Local History

In his 1903 report to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Prof. Charles Christian Georgeson included this photograph of efforts to break recently cleared ground at Kenai’s agricultural experiment station. The man behind the bull was either station superintendent Hans P. Nielsen or his assistant Pontus H. Ross.

The experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 4

AUTHOR’S NOTE: A presidential executive order in January 1899 had set aside 320 acres of land near Russian Orthodox Church property in the village of… Continue reading

 

Photo from the Alaska State Library historical collection In Kenai, circa 1903, this trio was photographed on a well-used trail. Pictured are George S. Mearns, future Kenai postmaster; Kate R. Gompertz, Kenai resident; Hans P. Nielsen, superintendent of Kenai’s agricultural experiment station.

The experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 3

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Presidential Executive Order #148, in January 1899, had set aside 320 acres of land near Russian Orthodox Church property in the village of… Continue reading

 

This 1903 photograph of mostly Kenai residents shows (back, far left) Hans Peter Nielsen, first superintendent of Kenai’s agricultural experiment station. Nielsen began work at the station in 1899 and resigned at the end of the 1903 season. (Photo from the Alaska State Library historical collection)

The experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 2

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Presidential Executive Order #148, in January 1899, had set aside 320 acres of land near Russian Orthodox Church property in the village of… Continue reading

 

This E.W. Merrill photograph shows Charles Christian Georgeson, special agent in charge of all agricultural experiment stations in Alaska, starting in 1898. (Photo from Alaska History Magazine, July-August 2020)

The Experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 1

Individuals deciding to explore Kenai’s historic district might start their journey by turning off the Kenai Spur Highway onto Main Street by the Kenai Visitors… Continue reading

This E.W. Merrill photograph shows Charles Christian Georgeson, special agent in charge of all agricultural experiment stations in Alaska, starting in 1898. (Photo from Alaska History Magazine, July-August 2020)
John W. Eddy was already a renowned outdoor adventurer and writer when he penned this book in 1930, 15 years after the mystery of King David Thurman’s disappearance had been solved. Eddy’s version of the story, which often featured wild speculation and deviated widely from the facts, became, for many years, the accepted recounting of events.

King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 6

AUTHOR’S NOTE: The fate of King David Thurman, a Cooper Landing-area resident, had finally been learned in February and March 1915. Reports of his death… Continue reading

John W. Eddy was already a renowned outdoor adventurer and writer when he penned this book in 1930, 15 years after the mystery of King David Thurman’s disappearance had been solved. Eddy’s version of the story, which often featured wild speculation and deviated widely from the facts, became, for many years, the accepted recounting of events.
Public photo from ancestry.com James Forrest Kalles (shown here with his daughters, Margaret and Emma) became the guardian of King David Thurman’s estate in early 1915 after Thurman went missing in 1914 and was presumed dead.

King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 5

AUTHOR’S NOTE: King David Thurman left his Cooper Landing-area home in late July 1914 for another season of mining. He failed to return, and friends… Continue reading

Public photo from ancestry.com James Forrest Kalles (shown here with his daughters, Margaret and Emma) became the guardian of King David Thurman’s estate in early 1915 after Thurman went missing in 1914 and was presumed dead.
Emmett Krefting, age 6-7, at the Wible mining camping in 1907-07, about the time he first met King David Thurman. (Photo from the cover of Krefting’s memoir, Alaska’s Sourdough Kid)

King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 4

AUTHOR’S NOTE: In 1913, King David Thurman, a Cooper Landing-area resident who often seemed one step ahead of authorities, was finally convicted of violating game… Continue reading

Emmett Krefting, age 6-7, at the Wible mining camping in 1907-07, about the time he first met King David Thurman. (Photo from the cover of Krefting’s memoir, Alaska’s Sourdough Kid)
This is part of the intake data entered when, in 1913, King David Thurman began his 50-day sentence in the Seward Jail for violating Alaska’s game laws. A 1911 attempt to nail Thurman for such a violation had failed.

King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 3

AUTHOR’S NOTE: King David Thurman, a miner and trapper who lived and worked in the Cooper Landing area during the early 1900s, was known for… Continue reading

This is part of the intake data entered when, in 1913, King David Thurman began his 50-day sentence in the Seward Jail for violating Alaska’s game laws. A 1911 attempt to nail Thurman for such a violation had failed.
Photo from the L.H. Peterson Collection, Lot 8749, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Simon Wible’s mining camp on Canyon Creek, August 1911, four years after the summer in which Emmett Krefting met King David Thurman here.

King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 2

AUTHOR’S NOTE: King David Thurman came to Alaska seeking gold. One of the earliest specific records of his movements was described by Emmett T. Krefting,… Continue reading

Photo from the L.H. Peterson Collection, Lot 8749, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Simon Wible’s mining camp on Canyon Creek, August 1911, four years after the summer in which Emmett Krefting met King David Thurman here.
Simon “Sam” Wible came to Alaska to mine for gold in the 1890s. Soon, he had a large hydraulic-mining camp on Canyon Creek. King David Thurman, at some point prior to 1907, was one of Wible’s employees. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Mining Hall of Fame Foundation)

King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 1

A probate court met in Seward on Jan. 28, 1915, to determine the fate of the personal property of Cooper Landing-area resident King David Thurman,… Continue reading

Simon “Sam” Wible came to Alaska to mine for gold in the 1890s. Soon, he had a large hydraulic-mining camp on Canyon Creek. King David Thurman, at some point prior to 1907, was one of Wible’s employees. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Mining Hall of Fame Foundation)
This photographic portrait depicts Eustace Ziegler, the then-nationally famous oil painter who agreed to provide the artwork for George Kosmos’ publication, “Alaska Sourdough Stories.”

