The earliest Matanuska Valley Roads
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The
Earliest Matanuska Valley Roads
Very little is written about the earliest roads here
in the Valley.
The following information comes from the Chief Engineer
Reports for the
Alaska Road Commission 1911-1920.
It lists information for the following roads:
KNIK
|
PALMER
|
TRUNK
|
WASILLA
|
SPRINGER
|
WILLOW CREEK
|
MILE 26.5
|
MATANUSKA JUNCTION
|
MOOSE CREEK
|
FINGER LAKE
|
EDLUND
|
SUSITNA STATION
|
FISHHOOK
|
MATANUSKA BRIDGE
|
ARCHANGLE
|
NOTE: Keep
in mind the following things when reading these old records:
1. Knik was "Mile Zero"
2.
The intersection of modern day Knik Goose Bay Road and the railroad tracks
was "Mile 15"
3. The end of Carle Wagon Road (or Wasilla Fishhook Road) was "mile 26.5"
Board of Road Commissioners for Alaska
Washington Gov't. Printing Office
1911
Route 19 Kern Creek-Knik
Trail: This route will carry, in addition to the 'through travel'
between Iditarod and the coast, all winter travel to Knik, Susitna, Beluga,
Tyonek and Susitna Valley. Construction commenced at Old Knik July 11, 1911
and continues to date, with the trail being complete to Crow Creek Pass so
far, 44.8 miles.
Route 20 A Knik-Susitna winter trail,
This trail will accommodate the same traffic as described in Route 19
Kern Creek-Knik Trail, but with a much more direct/shorter route.
Route 35 Knik-Willow Creek Sled Road
(approximately 40 miles). Road was located in 1910 and is intended to
be a route from Knik to the quartz district of Willow Creek. At present,
the district is reached by a passable winter trail over very swampy ground.
The new trail is located over dry ground and is expected to serve as
a sled road in the winter and pack trail in the summer.
Board of Road Commissioners for Alaska
Washington
Gov't. Printing Office
1912
Route 20 A Knik-Susitna Station
Trail, 35 miles. At present, the trail follows long and winding
trail made by natives. Trail completed in 1912, a direct route from Knik
to Susitna Station for winter travel. Travel possible in summer, but not
a good trail due to swamps.
Route 35 Knik-Willow Creek
Sled Road, about 33 miles (20½ completed).
Board of Road Commissioners
for Alaska
Washington Gov’t.
Printing Office
1913
Route 20 A Knik-Susitna Station Trail,
35 miles; this trail completed on 11/2/1912. It conforms to the adopted
standard for winter trails and provides a direct route from Knik to
Susitna Station, for winter travel. It is passable in the summer, but
cannot be considered a good summer trail because of swampy ground.
Communication between terminals is maintained in summer chiefly by boats
on Knik Arm, Cook Inlet and the Susitna River. Cost of trail averaged
$76.95 per mile. It was located and constructed by Mr. R. S. Giddings,
foreman.
Board of Road Commissioners
for Alaska
Washington Gov’t.
Printing Office
1914
Route 35 Knik-Willow Creek Road 34 miles; repairs
made for 7½ miles of this road; clearing, widening and small
amount of corduroy; price of corduroy was 75¢ a linear foot.
Board of Road Commissioners
for Alaska
Washington Gov’t.
Printing Office
1915
Route 19 Kern Creek-Knik Trail,
86 miles; upgrade. Establishment of winter mail service from Seward to
Iditarod via this route, together with activities of A.E.C. at Ship Creek
made this important trail.
Route 35 Knik-Willow Creek Road 35 miles improved
to wagon road standards. In fair condition for entire season by horse
dawn vehicles and under favorable condition, supports light automobile
traffic.
Board of Road Commissioners
for Alaska
Washington Gov’t.
Printing Office
1916
Route 19 Kern Creek-Knik Trail, 86 miles; 13 miles
of this trail seriously damaged by forest fire summer of 1915, which destroyed
greater part of retaining walls on steep grades and bridges. Travel
over this route unusually heavy in 1915 due to increases in mail service
and activities of the A.E.C.
Board of Road Commissioners
for Alaska
Washington Gov’t.
