Palmer seeks to preserve dairy history

Frontiersman

PALMER — The city is putting its support behind an effort to keep Matanuska Maid a part of local history.

Palmer City Council Tuesday voted in favor of a resolution that requests the state to acknowledge the efforts of the Palmer Museum of History and Art and the Palmer Historical Society to acquire historical artifacts from the now defunct Matanuska Maid Dairy.

Councilman Michael Chmielewski said supporting the local groups is a no-brainer.

“They are things that shouldn’t be sold or dispersed,” Chmielewski said. “These are things that should be in the museum. I don’t want them shipped off to San Francisco or something.”

Chmielewski, who participated at the meeting via teleconference, said more items and information will be a great addition for the local museum and historical society’s archives. And with the organizations working together, he believes it will help foster a lasting relationship that will help future projects.

DeLena Johnson, board president for the Palmer Museum of History and Art, said the organizations hope to retain and improve historical artifacts and information about the community, and the Palmer Mat Maid plant is part of that.

State-run Mat Maid closed production for good in December and has contracted with an out-of-state company to auction off the dairy’s assets. The Palmer groups have approached the state, as well as the city council, which wants to purchase the Palmer Mat Maid property.

“It really is the legacy of Palmer and it should stay in Palmer,” Johnson said.

The museum has a growing collection of dairy-related items, so obtaining more from Mat Maid’s past will provide a great opportunity to increase the collection, she said.

“Between the two [groups] we can provide a real active and interesting display that’s more than just stuff,” she said.

Chuck Logsdon, president of the Palmer Historical Society board of directors, said his organization is looking for information that will help tell the story of old-time Palmer. The dairy, with roots going back 70 years, is a big part of that.

“Our mission is to preserve and protect the historical traditions in the area,” he said.

Although Logsdon doesn’t know which items at Mat Maid may be available, he knows the historical society will be after something others may not consider that valuable.

“I think one of the things that will be focused on that doesn’t really have any [monetary] value is documents,” he said.

Logsdon said the city council resolution and other work is just the beginning of the process. If the state allows the two organizations to proceed, he hopes to take an inventory documents and items at the dairy.

Palmer Mayor John Combs, who said he is a strong supporter of maintaining Palmer’s historical integrity, said it’s important for the community to remember the past and the founders of the city.

“It was dairy farms and vegetable farms that were the first major industry in Palmer, and we need to protect that,” Combs said. “We need to hold on to our heritage.”

For more information about the history of Palmer, visit the Palmer Museum of History and Art at 723 S. Valley Way or visit the Palmer Historical Society at 316 E. Elmwood Ave.