Palmer

Another Alaska post!  

We went to Palmer to meet some friends for the Friday fair and went to the Palmer visitor center. Which has a lovely garden.

LOVE THIS FLOWER. Not sure what it is. 

We had sunshine today for the first time in weeks (seemingly) and looking at these pictures of flowers makes me long for brightness. 

Inside the visitor's center is a display of various things. 

I forget what these gloves and slippers signify. I feel like they were a gift to Alaska from someone. But I could be wrong. 

Miners

There was also a display about the Palmer Colony. During the Great Depression, Roosevelt encouraged people from Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota who were out of work and on relief to volunteer to go settle Alaska. 

The New Deal paid the families' fare to Alaska via trains to Seattle and then a ship from there. 

Before the colonists arrived, Palmer was not really a town, just had a few sparsely spaced old-timers. 

Teaching school when they first got to Alaska. 

Hilltop Homemaker's Club

They had vintage clothes for dressing up

Orianna in a fancy hat. 

The Butte 4-H Club. 

The Lila Peterson in the front is a good friend of ours. She still lives in the Butte, going strong at.... 94 I think it is. 

We went to Lila's and her son Dave's for supper the Sunday before we left. We used to go to meeting at her and her husband's house. They have a really special testimony. Lila professed from the time she was young, but her husband, Fritz did not. When they got older, Lila's eyesight went. Since reading the bible was important to Lila and Fritz loved her, he read to her every morning and evening. Eventually Fritz started coming to meetings and professed. And then Lila's sight came back. Fritz passed away a few years back, but such a special couple with an open home. 

Cute little 1930's homemakers

The Palmer Colony is pretty interesting. There is a kids book about it.  

Pretty good book! 

I read it out loud to the kids while we were in Alaska, so we asked Lila about it. Her mind is still sharp as a tack, so she told the kids about it, about turning 9 the day the train pulled into Seward after the boat trip. 

Feed sacks

Elsie and Gilbert loved the Balto statue

Looking toward the Butte

The  historic train track in Palmer that clearly isn't used any longer.  This is where the colonists would have arrived when they got to Alaska. 

Driving to our friends house from Palmer, up toward Hatcher's Pass

The kids and Isabel

The girls had such a nice time with Isabel. 

A fuzzy picture, but love this one of Isabel!

Driving back into Anchorage from the Valley this summer, we frequently saw a plane flying this Geico ad. We were all interested since we don't see airplane advertising very frequently. I was intrigued about how this was at all cost effective. Lindsey said it was probably a beginning pilot who is willing to do it practically free just so they can accumulate hours toward getting their commercial licence.