Church 19

Hitchen

The old St. Nicholas Orthodox Church at Eklutna Village is seen in the fall of 1948

This fall color photo shows a three-quarter rear view of the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Eklutna Village in foreground, displaying the south side and east end as it appeared in 1948. A sheet of corrugated metal roofing lies on the ground against the rear wall. A young spruce tree stands in immediate foreground at right and another frames the image standing near the front of the church at left. The bell tower and cross are plainly visible over the front of the church at left and a smaller cross is less obvious on the roof at the rear. The joint where the horizontal logs of the side wall join is plainly visible. Numerous snags and leafless trees are visible beyond the building in far middle ground.

Eklutna, Alaska

Eklutna Cemetery 1

Hitchen

Numerous Native burial houses cover graves in the Eklutna, Alaska cemetery.

This color photo shows a group of burial houses in the cemetery at the Native village of Eklutna as it appeared in 1948. The foreground half of the image is cleared of trees but exhibits thin low leafless brush and several small spruce seedlings and young trees. Numerous low burial houses are arranged across the image in near middle ground with tall leafless birch trees and young spruce behind.

Eklutna, Alaska

Eklutna Cemetery 2

Hitchen

Several Native burial houses cover graves in the Eklutna, Alaska cemetery.

This color photo shows several Native burial houses, sometimes referred to as "spirit houses", located in the Eklutna Village cemetery as they appeared in 1948. Two houses in near foreground are painted white as are two associated free-standing crosses in the Russian Orthodox fashion. Some other houses are painted tan and brown. The three larger houses in front exhibit roof ornamentation. Two weathered houses behind the others appear to be older and unmaintained. Mixed heavy birch and spruce forest provide the backdrop in middle ground.

Eklutna, Alaska

Eklutna Cemetery 3

Hitchen

A Native burial house covers a recently installed grave in the Eklutna, Alaska cemetery.

This color photo shows a recently installed grave house in the foreground located in the Eklutna cemetery. The miniature house, painted light blue, is formed in three stories with three small windows visible and a decorative comb on top. A free-standing small white Russian Orthodox style cross stands in the center of the image adjacent to the end of the house. Another similar cross is visible behind the house where it stands in front of another partially visible house. Mixed birch and spruce forest forms the middle ground backdrop.

Eklutna, Alaska

Eklutna Flats Flowers

Malita & Sparks

A woman stands among a field of shooting star flowers blooming under radio towers on Eklutna Flats near Eklutna Village, Alaska

Photo is a color image of a woman standing on the Eklutna Flats among blooming Shooting Star flowers with large metal radio towers rising behind. A small white building is visible in background next to a small hill. Another building is partially visible at left. This was a typical scene in May on the Flats during the 1940’s and 50’s, on both sides of the road, as the shooting stars and blue iris bloomed. As willow brush became more prevalent the flowers have continued to be crowded out.

Eklutna, Alaska

Experiment Farm 33

Hitchen

A color view of the Matanuska Experiment Farm viewed from Trunk Road on the south

Image is a fall color view of the Matanuska Experiment Farm buildings taken from Trunk Road south of the farm. The gravel road is prominent in foreground with a car parked on the shoulder. A field of ripe grain is to the left and the farm buildings are in middle ground, center. A power pole is visible to the right of the road and telephone poles and wires are evident on the road’s left side. Fluffy white clouds are in blue sky overhead.

Matanuska, Alaska

Experiment Farm 40

Hitchen

Hay and grain harvest is seen at the Experiment Farm.

This black & white image looks southeast over the greenhouse and head house in foreground on the lower bench of the farm below the main building complex. A smaller building is near the house at far left. In middle ground a field of hay is harvested and placed on numerous vertical stakes scattered around the field to dry. Another field of grain at left has been harvested and the bundles have been formed into shocks to dry. A strip of heavy forest projects from the left in near background with a Colony farmstead visible in a clearing at center. Mountains of the Chugach Range form the background.

Matanuska, Alaska

Experiment Farm 41

Hitchen

Hay and grain harvest is seen at the Experiment Farm.

This black & white image looks down from one of the benches on the Experiment Farm at the flat crop land below. In foreground is a fenced portion sectioned into small parcels with a small hut in each (perhaps hog farrowing pens?). In middle ground are partially harvested hay fields at left with scattered haystacks, and at right are partially harvested grain fields with scattered grain shocks evident. Heavy timber at far middle ground define the field edge at left and the face of the bench land at right. A cleared section of the bench is visible in center background.

Matanuska, Alaska

Farm 21

Hitchen

Buildings of an unidentified Matanuska Valley farmstead await the coming winter after harvest is complete.

