THE FRONTIERSMAN
Entered as second class matter on Oct 21. 1947. at the post office «•
Palmer, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879
A. J. DeJulio .. Publisher-Manager
Editor __ Virginia Gallant
Subscription Rates 50c a month. $5 a yes’- In Valley Area
Mailed to all points in Alaska and the United States
S6 per year
Jcnuary 13. 1956
The Frontiersman
Palmer, Alaska
Dear Editor:
Was Palmer named after Mr.
Palmer?”
Will you permit me to sub
mit my testimony?
Since 193Q I have sought data
on the early history of this area,
arM have had many conversa
tions concerning the same. Some
'A the authorities I sought are:
Natives Indian Jim (deceased), 99
year old Mr. Stickman and Jack
Tyene. Early Knik Residents,
Henry McKenon, Mr. Heraing
and Mr. Elbickson. Old Sour
doughs of the Valley, Tex Cobb,
John Bugge, Jim Felton, Jim
Bums (a Palmer section man)
awl George White (first postmas
ter of Palmer)..
According 10 mem, a man call
ed George Palmer established a
trading post on the left bank of
the Matanuska River, two or
three hundred yards above *he
present bridge. That was about
1880 and ever since, that section
>f country has been called Pal
mer Canyon.
'When the railroad came to Pal
mer a small depot was built. Pal
mer was painted on the depot
signboard. One or two years later,
George White started operating a
post office nearby. The U. S.
Government named it Palmer.
Why or how did the name Pal-;
mer come to be used? It seems !
that some railroad official in
quired of the adjacent people
what they would like to have
their new station called and
someone said, “Why not call it
Palmer in honor of the Old Trad -!
er?“ I believe that someone was j
John Logan, a homesteader, then
living at the site of the present i
Snodgrass Dairy.
Very truly yours,
HAROLD L. THUMA
Palmer, Alaska
January 13 ,1958
Dear Sir:
After reading the article “Was
Palmer Named After Mr. Pal
mer9” in the Frontiersman, I do
not belive that Palmer was nam
ed after Mr. Faust Palmer.
There was a fellow by the
name of George W. Palmer. He
had a trading post at Knik, Alas
ka. I've been to his store in 1915.
He was about 60 years old at that
time. My dad had been trading
with him since 1888 up to the
tim-eotf 1915. I was 13 years old
at that time and we used to come
down to.George W. Palmer every
winter to get groceries from Ty
I one Lake which is located about
150 miles north east of Palmer.
The trading post at Knik was the
only one wre dealt with, so I be
lieve Palmer was named after
George W. Palmer. He was well
known in this area, also up in the
interior. The last I heard of him
he was down in the Kenai area.
JACK TYONE
Palmer, Alaska
Box 134
Palmer, Alaska
January' 18, 1956
Dear Editor:
In answer to Mrs. Martin Ol
son’s query' if Palmer had its
name before 1923, yes. I sent mail
from England in 1920 to my moth
er, who with my stepfather, lived
on their homestead where Mr.
Roland Snodgrass now lives.
My stepfather resided there in
1912. After his death mother sold
the land to Mr. M. D. Snodgrass,
in 1934-35. Eventually it became
a town.
Mr, James Felton could give
some valuable information as he
has lived here since 1914 and was
postmaster when it had the name
otf Wharton.
There are still a few oldtimers
who could verify this statement.
MRS. FANNY WERNER
Yours sincerely,
F. S. It was a habit then of
carving something or other on a
tree.
a W
{ *
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_BOARD TO MEET
The board of directors of the
Valley Hospital Association will
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evening, January 20 in the dining
room at Valley Presbyterian
Hospital.
Palmer
January 14, 1956
! The Editor
The Frontiersman
Tell Mrs. Martin Olson she has
the wrong man.
Joe Palmer of Knik. built a
cache as far up the Nelchina trail
as he c uld make in cne day with
his pack horses. This place was
called Palmer Cache.
Later t'ne railroad came -then
! a postoffice. But someone, for
-erne reason shortened the name
to Palmer.
Joe Palmer lived just over the
lake, near Peck's place.
BOB KLEM
DIRECT: R NAMED FCR
JUVENILE [NST.TUTIONS
Calvin P ol, of Port Orchard,
Wash., has been accepted as di
rector of Juvenile Institutions for
Alaska, according to Dr. J. O.
ft’-tde, chairman of the Alaska
3 or.I -f Juvenile Institutions.
Pool is new chief probation offi
cer of Ktisap County, with head
quarters at Port Orchard. He has
lived in Alaska as superintend
ent of schools in Douglas and
Nemo. He will assume his new
duties March 1.
Under Territorial law ary tuvn
w.th a population of 1700 or mere
may pplv to the board for a
juvenile home. Buildings will bs
. ' jv d as funds are available.
' ' ; r:‘ r 'vill pay for the
buildings and or.e half of the op
eration costs; the other half to
be assumed by the benefiting
community. Ketchikan. Anchor
■'e, Nome, and Fairbanks have FRONTIERSMAN CLASSIFIEDS
already applied. ALWAYS BRING RESULTS
B—M——M—wrtBaSfgK
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