

Down on the Farm
An Alaskan farming community, Palmer is known for its vegetable and hay farms and its Matanuska Dairy products.
It’s
a nice, old fashioned town. Take time to stroll down Palmer’s sidewalks and savor the 1950’s all over again
Be sure to see the visitor center and garden and the Colony House
Museum. You should also try to visit the Musk Ox Farm (shown above).
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How Palmer, Alaska Got Its Start
During the Great Depression in 1935, 203 families were brought north from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma
and Michigan to make a new life.
Although a third of the would-be farmers were overwhelmed and left, many descendants of the original colony
farmers are still living in Alaska.
Even before Franklin D. Roosevelt’s colony “experiment,” the region had already been
identified as a good place to grow crops.
In 1915, a rail track was laid through the region to the Chickaloon coal fields. At that time there
were over 300 homesteads in the Palmer area.
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 Palmer
Colonists Picked From Five House Styles
When the Matanuska Colonists came to Palmer, they lived in a tent city.
Then they chose one
of 5 basic house styles. The Colony House Museum in Palmer represents one of those styles – a small basic farmhouse.
Local people operate
this little museum, which is full of 1930’s
artifacts.
Above is a picture of the museum before it was restored.
Near Palmer are both a musk ox and a reindeer farm. |

The Alaska State Fair
The first Alaska State Fair was held in 1936, a year after the Matanuska colonists arrived.
Even
today, the giant cabbage exhibit is known nationwide. The first winning
cabbage weighed in at 23 pounds – a record that has since been beaten.
There are plenty of large vegetables to break records with. A huge
pumpkin was entered into the fair in 2019, by Dale Mashall of
Anchorage. His pumpkin weighed 2,051 pounds and broke the Alaska state
record.
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GIANT COLD WEATHER CROPS
Massive coddling and closely guarded secret recipes make giants of
cold-weather crops.Some look like mutants – such as this 707 lb.
pumpkin. Family rivalries abound and giant veggies attract huge crowds. |
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Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau
Visitor information for the Mat-Su Valley, in which Palmer, Alaska is located. Includes a fishing report.
Palmer Chamber of Commerce
Thinking of visiting Palmer, Alaska? Then stop by this website, which
contains detailed information about Palmer that represents "Alaska at
its Best." Includes historical features, events calendar, and business
directory.
Alaska State Fair
The annual Alaska State Fair is held in Palmer, and if you're in Alaska
during August, you won't want to miss it! Read all about it at the
official website. |
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