New Valley history book celebrates ‘Pioneers of Alaska’

PALMER — Darwin Fischer, Sharon Benson and Jo Ann Utt thought they knew a lot about local history before they begin writing a book about pioneers in the Mat-Su Borough.

The three say they refined their education during a nine-year effort to interview, transcribe and edit interviews from 55 Valley Pioneers into the new book “Life and Times of Matanuska Valley Pioneers.”

The interviews were edited mostly for length, Benson said

“It’s the way they said it,” she said. “It’s not proper English. It’s not proper grammar. It’s the way they talked.”

Pioneers of Alaska Mat-Su chapter president Darwin Fischer said it was Pioneer Mary Ann Anderson who had the idea to preserve their stories in a book, or they will be lost. The Mat-Su joins Kenai, Anchorage, Homer as Alaska Pioneer chapters have history books, he said.

“Once they got started, if you show a little interest, they’ll talk forever,” Fischer said.

Did you know Charlie Fox was a guard during the Nuremberg trials and recalls having to stand in the box with Rudolf Hess and Hermann Goering?

Or that John F. Kennedy carried Jackie and Ben Cabo’s son, Ben, to the Elks Club during his campaign stop in Palmer Sept. 3, 1960.

A thousand copies of the 200-page, hardbound book were scheduled to arrive in early May, but the shipment didn’t reach Palmer until Tuesday, Benson said.

After nearly a decade of collecting stories, Utt said they had more stories than could be included in one book. Many of the stories were new to her, she said. Some stories were left out due to space, and some were left out due to their colorful nature, Benson said.

“There’s a lot of history. And there’s a lot we can’t tell,” she said.

Their collection of audiotapes and transcriptions will be donated to the University of Alaska archives to aid other researchers who work to tell the stories of people living in the Mat-Su Borough, Utt said.

Utt and Benson began the effort by asking the Pioneers on their list to complete a questionnaire. When that didn’t produce the sort of narrative the two had hoped, they changed directions and began going to people’s homes to do the interviews face-to-face, often accompanied by Anderson.

In addition to brief biographies of 55 Pioneers, recipes, photos and a few jokes, the book also includes short histories of the founding of the cities of Houston, Palmer and Wasilla.

To apply to join the Pioneers of Alaska, a person must be an Alaska resident for 30 years, which means some Pioneers are also Colonists. Fischer said preserving history is the main focus of the Pioneers of Alaska, which will hold its statewide convention at Raven Hall Sept. 23-26.

Local history buffs will have the first chance to purchase a copy of the book at a meet and greet event some of the Colony “kids” from 4 to 8 p.m., today at the Palmer Depot.

The books also will be available for purchase at the Pioneers Picnic, at the Stampede Saturday, at the Colonist’s dinner Saturday at Mat-Su Senior Services in Palmer, and at the Pioneers picnic on Sunday. Everywhere the books are sold, 12-ounce bags of special Sod Buster Brew Coffee also will be sold as a fundraiser to benefit the Pioneers.

Plans also include a book-signing event at Fireside Books in Palmer, though it has yet to be scheduled.

“We’re all quite proud of it,” Utt said. “We’re just glad it’s done.”

The Historic Palmer churches United Protestant Church, St. John Lutheran Church, and St. Michael’s Catholic Parish also will be honored at 1:30 p.m., June 13 to present a legislative citation honoring the 80th anniversary of these pillars of the Palmer community. The citation will be presented during the community picnic at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 440 E. Elmwood Ave., in Palmer. The picnic follows the Colony Days Parade, which begins at 11 a.m., Saturday.

Contact Heather A. Resz at 352-2268 or heather.resz@frontiersman.com.