Matanuska Colony Barns
Matanuska Colony Barns
Barns of the 1935 Matanuska Colony Project
One of the first full-color books I published under my Northern Light Media logo was an in-depth exploration and history of the singular barns erected for the 1935 Matanuska Colony Project at Palmer. I wrote an article about the barns for Alaskan History Magazine’s 2019 inaugural issue, and that article can be read on this site.
The Matanuska Colony Barns: The Enduring Legacy of the 1935 Matanuska Colony Project, by Helen Hegener, is the only book highlighting the iconic barns of an almost-forgotten government social experiment in Alaska. In 1935 the U.S. Government transported 200 families from the Great Depression-stricken midwest to a valley of unparalleled beauty in Alaska, where they were given the chance to begin new lives as part of a federally-funded social experiment, the Matanuska Colony Project. As part of each family’s farmstead, a magnificent barn was raised, a sturdy square structure 32′ by 32′ and soaring 32′ high. Today these Colony barns are an iconic reminder of what has been called the last great pioneering adventure in America.
A website for the book and the barns includes maps, links to related videos, DVDs, books, and other websites, and histories of many of the barns.
The book can be ordered from Northern Light Media or through Amazon.