anderson, with his two daughters and small neighbor boy, visit Homesteader John Bugge and get to pet his small calf.
A tall man in a high-crowned hat at left, identified as homesteader John Bugge, stands behind two little girls, identified as Jean and Patty Anderson, and a little boy, identified as Myles Hyland. At right is a man, identified as Anton Anderson, stooped over and apparently petting a dark-colored calf. They stand in front of a barn of large diameter logs with a large door at left and a small Dutch door standing with the upper half open at right.
Palmer, Alaska
Homesteaders & Friends 4
Anton Anderson
Alma Anderson and John Bugge, with the Anderson girls and Myles Hyland, watch "Bugge's Famous Sow" nurse piglets on Bugge's homestead.
Alma Anderson and John Bugge, with Myles Hyland and Jean & Patty Anderson watch "Bugge's Famous Sow" nurse little piglets on Bugge's homestead.
Palmer, Alaska
Lake George 3
Hewitts Photo Shop
A late summer aerial oblique view showing part of the face of Knik Glacier at left, the "Terminal Moraine" indicating the extent of past glacier movement to the right which blocked drainage of water in the valley beyond to form "Lake George". By late summer the lake would erode the ice and violently empty, flooding Kinik River below.
Image is an aerial oblique view of Knik Glacier's terminal moraine marking the extent of seasonal advance of Knik Glacier seen at left. For many years, when the glacier was more active, it would advance to the mountain at right, damming outflow of melt water in the valley beyond and creating "Lake George". By late summer the lake would fill and erode a channel past the ice and then violently empty, flooding the Knik River below.
Knik Glacier near Palmer, Alaska
Matanuska River 1
Anton Anderson
The Matanuska River floodplain is seen at low water as the mountains with interesting names are viewed beyond.
This summer view looks southeast across the floodplain of the Matanuska River to the Chugach Mountains beyond. Anderson identifies the lower "Bodenburg Butte", named after John Bodenburg who homesteaded nearby in 1918, and the taller mountain he refers to as "Ben McDuhe". This mountain, called "Thel'aay" by the local Ahtna people, and "Dnal'iy" by the indigenous Dena'ina, was named "Pioneer Peak" by official map-makers in 1939 in honor of the Matanuska Colonists who came to settle the valley below in 1935. Apparently, before that time, some locals, including Anderson, referred to it as "Ben McDuhe (Ben Macdui) after the prominent mountain in Scotland of that name.
Palmer, Alaska
Men 15
Hewitts Photo Shop
Lumber that had been unloaded from rail cars is being loaded on a truck to be hauled to a construction site.
This summer image shows a group of men, ("transients"), loading a truck with lumber to be hauled to a building site of a new Colonist house or one of the new community center buildings. Rail cars sit on the tracks in middle ground with heavy forest beyond.
Palmer, Alaska
Palmer Air View 20
Hewitts Photo Shop
A high oblique air view of Palmer taken in August, 1936 showing the the community center, commercial district and closely surrounding homesteads.
Image is a high oblique air view of Palmer in August 1936. The community center, west side commercial district and closely surrounding homesteads are shown.
Palmer, Alaska
Palmer Street 48
Unknown
View of vehicles, businesses and people on S. Colony Way in Palmer
Image is a low oblique westerly view across the railroad tracks, across what is now called S. Colony Way, including the businesses and buildings between Avenues now named W. Elmwood and W. Evergreen and buildings beyond. Several vehicles are parked on the street, numerous signs are evident on the buildings. and people are evident
Palmer, Alaska
People 25
Unknown
Alma and Anton Anderson standing together
Image is of Alma and Anton Anderson standing together in front of a white house assumed to be in Palmer.
Assumed to be taken in Palmer, Alaska
Roadhouse 1
Unknown
A log roadhouse in 1935 located at the future site of the city of Palmer, Alaska
Image is of a log roadhouse that was one of the few buildings at the site chosen as the central location for the Matanuska Colony Project and future town of Palmer.
Palmer, Alaska
Survey Crew
Anton Anderson
Matanuska Colony surveyor, Anton Anderson, stands with his crew in front of the Engineer's Headquarters tent in Palmer. Men are identified from left to right as: Bill Cook, Bob Abernathy, Anton Anderson (Chief Engineer), Oliver Kola, not identified, and Jack O'Malley.
Anton Anderson and his crew that surveyed the layout of the Matanuska Colony infrastructure in Palmer stand in front of the Engineer's headquarters tent with their survey equipment.
Palmer, Alaska
Tent City Offices 2
Unknown
Anton Anderson poses during winter of 1935-36 between his "Engineer's Office" tent and the tent headquarters of Jack Allman's "Matanuska Valley Pioneer" newspaper.
Anton Anderson, Engineer and Surveyor for the layout of much of the Colony project infrastructure, stands between his Engineer's office tent and the headquarters of Jack Allman's "Matanuska Valley Pioneer" newspaper. Snow is on the ground, indicating the photo was taken during the winter of 1935-36.
Palmer, Alaska
Tent City Offices 3
Hewitts Photo Shop
Tents remaining after most of the temporary Colonist's living tents were moved to the camps are identified as part of the hospital unit. The larger building in foreground housed several administrative offices.
Image shows numerous tents and a larger building in foreground. The tents are identified as part of the hospital unit of the community during the Scarlatina outbreak in 1935. The foreground building provided offices identified as for Mr. Irwin, Mr. Cronin, Mr. Lyng and the Finance Office.
Palmer, Alaska
Transient Worker Tents
Hewitts Photo Shop
White tents housing "transient" construction workers associated with initial establishment of Matanuska Colony infrastructure
Image shows a line of about twenty-five white personnel tents and other structures located parallel to the road and railroad tracks south of what is now the town of Palmer. This was the camp of transient workers performing much of the initial construction work associated with establishment of the Matanuska Colony.
Palmer, Alaska
Vehicles 1
Anton Anderson
Fourteen ARRC trucks and one car are parked along a gravel street in front of the community center garage in Palmer.
Fourteen ARRC trucks and one car are parked in front of the community center garage in Palme, facing onto a gravel street. The Palmer water tower is visible behind the garage.
Palmer, Alaska
