Evening star., 1947-05-15

Twelve years ago today band Of 1876 farm
families selected from relief rolls IN MINNESOTA.
Michigan and Wisconsin arrived in the still
virgin Matanrlska Valley, so miles north OF
Anchorage. Alaska, to launcn ior pelter or
worse an experiment in subsidized colonization.
In the hurly y-burly OF other New Deal ex-
periments in the next six years and then
World War II, the Matanuska project almost
was forgotten in the States.
What is the record of their achievements
and what has happened to the original coion-
lists who sailed from the West Coast on the
old troop carrier st. Mihiel, with band music
and promises of latter-day Arcadia still
ringing in their ears?
Today, the lO-year-old Matanuska Valley
Farmers Cooperating Association Is doing
a 81 ,000, ,000-a-year gross business from the 500
going farms that dot the fertile valley. AT the
end of the war, individual gross incomes
ranged from $3.50 to $4,000 annually.
Roughly two-thirds Of the original families
or their children are farming the valley today.
Those Who Stuck it Out Were Rewarded.
Considering the hardships, mismanagement
and mistakes of the early years, 1t Is a
wonder that so many stuck it out. They did,
and now they. are reaping golden harvest
Gov Ernest Gruening, in Washington on
official business, will concede frankly that
serious mistakes were made at the outset OF
the project.
Soon after President Roosevelt announced
plans for moving certain number OF impover-
isfed families to Alaska, the Interior DEPART
ment and other agencies began receiving thou
sands of applications. No accurate count was
made, but estimates range between 5000 and
10000 Because it had the available funds, the
Federal Emergency Relief Administration
headed by the late Harry Hopkins was given
the job OF making the selection.
It was decided to select 200 families from
Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, presum-
oI1 tho section
mated conditions in Matanuska. Actually, 1876
families, totaling 800 persons, departed from
the United States.
The first serious mistake, according to Gov.
Gruening, was intrusting the selection job
to local social workers and county agents. In
a few instances, certain communities decided
this was an excellent way to rid themselves OF
problem cases" on relief. As It turned out,
these families remained only short time and
then returned to the States.
d A Paradise That Wasn't There. Atb
Another error was the extravagant and need
less promises made by local authorities
assurances that cleared land awaited them and
adequate housing was on hand. In contrast,
the colonists lived the first summer in tents
and were forced to spend most OF their time
clearing out their tracts and erecting shelters.
Finally, officials failed to stress physical fit
ness farming experience and the fact there
was hard, back breaking labor ahead
AS result, there was great deal of discon-
tent that first year. But still they hung on.
The first year saw $50 acres of land cleared.
Now about 10000 acres are cleared and either
in cultivation or seeded to permanent pasture
Walter Pipple, of Robinsdale, Mimi, was
among the pioneers He was an industrious,
progressive farmer. BY the end Of the 1885
season he had cleared his land, set out hot beds
of radishes, lettuce, carrots and other garden
vegetables
In Palmer, the valleys big town, large herds