1970s: A new capital for Alaska

One of the news stories periodically making news print in 1977 when I arrived in Alaska was a new state capital, a relocation of the seat of state government from Juneau. When this idea began to be discussed and became news is beyond me. But in 1974, Ballot Initiative One, to move the capital “from Juneau to ‘Western Alaska’” was approved by Alaska voters.

A Capital Site Selection Committee was established. It selected three potential locations for Alaska’s new capital: “Larson Lake, Mount Yenlo, and Willow. The law provides that the qualified voters of the state are entitled to vote for one of the alternate capital sites selected by the committee and that the site receiving the greatest number of votes shall be the site of the new capital city of Alaska.” The vote was held on Election Day, November 2, 1976. Willow was selected by the voters with over 56,000 votes. https://ballotpedia.org

It seemed to me a good idea to have the State Capital nearer the population centers. The debate brought to mind an experience I had earlier in the 1970s. As Co-Chair of the Conservation Committee of the Indianapolis Fly Casters (IFC), the IFC President, Karl Glander, and I set out to attend a meeting of the Indiana Legislature on legislation important to fisheries conservation. We saw a crowd when we left our car and headed for the meeting. As we started up the grand set of concrete stairs to the doors at 2nd floor level we realized that people on the top 3rd of the steps were not moving into the building. It was an overflow crowd. Representative government was at work; government by the people’s in person expression of interest in pending legislation.

One hundred square miles (10 miles by 10 miles) behind Lloyd Haessler’s home at Willow was designated for study for the future capital. Haessler was not excited about the capital moving to Willow. Certainly it would interfere with his trap line and desire to be alone. www.washingtonpost.com

In covering the capital move for the Susitna Sentinel and for Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) in my job related to public matters, I recall two specific items.

One, I remember reading in one to the reports from consultants completing soil and ground tests that some drill holes had bottom temperatures around 125 degrees. My question, is thermal heat possible for the new capital?

Two, in April in the late 1970s or early 1980s a Capital Site Planning Commission meeting was held at Willow, the new capital site. MEA provided electric power for the meeting with a generator. A tent was set up with lights and coffee and a public address system with speakers at tent corners for those who gave brief remarks. Yellow baseball caps with inscription “Willow once and for all” were handed out.

The capital is still in Juneau. Old Timers in Mat-Su Borough will tell you Alaska voted three times to move the capital. Some may lecture on the capital being near the population centers or at least on the highway system. Some will say it costs too much to move. It is doubtful anyone will suggest Alaska could relocate the capital as Texas got its capital, by trading a bit of vast resources and land for the construction reducing out of pocket expenses to move it.

Budd Goodyear is a local freelance writer who has had articles and photos included in publications throughout the state. Goodyear moved to Alaska in 1977 with his wife and children, and has worked in the Valley, Anchorage and Palmer. Goodyear contributes historical pieces to the Frontiersman.