Printing Office
1917
Route 19 Kern Creek-Knik Trail,
86 miles. Forest fires summer of 1916 and land slides due to excessive
rains, destroyed large part of trail along Turnagain Arm 20 miles.
Removing slides, repairing bridges, culverts, rebuilding cribbing winter
of 1916. Two men hired to clear slides and ice from Turnagain
Arm section of trail.
Palmer, Mile 26 Survey: During
fall of 1916, a location survey was made for a road, 8 miles long, from
Palmer on the Government Railroad, to mile 26 on the Knik-Willow Creek
Road.
Board of Road Commissioners
for Alaska
Washington Gov’t.
Printing Office
1918
Matanuska Bridge over Palmer Canyon; bridge built
to provide outlet to government railroad for a farming community on
east side of Matanuska River; 150’ combination span, one 100’ combination
span and 190’ trestle approach $22,252.15 Palmer – Matanuska
Bridge Road, 1½ miles connects Palmer Station on government
railroad with new Matanuska Bridge.
Board of Road
Commissioners for Alaska
Washington Gov’t.
Printing Office
1919
Route 35 Knik-Willow Creek Road 34 miles; grading,
ditching, cutting down hills from Wasilla – mile 15 to mile 25.
Repaired washouts and culverts mile 25 to 34.
Route 35A Archangel Extension – 3 miles; 35’
bridge over Archangel Creek. Palmer mile 26½ (8 miles)
put in corduroy and three 30’ bridges.
Route 35B Palmer Mile 26½ Road (8 mile wagon
road) connects the government railroad at Palmer with the Knik-Willow
Creek Road at mile 26½. Road also serves a few small farms. Six
acres of right of way cleared $512.18
Route 35C Matanuska Bridge (over Palmer Canyon). The
main pier of this bridge was damaged by flood during July, which undermined
and carried away the rock filling. This was repaired at a cost of $875.
Later, built a new pier of larger dimensions, filling it with heavy rock
and brush and also dumped a lot of heavy rock around the outside at a total
cost of $1890.40.
Route 35G Palmer-Springer,
connects a number of ranchers along the Matanuska River with Palmer at
mile 5 of the Chickaloon branch of the government railroad. About
2 miles of the road were grubbed and cleared in order to allow the ranchers
to get in and out with their implements and machinery. Expense $418.
Route 35H Wasilla-Finger Lake (7 miles wagon
road). This road runs from town of Wasilla at mile 160 government railroad,
north, in easterly direction, to connect with the Matanuska Trunk Road
(Route 35K) at Forest Hall. It runs through the richest part of the Matanuska
Valley and serves a great many ranchers; 6½ miles were grubbed and
graded last season at a cost of $725 a mile, total cost $4,714.15.
Route 35I Moose Creek–Palmer
(2 mile wagon road). This is an A.E.C. Tote road and serves a few ranchers
living along the railroad.
Route 35J Wasilla–Matanuska Junction (11 mile
wagon road). Built by A.E.C. for transportation of construction supplies.
Connects Matanuska Junction, mile 151 of government railroad with Wasilla
at mile 160.
Route 35K Matanuska Trunk Road (8 miles wagon
road). Leads from Wasilla Matanuska Road (35J) about a mile out of Matanuska
in NE direction, into the farming country and serves a great number of
farmers along the route. At Forest Hall, about mile 6 from Matanuska,
it is joined by the Wasilla –Finger Lake Road (route 35H). It terminates
with its junction with the mile 26½ Palmer road (route 35B).
Board of Road Commissioners
for Alaska
Washington
Gov’t. Printing Office
1920
Route 35 Knik-Willow
Creek (34 mile wagon road) Connects the mines of Willow Creek
District with the government railroad at Wasilla. General maintenance,
removing slides and dragging $4122.24
Route 35A Archangel Extension (5 1/2 mile wagon
road). Begins at the 1.5 mile point on the Willow Creek Extension of
Route 35D, traveling the high bench of the Little Susitna River, it turns
up Archangel Creek to the vicinity of several small quartz mines in the
Willow Creek Mining District.
Route 35B Palmer Mile 26½ Road (8 1/2 mile
wagon road). So called because it leaves the Old Knik Road, 26.5 miles
from Knik, or 11.5 miles from Wasilla on the Wasilla-Fishhook Road; running
SE to Palmer Station on the Matanuska Branch of the Alaska Railroad, opening
large area of promising agricultural land.
