Baker & Co.'s Camp, Station 9800

Description: 

Print Photograph, AEC G659 P.S. Hunt. Verso: Alaska Railroad. 

Description: 

Print Photograph, AEC G659 P.S. Hunt. Verso: Alaska Railroad.

Cultural Narrative: 

Development in the Matanuska Valley began in 1868 when the Alaska Commercial Company purchased all the holdings of the Russian American Company in Alaska, one year after the Alaska Purchase.   As part of a calculated move, the Alaska Commercial Company established trading posts at key locations along the gulf coast of Alaska and along the Cook Inlet.  Around this time, gold was first discovered on the Yukon River (in 1880); in the Cook Inlet area (in 1894); on Willow Creek (in 1897) and on the Klondike river near Dawson, British Columbia (in 1897).  These discoveries led to an increase in population, mostly comprised of traders, prospectors and laborers, all wanting to be the first to take advantage of the abundant resources in the new untamed land. 

Traditional Knowledge: 

The Matanuska Branch of the Alaska Railroad runs through the ancestral homelands of the Idlughet Qayeht’ana (Eklutna Village (Dena’ina)) and Nay’dini’aa Na’ Kayax (Chickaloon Native Village). Though these lands were never ceded, they are no longer under the legal ownership of either Tribe. Nevertheless, both Tribes—together with the broader Dena’ina and Ahtna communities—remain actively engaged in their stewardship and advocacy. They work collaboratively to ensure the land is cared for with respect and that its Indigenous histories are recognized and honored.