Land of Giants

These are just a couple of the giants...from the Alaska State Fair.

We're in the Matanuska Valley, northeast of Anchorage. This is the vegetable garden for all of Alaska. But not just ordinary veggies, of course – whoppers. Here's a list of some of the records set for vegetables grown here:

35 lb. Broccoli
28 lb. Brussel Sprouts
127 lb. Cabbage
19 lb. Carrot
18 lb. Leaf Lettuce
83 lb. Rutabaga
569 lb. Winter Squash
168 lb. Watermelon
22.75 inches for the longest bean
16.75 feet for the tallest Sunflower

And it goes on and on. The reasons for this richness in the soil: glaciers. They macerated the rocks and created deep topsoil.

But the real story about this valley occurred in 1935 when President Roosevelt's administration colonized the valley by shipping 202 families from Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota here. They generally were farmers on the dole during the Depression. They were suffering through the worst drought in U.S. history. And they had nothing to lose when the government asked for volunteers to colonize this valley.

They came west by train, then north by ship. They initially were housed in tent villages built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. They were allowed to draw lots to receive their 40 acres of land. The deal included a house with between one and three bedrooms (depending on the number of children they brought with them), piped in water, a chemical toilet, and a repayment schedule that seems like a bargain to us: 30 years to pay back the government $3,000.

Amazingly, only 40 per cent of the families stayed on. Many buckled under the wilderness conditions, and the lack of medical support when their children began to die of measles and pneumonia. Eleanor Roosevelt eventually pushed hard for a hospital to be built for the colony. It's an interesting story of pursuing the American dream. There now are three of the original colonizers who continue to live today.

While I'm writing about records, you might as well indulge in some others about Alaska:
Alaska's coastline total 33,904 miles.
The U.S. Bought Alaska from Russia for 2 cents an acre... total cost: $7.2 million.
Alaska contains the northernmost (Point Barrow), westernmost (Amatignak Island) and easternmost (Semisopochnol Island, across the International Dateline) points in the U.S.
And Alaska's capital, Juneau, is the only capital in the U.S. With no road access; a boat or plane is the only way to get there.