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.
Camp 6
Anton Anderson
Camp 6 was composed of tents housing colony families who drew land tracts at the northeast side of the project area. The photo shows the camp tents located adjacent to an improved section of the road leading to the Moose Creek area further north.
The lower half of this image shows a finished grade gravel road running from foreground right to middle ground left. Three white canvas tents parallel the far side of the road in middle ground. A water tower supporting a wooden tank on top is apparent at center left at the end of the row of tents. A truck is visible parked below the water tower. A canvas-covered structure is visible near the water tower at left. A man appears to be standing beside the far side of the road at extreme left. Heavy broadleaf forest is visible behind the tents in middle ground and mountains are dimly visible in background.
North of Palmer, Alaska
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 49
Anton Anderson
Construction of the new community school and gym buildings in the community center are progressing through the winter of 1935-36.
This late winter or early spring photo shows the west-facing sides of the new community school and gym in middle ground with scaffolding in place indicating that while exterior construction appears far along it was not yet complete. Old snow covers the open quad in foreground. Standing trees are visible at extreme left near the gym and mountains are partially visible in background at extreme right.
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
Community Center 50
Jack Cope
This photo documents the existence of a small business located in Palmer's Community Center in the early days after the Matanuska Colony was established. As of the year 2025 this three-room building continues to house small businesses.
This photo of the interior of Cope's Craft & Photo Shop documents one of the numerous business enterprises that have occupied the three small rooms in the narrow building located close to the west end of the Community Center Trading Post. This business was in the room at the south end of the building.
Palmer, Alaska
Community Center 51
Unknown
The view looking east from the water tower shows Community Center development alongside evidence of past efforts of homesteaders to clear the heavy forest and establish their farms.
This photo, taken from the new Palmer water tower, looks east toward the Knik Glacier in background. At right foreground is the gymnasium and part of the school building is visible. In extreme foreground center the roof of the creamery & vegetable processing building is partially visible with a house and tents slightly beyond and to the left. At extreme left foreground the chicken houses are partially visible with white chickens visible in the wire pens running to the right. White tents are visible at the right of the chicken pens next to the street which runs diagonally from bottom center to left. Another street runs horizontally across most of the image at lower middle ground. The space bounded by the two streets and the school buildings define the playground and temporary sports arena. Heavy forest occupies a horizontal strip across the image just beyond the middle ground play area open space, extending too the base of mountains in background. A large area of trees in middle ground had been cut in the past by a local homesteader but has obviously been left to regenerate into a thick brush field. Only a small portion of that previously cleared area in middle ground appears to have been kept under cultivation. Mountains in background frame the view up the Knik River valley to the glacier.
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
Palmer Street 56
Hewitts Photo Shop
Businesses are becoming established on the west side of the railroad tracks.
This photo shows buildings and business signs in foreground along the west side of what would become Palmer's South Colony Way, partially visible in immediate foreground. Kosloskys General Store is at left. The white building in center has a false front and a gas pump and several fuel barrels in front of the left half and a car parked in front of the right half of the building with "Salley's Cafe" painted on the building's wall above the windows. At far right is a dark single-story building with false front and a barber pole in front. This small building is attached to the dark two-story Horton Building exhibiting a narrow sign advertising the "Valley City Cafe". The front of a second car is visible at the right margin of the image in front of the Horton Building.
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
People 76
Unknown
Three valley-area farmers and Ross Sheeley, the Colony Manager, have gathered to inspect one farmer's potato crop.
Four local men stand in foreground facing the camera in front of a log and frame building partially visible directly behind them. At their feet and behind them are numerous potato sacks apparently filled with potatoes. Behind them are also stacks of wooden crates filled with potatoes and one crate is at their feet, tipped up to exhibit its potato contents. The men are identified as: (l to r) George Black, Ross Sheeley, (apparently misidentified on the photo), Walter Pippel, and Clyde Sherman. It appears to be a clear sunny day, probably in the fall after at least some of the potato harvest is complete.
Matanuska Valley, Alaska
People 77
Unknown
Valley-area farmer Clyde Sherman and Ross Sheeley, the Colony Manager, inspect a sample of the farmer's potato crop.
Two men stand at a potato grading table positioned in the foreground just outside the open door of a spud cellar. Farmer Clyde Sherman, left, is dumping a bucketful of potatoes onto the raised end of the table. (The bucket is fashioned from a rectangular five gallon "Blazo" fuel can with the top end removed and fitted with a heavy wire handle.) Ross Sheeley, Matanuska Colony Manager, is standing on the far side of the table and reaching across the potato-covered table to inspect an individual tuber. Mr. Sherman's name is inked on the photo appearing to incorrectly refer to Mr. Sheeley.
Matanuska Valley, Alaska
People 78
Anton Anderson
Alma Anderson greets and visits with some of the newly arrived Matanuska Colonists to the site of the future City of Palmer.
Alma Anderson, standing in center under the arrow, visits with some of the newly arrived Matanuska Colonists as these recent residents await assignment to their temporary tent homes visible in middle ground behind them. Portions of the train that delivered the newcomers to this largely undeveloped site that would soon become a town, can be seen beyond the tents. Alma and her two young daughters accompanied her husband, Anton Anderson, to this place where he would oversee location of the buildings and other facilities that would form the center of this Colony community.
Palmer, Alaska
Road 5
Unknown
A car travels on the recently finished section of road between Palmer and the Knik River.
This photo shows a car in foreground traveling away from the camera south on the gravel road from Palmer toward Anchorage. Construction of the two-lane road appears complete with a fine gravel running surface and deep ditches. Spruce trees line both sides of the road. Very small patches of snow appear under the trees at left while the massive "Pioneer Peak" mountain that forms the background directly ahead is fully covered with snow, indicating the photo may have been taken in early spring.
Near 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
Teachers 3
Hewitts Photo Shop
Teachers of the first school year of the new Palmer school pose for the historical record.
This group photo of women and men standing together in foreground, documents the first teachers to teach in the new Palmer school, partially visible directly behind them, when the school opened in 1936. Individuals are identified as: (front row, L to R) Margaret Snodgrass, Jane Mills, Lois Gault, Peggy Pimperton, Lorinda Ward, Lee Thuma. (Middle row, L to R) Janet Borgess Barber, Unidentified, Sara Drenth. (Back row, L to R) Ken McClarty, Neil Miller, Harold Thuma, Irwin Metcalf, Maurice Akers.
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
