Adam Werner homesteaded in the Matanuska Valley in 1914 a bit north of the future town of Palmer. Another homesteader's wife was impressed by Mr. Werner and suggested he would be a good match for her daughter back in England. So, Fanny Eaton traveled to Alaska to take up life as a homesteader's wife and would remain on the homestead for most of the rest of her 89 years. This collection of over 240 pictures shows Adam Werner with his finished cabin home at its first location on the homestead. Dissatisfied with that location, he moved to a different place on the homestead and constructed a log two-story home not at all typical of a homesteader's dwelling, a log barn and other outbuildings. Images include the buildings, gardens, both Adam and Fanny and their children. Also included are images of other homesteaders, children, churches and other buildings, and photos of Fanny later in her life.
![Image shows a wood slat fence in foreground, a strawberry patch, a log house, well, and two other log buildings in a large clearing with partly cleared forest on hills beyond. Note on the reverse: “Adams first house, 1914, when he homesteaded, where his cat could open the door. There were more small wild animals around then up until about 1925. He moved up here [to the present home location] because the wind blew to much down his chimney & snow drifty to much getting out to the road or trail he made. Eventually became a strawberry patch. Torn down 1931, some [logs and other material] brought up here.”](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5ec46426c637c2237b8c2990/653c5ddf20faf7e7f072163b_s5uzbvl3csr0ahk26yvh.jpeg)
Adam Werner 1
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Homesteader Adam Werner holding shocks of grain
Image shows Homesteader Adam Werner standing in his field holding two shocks of grain. A pole with insulators attached stands beside him and a small log building is partially visible behind. Lazy mountain is in background.
Matanuska Valley north of Palmer, Alaska
Adam Werner 2
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Adam Werner at his first home site
Image shows homesteader Adam Werner in his strawberry patch in front of his cabin located at its first location on his homestead “down the hill”. Cleared land surrounds the cabin with heavy forest beyond.
Matanuska Valley north of Palmer, Alaska
Adam Werner's Homestead 1
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Werner’s First Cabin Site on His Homestead
Image shows a wood slat fence in foreground, a strawberry patch, a log house, well, and two other log buildings in a large clearing with partly cleared forest on hills beyond. Note on the reverse: “Adams first house, 1914, when he homesteaded, where his cat could open the door. There were more small wild animals around then up until about 1925. He moved up here [to the present home location] because the wind blew to much down his chimney & snow drifty to much getting out to the road or trail he made. Eventually became a strawberry patch. Torn down 1931, some [logs and other material] brought up here.”
Matanuska Valley near Palmer, Alaska
Adam Werner's Homestead 2
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Adam Werner’s permanent house and barn on his homestead
Image shows Adam Werner’s permanent log house and barn on his homestead “up the hill” from his first cabin site location. A cleared field is in foreground with the house and barn in middle ground and forest behind. Mr. Werner and two horses are visible behind a fence to the right. Note on reverse: “Adam Werner. Palmer, 1917. House & barn took 4 years to finish inside and out of the house. Windows would not be shipped from Seattle. Cornelius grandad windows & 120 sheets of mettle for barn by barge. Montgomery say it is a foreign country.”
Matanuska Valley north of Palmer, Alaska
Adam Werner's Homestead 4
Adam Werner
Adam Werner’s homestead barn and cows
Image shows five cows standing in front of Adam Werner’s homestead barn. This was the barn he built on higher ground of the homestead when he moved from a lower area where he had initially constructed a house and other structures. This barn still stands solid ninety years after it was built.
Matanuska Valley, Alaska
Adam Werner's Homestead 5
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Adam and Fanny Werner’s House
Image shows the permanent log house Adam Werner built “up the hill” from his first cabin site. It took four years to build while developing other aspects of the homestead. Seen here with maturing landscape shrubs and flowers under the care of Adam’s wife, Fanny.
Matanuska Valley north of Palmer, Alaska
Adam Werner’s Homestead 3
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Adam Werner’s Homestead
Image shows a tilled field in foreground, a log house, barn, chicken house, fox pens, a hay stack and another small building in middle ground with heavy forest behind.
Matanuska Valley north of Palmer, Alaska
Adam Werner’s Homestead 6
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Adam Werner's Homestead house and field
Image is a color summer color view of Adam Werner’s house with tilled field in front.
Matanuska Valley, Alaska
Anchorage Air View 3
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Air view of Anchorage, Alaska
Image is an aerial view of Anchorage, Alaska taken from above Cook Inlet looking east over the Ship Creek valley and the city to snow-clad Chugach Mountains beyond. The photo appears to have been take sometime between 1953 and 1964.
Anchorage, Alaska
Children's Home 1
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Matanuska Valley Children's Home (Davis Children's Home)
Image shows a large log house with a man and woman standing in front holding a small child. Other children are visible looking out a window. A sign over the front entry door identifies the facility as "Matanuska Valley Children's Home, Mr. & Mrs. S.L. Davis". Another smaller building is partially visible to the right. Birch forest is evident at left. Snow-clad mountains dominate the background.
South of Palmer, Alaska
Children's Home 2
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Matanuska Valley Children's Home (Davis Children's Home)
Image shows a large log house with a sign over the front entry door identifying it as "Matanuska Valley Children's Home, Mr. & Mrs. S.L. Davis" At left is a smaller log building with moose horns on the wall, a bicycle in front and washing hanging on the line. A woman stands to the right of the large building. Another smaller building is partially visible at right. Birch trees are evident behind the buildings. Snow-clad mountains dominate the background.
Matanuska valley south of Palmer, Alaska
Church 2
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Palmer First Church of God near completion in 1949
Image shows the First Church of God in Palmer with construction essentially complete.
Palmer, Alaska
Ed Duncklee 1
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Portrait of Edward A. Duncklee, Palmer area homesteader
Image is a portrait of Edward Albert Duncklee, (1872-1943) Palmer-area homesteader, taken in 1924 per note on the back. He was known to be in the Matanuska Valley in 1915, he applied for his 319 acre homestead about 1916 and received the patent on 10/9/1919. He sold his homestead land to the government for inclusion in the Matanuska Colony project of 1935.
Palmer, Alaska
Ed Duncklee 2
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Ed Duncklee working in a blacksmith shop in Valdez with three others
Image is a view of the inside of a blacksmith shop in Valdez showing three men standing near the forge and anvil with racks of horseshoes and tools on the wall behind. The hand of a fourth man extends into the image at right holding an object they have apparently made. The man at left in the photo is Ed Duncklee who would later take up a homestead in the Matanuska Valley which he later sold back to the government for inclusion in the Matanuska Colony project at Palmer.
Valdez, Alaska
Eliza Jane Duncklee 1
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Portrate of Eliza Jane “jenny” Duncklee
Image is a portrait of Eliza Jane “Jenny” (nee Morell) (Eaton) (Loken) Duncklee. Jenny came to Alaska from England in 1918 and lived in the Anchorage area for a while, then moved to the Matanuska Valley where she married homesteader John Loken. Loken’s homestead was in the vicinity of present-day Palmer. Following Loken’s death, she married homesteader Ed Duncklee. She was active in Valley Homemakers clubs and social activities. Eliza Jane Duncklee was the mother of Fanny (nee Eaton) Werner who followed her mother to Alaska in 1929 and married homesteader Adam Werner.
Matanuska Valley, Alaska
Fanny Werner 1
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Formal color portrait of Fanny Werner
Image is a formal color portrait of Fanny Werner in her Hospital uniform. Following the death of her husband, Adam, Fanny continued to operate their dairy farm for a time and then took employment as a housekeeper at the Valley Hospital. She took great pride in her work at the Hospital, as she did in maintaining her Homestead.
Palmer, Alaska
Fanny Werner 2
"Creaveg"
Portrait of Fanny (Eaton) Werner
Image is a portrait of Fanny Eaton taken in England, probably shortly before she came to Alaska in 1929 and subsequently married Adam Werner in 1930.
England
Fanny Werner 3
Adam Werner
Fanny Werner In Her Homestead Garden
Image is of Fanny Werner in her garden at the Werner Homestead. The house is partially visible at left. On the photo margin is lettered “My Little Sweetheart Farmer, Adam”.
Matanuska Valley, Alaska
Fanny Werner 4
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Fanny Werner mowing grass in her Homestead flower garden
Image is of Fanny Werner pushing a lawnmower on her Homestead with flowers and shrubs behind. A portion of chicken wire fence and a log building are also visible behind her.
Matanuska Valley Near Palmer, Alaska
Fanny Werner 5
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Fanny Werner and buildings on her Homestead
Image is of Fanny Werner standing on a portion of her Homestead farm with a log barn building and sheds behind her
Matanuska Valley Near Palmer, Alaska
Fanny Werner 6
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Fanny Werner and buildings on her Homestead
Image is of Fanny Werner standing on a field of her Homestead farm with log barn buildings, flowers and trees behind her.
Matanuska Valley Near Palmer, Alaska
Fanny Werner 7
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Fanny Werner with her Mother & her Mother’s latest husband, Mr. Findlay
Image is of Fanny Werner on the right with her Mother, Eliza Jane (“Jenny”), and her Mother’s latest husband, Mr. Findlay. Following the death of Ed Duncklee, Jenny returned to England in 1954 where she married Mr. Findlay, then returned to visit Fanny on the Werner Homestead where this photo was taken.
Matanuska Valley near Palmer, Alaska
Fanny Werner at the Fair 1
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Fanny Werner and her Food Canning Entry at the Fair
Note typed on the reverse: “Prize winning exhibit of canned products displayed by Mrs. Adam Werner, Palmer, Alaska at the Matanuska Valley Farmer’s Fair, August 30-31 and September 1, 1947. Mrs. Werner, a resident of Palmer since 1929 and mother of three 4-H members, displayed 43 quarts homegrown food including beef, sheep, sausage, fish, vegetables, berries, apples, jellies, mushrooms, dried herbs, butter, milk, cheese and vegetable confections. Her garden contains 18 varieties of herbs.”
Palmer, Alaska
Fanny Werner at the Fair 2
Anchorage Daily Times newspaper
Fanny Werner and Theo Campbell judging pickles competition at the Fair
Fanny Werner, at left, for many years a prize-winning entrant of home canning goods at the fair, and valley resident Theo Campbell, are sampling an entry as they judge the jams, jellies and pickles competition at the 1974 Alaska State Fair in Palmer.
Palmer, Alaska
Mine 4, Lucky Shot
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Winter view of the “Lucky Shot” gold mine complex
Image is a winter view of the “Lucky Shot” gold mine in the Craigie Creek drainage of the Talkeetna Mountains north of Willow, Alaska. Shown are the buildings of the mine complex at the base of the mountains and tailings from the lower Lucky Shot adit on the mountainside above.
Talkeetna Mountains North of Willow, Alaska
People 7
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Fanny and Adam Werner stand together in front of their homestead home
Image shows Fanny and Adam Werner standing together in front of their log homestead home. Fox pens are partially visible at right. Heavy forest forms the backdrop behind the house.
Matanuska Valley north of Palmer, Alaska
People 8
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Adam and Fanny Werner
Image shows Adam and Fanny Werner standing together in front of their homestead house.
Matanuska Valley north of Palmer, Alaska
People 9
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Adam & Fanny Werner & daughter Violet standing in their strawberry field
Image shows homesteaders Adam and Fanny Werner and their daughter, Violet, standing in their strawberry field. Raspberry bushes and other crops are visible behind. Heavy forest forms the backdrop.
Matanuska Valley north of Palmer, Alaska
Sourdough Women 1
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Home Makers and Sourdough Club woman gathering 1937
Image is of a group of women belonging to Valley Home Makers and Sourdough Clubs gathered at one of the women’s log home under construction. All are identified and referenced to numbers on the photo. One young boy is also present and identified.
Matanuska Valley, Alaska
