On the morning of May 23rd, 1935, the Matanuska colonists drew slips of paper to find out where their homes would be.
Don Irwin reported that survey crews had been working up until the day before the drawing to mark out 40-acre tracts in the dense forest. Land had been purchased by the ARRC from homesteaders, and from the government, which had put a pause on homesteading in the area for the spring of 1935 until it was determined which lands would be used for the Colony. Some areas had cleared land already, some had been burned over in prior years and would be easier to clear. All tracts were determined to have good soil for farming, but luck of the draw would determine where each family would try to make a go of it.
“Notable Drawing for Farm Tracts Held by Colonists This Morn.” Anchorage Times, May 22nd 1935
Photo:
“Men arriving at Palmer for Homestead Drawing.” From the ARRC photo album, Mary Nan Gamble collection, Alaska State Library.
Photo: Ohlson and Irwin
Ray Rebarchek wrote:
“May 23, 1935 is a day that few colonists will forget. . . It was a good day for a lottery, or any other kind of activity that could be carried out in the open. The sun was shining; the air was almost still. The faint smell of spring cottonwoods mingled with that of new canvas. White tents were everywhere. Men, women, and children milled about the area, nervous in anticipation of the event.
From “Memoirs of an Alaskan Farmer” (1980) by Ray Rebarchek.
Photo from the ARRC album. “Col. O. F. Ohlson, Gen. Mgr. Alaska Railroad, speaks to the colonists.”
Ohlson on left, Don Irwin on right.
Photo from the ARRC album. “Forming a long line the colonists await their turn.”
Ray Rebarchek wrote:
“When the time came for the drawing, the simplicity of the
proceedings hardly did justice to such a historic occasion. Men drew slips of paper from a box with the
number of a tract written on it. They
then went to a base map to see where their land was located.”
Photo from the MSB Sandbote collection held by PMHA.
Photo: tract slip from Colony House
This tract slip drawn by Leroy Hamann is on display at the Colony House Museum.
Article
Arville Schaleben, “Draw Farms from a Box,” Milwaukee Journal, May 24th 1935.
ARRC 1936 map
Ray Rebarchek wrote:
“As soon as we found out where our land was located, I went out there to look it over. . . Our place was simply beautiful; gently rolling, with some of the densest timber I ever saw in my life. The heavy growth was probably the result of the rich soil. We had brought some prized rhubarb plants from Minnesota. As soon as the scouting trip around the perimeter was completed, I scratched brush away from a spot in the woods and stuck in the plants. There was something growing in our ground the next day after the drawing. It was a good feeling.”
Ray Rebarchek drew tract 52. Today the Rebarchek Agricultural Park operates as a demonstration farm next to the Alaska State Fair.