Alaska Railroad - Construction
Print Photograph, Alaska Railroad - Construction. Unidentified cut on ARR [near Wasilla?] [Crew on tracks by hillside]
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Print Photograph, Alaska Railroad - Construction. Unidentified cut on ARR [near Wasilla?] [Crew on tracks by hillside]
The development of the Alaska Railroad brought significant and lasting changes to the traditional homelands of the Ahtna people. While often described as a project intended to connect communities across the state, its construction followed routes long established by Indigenous travel and trade networks, transforming these pathways into corridors of industrial expansion.
The railroad introduced an influx of non-Native populations and large-scale development that altered the land in profound ways. Areas that had sustained Ahtna subsistence lifeways for generations experienced environmental disruption, including land disturbance, pollution, and, in some places, the diversion of waterways that affected salmon populations—an essential source of food, culture, and continuity for the community.
These changes impacted not only the physical landscape but also the relationships between people, land, and resources that have long guided Ahtna ways of life. Despite these disruptions, Ahtna people have continued to adapt, maintain cultural practices, and uphold responsibilities to their homelands.
Today, the work of Chickaloon Village Traditional Council’s Environmental Stewardship Department reflects these enduring relationships. Their efforts focus on protecting and restoring the land and waters, addressing the impacts of past development, and ensuring that future generations can continue to live in connection with their ancestral lands.
The Matanuska Valley is primarily associated with the Dena’ina Athabascan name Ch’atanhtnu, meaning “trail comes out river,” referring to the Matanuska River and its role as a key travel corridor. For Dena’ina Peoples, the area holds cultural significance as part of their traditional homeland, supporting seasonal movement, subsistence activities, and connections between inland and coastal regions.
Ahtna Peoples refer to this region as Ts’itonhtna and have longstanding relationships to the valley through trade, travel, and interregional connections extending from their primary homelands to the east. The name “Matanuska” is believed to derive from a Russian term associated with Ahtna Peoples—historically referred to as “Copper River people” or Mednovtsy—who frequented the valley for trading.
The Matanuska Valley has historically functioned as a place of convergence—of waterways, people, and cultural exchange—reflecting the interconnected lifeways and enduring relationships both Ahtna and Dena’ina Peoples maintain with this landscape.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)