Stories from the Kosmos

I had already purchased the book online — and was waiting for it to arrive in my mailbox — when I discovered an article about… Continue reading

This photographic portrait depicts Eustace Ziegler, the then-nationally famous oil painter who agreed to provide the artwork for George Kosmos’ publication, “Alaska Sourdough Stories.”
The George Navarre Borough Building, seen here in December 2011, stands on Binkley Street, but the initial decision to seat borough government in Soldotna — much less what shape that government would take — were not forgone conclusions.

No Simple Matter: Finding the borough a home — Part 6

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Creating a borough government was no easy feat for the citizens and officials of the Kenai Peninsula, starting with incorporation in 1964, followed… Continue reading

The George Navarre Borough Building, seen here in December 2011, stands on Binkley Street, but the initial decision to seat borough government in Soldotna — much less what shape that government would take — were not forgone conclusions.
In this old Cheechako News photo, officials consider an early display map of the Kenai Peninsula Borough, 1969.

No Simple Matter: Finding the borough a home — Part 5

Time and money are always tricky ingredients in government projects.

In this old Cheechako News photo, officials consider an early display map of the Kenai Peninsula Borough, 1969.
Dolly Farnsworth was another driving force in the early days of the borough. She housed the borough’s first administrative efforts in her own bookkeeping building — initially for free — and assisted borough clerk Frances Brymer with early efforts in taxes, assessing and accounting. (Clark Fair photo)

No Simple Matter: Finding the borough a home — Part 4

The entire borough operating budget for the first six months was about $13,000.

Dolly Farnsworth was another driving force in the early days of the borough. She housed the borough’s first administrative efforts in her own bookkeeping building — initially for free — and assisted borough clerk Frances Brymer with early efforts in taxes, assessing and accounting. (Clark Fair photo)
Loren, editor and publisher of the Cheechako News, sold a lot of ad space during the back-and-forth publicity campaigns by communities striving to become the administrative seat for the Kenai Peninsula Borough. When the campaigns were over, he offered unifying words for the future. (Photo courtesy of the KPC historical archive)

No Simple Matter: Finding the borough a home — Part 3

It didn’t take long for the sparks to fly.

Loren, editor and publisher of the Cheechako News, sold a lot of ad space during the back-and-forth publicity campaigns by communities striving to become the administrative seat for the Kenai Peninsula Borough. When the campaigns were over, he offered unifying words for the future. (Photo courtesy of the KPC historical archive)
Harold Pomeroy was the director of Alaska’s Territorial Civil Defense before becoming the first executive of the Kenai Peninsula Borough in 1964. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Digital Archives)

No Simple Matter: Finding the borough a home — Part 2

The decision to locate the borough seat in or near Tustumena was termed by the Cheechako as “perhaps one of the most surprising incidents at the meeting.”

Harold Pomeroy was the director of Alaska’s Territorial Civil Defense before becoming the first executive of the Kenai Peninsula Borough in 1964. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Digital Archives)
This 1955 aerial shows a portion of Joe and Mickey Faa’s homestead, including the Quonset hut that was on the property before it was acquired by Howard and Maxine Lee in 1948. The fields and other cleared land now house much of Soldotna’s growing medical establishment. (Photo courtesy of Al Hershberger)

No Simple Matter: Finding the borough a home — Part 1

Binkley Street was just a gravel-covered Soldotna back road in November 1969.

This 1955 aerial shows a portion of Joe and Mickey Faa’s homestead, including the Quonset hut that was on the property before it was acquired by Howard and Maxine Lee in 1948. The fields and other cleared land now house much of Soldotna’s growing medical establishment. (Photo courtesy of Al Hershberger)
Having a ready team of work dogs made longer trips out of Seward more manageable for Steve Melchior. The woman accompanying him on the wagon is unidentified. (Photo courtesy of the Melchior Family Collection)

Steve Melchior: Treasured peninsula pioneer with a sketchy past — Part 7

Stephan “Steve” Melchior parleyed a partially fabricated past into a respected life as a miner and a builder in Alaska.

Having a ready team of work dogs made longer trips out of Seward more manageable for Steve Melchior. The woman accompanying him on the wagon is unidentified. (Photo courtesy of the Melchior Family Collection)
Steve Melchior in his Seward yard with two of his many dogs, probably circa mid-1920s. (Photo courtesy of the Melchior Family Collection)

Steve Melchior: Treasured peninsula pioneer with a sketchy past — Part 6

This moose-and-man journey attracted considerable attention nationwide.

Steve Melchior in his Seward yard with two of his many dogs, probably circa mid-1920s. (Photo courtesy of the Melchior Family Collection)
In September 1946, the Alaska Sportsman Magazine published “Moose Ranch,” an article by Mamie “Niska” Elwell. The story describes Steve Melchior’s moose-ranching operation from the 1920s and features two photographs of Melchior.

Steve Melchior: Treasured peninsula pioneer with a sketchy past — Part 5

In June 1913, a peninsula game warden informed the governor that Melchior was raising a moose calf on his mining property.

In September 1946, the Alaska Sportsman Magazine published “Moose Ranch,” an article by Mamie “Niska” Elwell. The story describes Steve Melchior’s moose-ranching operation from the 1920s and features two photographs of Melchior.