Route 35C Palmer–Matanuska Road (1½ mile
wagon road). Road leads from Palmer Station on Matanuska Branch of railroad
for 1/4 mile, turns at right angles crossing the tracks and continues
on to the Matanuska River. Chief work on this route
was to protect and save the river pier of the Matanuska bridge. Entire
river channel has shifted and caused a total settlement of 18'. The settlement
was so great that the trusses became badly warped and necessitated dismantling
the bridge. As the span lengths used, require a river pier at this location,
it was decided to replace this structure with a 300' span suspension bridge
and to ship and re-erect the old bridge structure at the Chatanika River
crossing on the Chatanika Circle Road.
Route 35D Fishhook Extension
(11 mile wagon road). This road climbs the hill from the terminus of the
Wasilla Fishhook Road (35E), turns up Fishhook Creek, a fork of the Little
Susitna River and crosses the divide to Willow Creek, 5 miles out. It
then follows the valley of Willow Creek to point of the ridge between Willow
and Craggie Creeks, then up Craggie Creek to the Gold Bullion Mine. Two
native timber bridges with pole decks of 12' and 14' spans were built.
Route 35E Wasilla Fishhook (21 mile wagon road).
This is one of the most important railroad feeders leading from Wasilla,
mile 160 on Alaska railroad, to Fishhook Inn, where it connects with roads
to Willow and Archangel Creeks in the Willow Creek Mining District. Two
thousand tons are hauled annually over this road.
Route 35F Wasilla–Knik Road
(15 mile wagon road). This road served as the original artery from the
head of ocean navigation at Knik, to the Willow Creek Mines. Served the
Willow Creek Mining District before completion of the railroad. Road completed
Wasilla to mile 7 of Knik Road (formerly a trail through the woods); remaining
8 miles in poor condition.
Route 35G Palmer-Springer Road
(3 mile wagon road) This route connects several ranchers along the
Matanuska River with Palmer, mile 6 Matanuska Branch of the Alaska Railroad.
Route 35H Wasilla-Finger Lake
(12 mile wagon road). This is a 24' graded earth road connecting Wasilla
with Palmer at mile 6 on the Matanuska Branch of the railroad, passing
through rich agricultural district. It crosses at right angles, the Matanuska
Trunk Road (Route 3K) at Forest hall, a congregating center for farmers
of the entire community.
Route 35 I Moose-Palmer (2
mile wagon road) This route is a continuation of an old railroad construction
road along the Matanuska branch line, used by a few farmers.
Route 35J Wasilla-Matanuska
(10 mile wagon road) This road was formerly a railroad
construction road and almost parallels the track between Matanuska and
Wasilla.
Route 35K Matanuska Trunk Road
(8 mile wagon road) This is an important farm road in the Wasilla-Matanuska
section, serving the Government Experimental Station and numerous farms.
Cutting the Wasilla-Finger Lake-Palmer road at Forest hall and terminating
at its junction with the mile 26.5 Palmer Road, midway between Palmer and
Wasilla Fishhook Road.
Route 35 L Palmer-Matanuska
(6 1/2 mile wagon road) Built for railroad construction purposes. It
passes through an important farming section along the Matanuska branch
of the railroad between Palmer and Matanuska.
Route 35 M Knik Corduroy
(3/4 mile corduroy) This corduroy, 10' wide, was placed on the route of
the Old Rainy Pass Trail, (1
mile from Knik) to accommodate ranchers for summer use.
Route 35 O Fishhook-Gold Mint Road (6 miles sled
road) This road connects with the Wasilla Fishhook Road at Fishhook Inn
and leads to the Gold Mint Mine and other prospects on the upper Little
Susitna River.
Route 35 P Moose Creek-Baxter
(5 mile wagon road). This route leads from mile 13, Matanuska branch
of the Alaska railroad up Moose Creek to coal mines and quartz prospects
and serves to haul coal to the railroad until Moose Creek Spur is completed.
Route 35 Q Edlund Road (1/2
mile wagon road) This new road connects farmers on the south side of
railroad at mile 157, with the Wasilla Matanuska Road at mile 3, giving
them an outlet to the railroad on an easy grade.