This black & white fall photo shows a Matanuska Valley farmstead as seen from a gravel road partially visible running diagonally across the image at left foreground. A barbed wire fence parallels the road from right to left beyond the road ditch with a power pole in line at right. A field of grain stubble rises gently across the middle ground with the farmstead buildings arranged across the brow of the low hill. A white single-story house with peaked roof and attic window is at far left. A smaller dark building (wellhouse?) is close by to the right. Farther to the right is a small, fenced enclosure including two small structures, likely small animal barns. At far right is a low shed partially visible beyond a large two-story barn. The barn is longer than wide and not of the typical "Colony Barn" style. A fringe of mostly deciduous trees is visible behind the buildings at the left half of the image.

Matanuska Valley, Alaska

Farm 22

Hitchen

A small group of dairy cows search out early spring grass on a Matanuska Valley farm.

This photo shows several brown and white (Guernsey?) cows behind a barbed wire fence grazing an early spring pasture. A fringe of mixed spruce and leafless birch trees define the hilly foreground pasture. Another cleared rolling field is visible in middle ground with heavy mixed forest beyond. The still heavily snow-covered Talkeetna Mountains are prominent in background.

Matanuska Valley, Alaska

Farm 23

Hitchen

A Valley homestead exhibits evidence of fall harvest as new snow begins to cover surrounding mountains.

This color image shows a farm in the "Four Corners" area of the Valley. The location commonly known as "Four Corners" was where the Trunk Road, connecting Matanuska and the Experiment Farm with the gold mines to the north, crossed the road between Palmer and Wasilla. At one time there was a building at that location serving as dance hall and convenient gathering spot for folks of the surrounding area. This photo displays one of the homesteads in that area. In the near foreground, occupying almost half of the image, is an area of disturbed soil, likely a recently harvested field of potatoes. Across the center of the image in middle ground is a narrow view of a large grain field with harvested grain formed into shocks to dry. At left in this field are several small buildings and fences. Beyond the grain field is a narrow strip of heavy forest stretching across the image on the face of raised bench land. In the background stand heavily snow-covered Pioneer Peak and other Chugach Mountains in late afternoon sun.

Matanuska Valley, Alaska

Glacier 4

Hitchen

The Matanuska Glacier and surrounding mountains offer a scenic view from the Glenn Highway.

This summer black & white photo shows the Matanuska Glacier as it appeared from approximately mile 100 on the Glenn Highway in 1964. The foreground is covered with extensive mixed spruce and deciduous forest viewed from this slightly elevated position. The white glacier ice appears in middle ground at the base of a rugged mountain at right and extends back to the left out of sight before other snow-capped mountains in background.

Mile 100 of Glenn Highway, Alaska

Glacier 5

Hitchen

Worthington Glacier is an attraction viewed from the Richardson Highway north of Valdez, Alaska

This black & white image shows the Worthington Glacier, approximately 29 miles north of Valdez on the Richardson Highway, as it appeared in September 1948. The foreground is a flat, shrub-covered plain leading to ridges of dark gravel-covered ice in middle ground across the image. Immediately behind these ridges the white ice of the glacier splits into two large lobes around a large rocky outcrop. Behind the outcrop the glacier rises into the background defined by pyramid-shaped mountains on both sides and at its crest in center. Patches of snow persist on the mountain sides.

Near Valdez, Alaska

Mine 5, Independence

Malita & Sparks

Overview of Independence gold mine buildings in 1948

Photo is a color view of the buildings of Independence gold mine taken from the north above as it appeared in 1948. The view includes bunkhouses and administration buildings, fuel tanks, ore processing buildings and mine timber piles.

Talkeetna Mountains north of Palmer, Alaska

Road 4

Hitchen

The modern road from Willow Creek to Hatcher Pass lies in stark visual contrast with the surrounding alpine mountain landscape.

This color photo shows a fall view from Hatcher Pass in the Talkeetna Mountains looking southwest down Willow Creek valley. A portion of Upper Willow Creek is in the middle ground at right. The landscape character is of rounded hillsides covered with low alpine vegetation of a greenish-brown color. The most obvious feature is the section of Willow Creek Road as it enters the view in center foreground and wraps around the hill, switching back to the left and climbing out of sight toward Hatcher Pass. Remnants of the older cat road and trails used to surmount the pass in days of early gold mine development in the Little Susitna River drainage are visible in the lower part of the image. A small cabin appears to be located in the middle ground where the cat road turns from Upper Willow Creek toward the pass.

Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska