Matanuska Susitna Valley Pioneers 1915    


The following list of settlers was taken from a newspaper article in
the "KNIK NEWS"  dated March 6, 1915
It was titled: Settlers in the Mat-Su Valley from Knik to Palmer in 1915

A.G. Swanson                O.G. Herning            J.D. Whitney            Albert Atrain
John Wilson                  A.A. Cobb               O.C. Miller               Joseph Grimes
E. Weiss                     Peter Hebert            F.H. Andrews            H.C. Shough
E. Shepard                  G.J. Blake                Martin Leckvold          C.B. White
John Parks                  Adam Werner             Wm. Campbell            A.G. Henry
F. Terry                     W.J. Bogard             J.J. Page                 G. Danielson
J.F. Edlund                  C.H. Bauer               G.A. Haller                Roy Cornelius
M. Kinsinger                 Axel Olson                A.H. Olson                D. Greenwaldt
J.W. Hoope                 H.H. Drake               C.J. Hertel               A.J. Pierce
Herman Hugh                A. Thorsen                H. Hoppell                A. Reising
Wm. Dalton                  John Eusturin             C.C. Thorpe              S. Lutchinger
Anton Schmidt               C. Egtvet                  Hans Walby              L.O. Olson
E.A. Duncklee                John Springer            N. Neklason               Ray Haugham
H.A. Brown                  Chas. Schiller             Geo. Clyde                C. Stern
J.H. Conway                 Kenneth Larsen           F.A. Brown               O.J. Jacobson
G.A. Gates                   William Hughes           J.J. O'Brien             Al Crocker
A.C. Kramer                  Jacob Metz              Geo. Nylen                T.H. Jeter
Axel Hirvilla                  Herman Nelson            H.H. Sharp               P.E. Pitchford
Timothy Calmes               A.W. Madsen            E.W. Lawson              H. McCaughey
M.E. Shortleigh              J.W. Downing            John M. Loken            Estelle Dalton
John Lanquist                 G.B. Fisk                 Curtis Ross                Chas. Johnson
Louis Lund                     Henry Wilson             T.S. McDougall           I.V. Miller
Ben Marino                    A.E. Danielson            S. Anderson              Dan S loan
E.B. Sparling                  T.O. Larsen              F.F. Winchester         Samuel Marsh
O.N. Nelson                   Olaf Hjelm               J. Fleckinstein            C.H. Wilson
Hans Hugh                      J.G. Johnson            Wm. Larsen               John Noonin
G. Moffat                      L.B. Anderson           Mary Morrison            J. Rasmussen
J. Bugge **                   A. Egtvet               I.N. Bennett             P. Fleckenstein
W.W. Dietzel                  H. Asbron               Oscar Carlson             Chas. Martin
A. Walter                      A. Christopherson       E.J. Tomlinson           M.K. Sullivan
W.S. Ferguson                 A.S. Lee                 W.S. Fenton             H.W. Mitchell
Chas. Ulankey                  H. McKinnon              P.J. Jewell              Fred Winter
E.F. Krueger                   Jas. St. Clair            C.A. Larsen             F.M. Crocker

** 1st Homesteader in the Palmer area.

 
A 1992 Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Department published a present day map of the
valley with the early homesteads locations shown on it. It's titled: Settlement and Homestead Sites 1914-1940
The following is a list of very early valley residents and their homestead locations on present day maps

John Hiersh Cabin  / Talkeetna Spur Road near Fish Lake
Frank Arnold Homestead /  Parks Highway at Goose Creek
William Davis (later Johnson) Cabin / Off of present day Parks Highway near Little Willow Creek
Frederich Crocker Homestead / Present day Settlers Bay Drive
Oscar Tryck House /  Parks Highway near Lucille Street in Wasilla
Charlie Isaac Cabin / Between Lucille Street and Wasilla Fishhook near Nelson Avenue in Wasilla
Clyde  Thorpe Cabin / Near Intersection of Park Highway and Knik Goose Bay Road (on Knik Goose Bay Road)
Earl McHenry Cabin / Davis Road off of Fairview Loop Road Wasilla
Dave Reedy Cabin / Davis Road off of Fairview Loop Road Wasilla
T. J. Wilson Cabin / Fairview Loop Road Wasilla
John "Fred" Edlund / Fairview Loop Road near Davis Road Wasilla
Peter Murray Homestead / Gershmel Loop Road Wasilla
August "Wrinkle-Faced" Swanson Homestead / Gershmel Loop Road Wasilla
Jacob Metz / Palmer Wasilla Highway between Hyer Road and Seward Meridian Road Wasilla
Felton (later Cunningham) Cabin / Palmer Fishhook Road Wasilla
Adam Werner Homestead / Werner Road off of Palmer Fishhook Road Wasilla
Roy Cornelius Homestead / Near corner of Trunk Road and Palmer Fishhook Road  Wasilla
Oscar Anderson Homestead / Near intersection of Trunk Road and Palmer Wasilla Highway
Edward and Mary Saindon House / 871 Blunck Street Palmer  (concrete house...see below)
Eugene Marsh Cabin / On Old Glenn Highway between Clark Road and Smith Road
John Springer Cabin / Springer Loop Road Palmer
Bodenburg (later Falk) Cabin / Bodenburg Loop Road on Old Glenn Highway out of Palmer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mr. Thomas (Pat) Carter, in his personal papers, listed the families that were living in the town of Wasilla in 1930:
Mr. & Mrs. Orville Herning and son Stanley
Mr. & Mrs. Cadwallader and their twins, Jane & Mary
Mr. & Mrs. Freidland and a 4 year old daughter
Mr. & Mrs. Wilmoth
Gus Swanson (a freighter)
Mr. & Mrs. Tryck and 2 sons, Charles and Billy
Mr. & Mrs. Issac
Mr. & Mrs. Oberg with family of 5 and 1 married daughter
Mr. & Mrs. Snider with family of 4 on Lucille Lake
Mr. & Mrs. Thorpe
Jack Fabian
Peck Family at the depot
Fred Nelson
Pete Nelson

In the general vicinity of Wasilla and as far as Knik, Wasilla Lake, Finger Lake, Anderson Lake & Kings Lake:
Charlie Johnson - lived on 1st Wasilla Lake
Mr. & Mrs. Veil and children Mary, Harry and Stewart
Mr. Stern  - lived on 2nd Wasilla Lake called Green Acres
Mr. & Mrs. Ellexson at Knik
Mr. & Mrs. Edlund with grown family
Mrs. Anderson living on King's Lake with son and daughter Marie. She also has a brother living across the lake
        from her and a married oldest daughter, Mrs. Carla Duff, who lives on the same lake.
Joe Palmer - lived on 2nd Wasilla Lake
Paddy Marion
____ Moses - lived on Barry's Lake
Jake Metz

BOGARD ROAD
Ernest and Olga Peck with daughter Rosie who married Lyle  (1930's)
Chester and Roberta Ricker (post 1945)
Peter Corcoran  (single)
Joe Palmer...had fox farm...homestead purchased by Wells Irwin
Tverten homestead on Wasilla Lake purchased eventually by Al Hagen

SHROCK ROAD
Cecil Shrock homestead
Ed and Elenor Hartner dairy farm
Curt and Linda Menard
Dan Sullivan homestead
Robert Martin
C. W. Martin
R. Patton
Richard Patten
Gene Holmberg (teacher)
Eloy and Maggie Garcia
Chuck and Alice Bergland
Pat and Barbara Carney
Dale Carney
Ed and Lee Ellen Baker
Paul Huppert
Alex Sotto

FIRST SETTLERS NORTH OF LITTLE SUSITNA RIVER
Basil and Sue Telliers
Paul and Ona Mahoney
Will and Kelly Mahoney
Opan Toomey
M. R. Sites / Clara Sites
Kelly Palmquist
Martin and Beulah Olsen

SHROCK ROAD EXTENSION TO PARKS HIGHWAY
John and Emma Bozeroff
Walter Shampine
Pete and Shirley Dreith
Bob Cherney
Vernon Caswell

FISHHOOK ROAD
Blind Nick............Indian, single        (real  name Nicoli McNeil)
Rufe and Annie Stephan   Irene, Doris and James
Doc Slope (?) Clarine Stroup....single (handwriting hard to read on this name)
Dan Patchell
James Hilliard family
C. Kelton  .....2 children
Lois Kelton....music teacher
Roy Holtz....music teacher
Herman Boom
Keith Poppert
George Venne   homestead
Neftsinger   homestead
Vic McNeil   .........owned land Blind Nicks cabin was on  (also known as Capt. Slivers McNeil)
Warren and June Jones
Fred Nelson ....owned land that the cemetery is on now
Marvin Kneff homestead
Harold Nichols
Martin and Petty Betts
G. Gatzloff
Frank Sorenson
Clyde Poisal
Phil Serrels
Bob and Gertrude Clark
Elizabeth Suckling Wells and sister (both teachers)

UPPER WASILLA FISHHOOK ROAD
Dewey and Mary Welch  (Welch Road)
Art Welch
Les Green and family (east of Fishhook Road, airstrip and shop)


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