Alaska is such a huge area, with most of it being wilderness and wetlands, there are few roads beyond those small, local roads that really go nowhere. As a result, visitors find it necessary to back-track quite a bit to see all there is. So it was that we went back to Anchorage for a few days, primarily to make day trips to some of the remote places of interest. One such place is the Athabascan Native village of Eklutna.
Eklutna is the last of eight native villages located in a small area about twenty-five miles north of Anchorage. It was first settled around 800 years ago, making it the oldest settlement in this region. Russian settlers arrived in 1840, bringing their Orthodox Christian religion which was readily adopted by the natives and merged with their traditional practices. This fascinating combination can be seen in the Eklutna Orthodox church and the painted "spirit houses" of its cemetery.
The town of Palmer was quaint, with log homes, churches and other buildings. However, our favorite things there were the colorful gardens. Still hard to believe the beautiful plantings with such a short growing season.
Next up was Hatcher Pass, where a major gold mine operated during the first half of the 20th century. The 49 mile long scenic road over the pass, much of it unpaved and closed most of the year, was described as Alaska's highest road at only 4000 feet. Strangely, it felt much higher than that, being swallowed by clouds much of the time. The abandoned Independence Mine was being restored as a state park at that time. Apparently, the buildings were in good shape but their foundations had to be replaced.
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