Wrong George

To the Editor:

Regarding your recent editorial and story about the town of Knik in your July 13 issue, the George PARKS Mercantile? I believe a little basic fact checking would reveal to you that the mercantile in question was owned by George Palmer, in whose honor our fair town was named.

Also, over the last few years, at least twice your paper has made reference to the Palmer-Wasilla Highway being nothing more than a gravel road until 1982. Again, a little basic fact checking (or actual local knowledge), would show that that road was paved in the 1950s and was only straightened and repaved in 1982.

By the way, travel time between Palmer and Wasilla was faster before 1982, despite the windy road, owing to the much smaller population living here before the Great Cracker Migration that followed the oil boom to Alaska (and which resulted in the current very red Palinista-style politics that masquerade as the norm for this area).

Keep trying though — despite a lot of eye-rolling, I still read the Frontiersman.

Dan Lucas

Palmer

Editor’s note: The Frontiersman apologizes for the errors and appreciates readers who help fill the gaps in our knowledge of the area’s rich history.