City of Wasilla recognizes 50th anniversary of incorporation

WASILLA — The City of Wasilla recognized the 50th anniversary of the city’s incorporation through an official proclamation that was read during a regularly scheduled city council meeting held Monday, Feb. 26.

“The City of Wasilla celebrates its 50th Anniversary by reveling all citizens, volunteers, businesses, community organizations, dedicated staff, and elected and appointed officials, past and present, who worked so hard then and now to enhance and exemplify the City of Wasilla,” Wasilla Mayor Glenda Ledford said as she read from the proclamation.

According to the proclamation, Wasilla was established in 1917 after a government land auction. The name came from the respected Dena'ina Athabascan native leader Chief Wasilla.

Wasilla started to develop around a strategic location where the Alaska Railroad crossed the main supply route known as the Carl Wagon Trail in the Willow Creek Mining District. This gave the area the opportunity to prosper as the self-proclaimed, "Gateway to the Willow Creek Mining District.”

The development of the George Parks Highway prompted even more growth in Wasilla during the early 1970s, ushering in a variety of business opportunities that continued to expand over time. Voters approved Wasilla’s incorporation as a second-class city under Title 29 of the Alaska Statutes Feb. 26, 1974 which further spurred the evolution of the area from a small town and weekend destination to what it is today.

“Over the past 50 years the City of Wasilla has observed significant progress in local planning, redevelopment, and infrastructure, supporting a population of over 11,000 residents and an estimated 111,923 adjacent Borough residents who patronize the Wasilla business and commercial epicenter,” Ledford read from the proclamation, urging all citizens to join them in celebrating the city’s 50th anniversary.

For more information, visit cityofwasilla.gov.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com