Alaska Facts and History

Did you know that Knik, Alaska was once a thriving town? Discover the history of Knik in this edition of the Anchorage Memories VIP Club.

In the 1910 photo above is Knik.

Located on the west bank of the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet, you can drive there from Anchorage. At Wasilla, take the South Knik Goose Bay Road and follow to the now ghost town of Knik.

The word Knik comes from the Inupiaq word igniq, meaning “fire”.

In the 1880s, an American Trader named George W. Palmer established a trading post at a Dena’ina village that became known as New Knik. The U.S. Census shows that 46 Athabascan Indians lived there in 1880.

Gold was Discovered

In the early 1890s, gold was discovered along Cook Inlet’s Turnagain Arm.

From 1895 to 1897, the Cook Inlet Gold Rush brought many gold stampeders to the area.

Because of the gold rush, Orville Henning’s Knik Trading Company opened in Knik.

It Grew

In the 1900s, Knik had become the commercial center for upper Cook Inlet.

By 1915, Knik had about 500 residents. The new town featured four hotels, three saloons, four stores, a barber shop, a pool hall, a movie theatre, a U.S. Commissioner and a jail.

The photo above shows how Knik became a shipping hub in and out of interior Alaska.

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Enter the Alaska Railroad

Instead of Knik, the mouth of Ship Creek (which would become Anchorage) was chosen by the Alaska Railroad as its headquarters.

By 1917, the railroad had reached Wasilla, not far from Knik. So, businesses in the town of Knik, started relocating to either Wasilla or Anchorage.

A Ghost Town

Quickly, Knik became a ghost town.

Some buildings were taken apart at Knik and relocated to Wasilla and other places.

Today

Only two original buildings remain in Knik.

Pictured above is the Fulton - Hirshey Pool and Billiard Hall. Built in Knik in 1910. It later became a roadhouse. It now houses a museum and the Wasilla - Knik Historical Society.

BONUS

Would you like to visit Knik?

Take a look at the Wasilla - Knik Historical Society for information.

The photo above shows the only original cabin left in Knik.

Look Mom, Our House is in a Museum

In the photo above is Mike of Anchorage Memories.

Paddy Marion was a well-known prospector and miner in the Willow Creek Mining district (Hatcher Pass) for over 50 years. Along with his twin sister, they operated the “Marion Twin Mine”.

The cabin they lived in may have first come from Knik, then went to Hatcher Pass.

Later, it was located in Wasilla, just across the street from a log building that served as the Community Hall and later became the Dorothy G. Page Center and historical museum.

The Paddy Marion cabin was eventually moved across the street to be put on display behind the museum.

One day in the late 1970s or early 1980s, Mike of Anchorage Memories took his mother, Louise Dougherty, to Wasilla and to the museum.

When they came upon the Paddy Marion cabin, pictured above, they didn't recognize it at first. Then suddenly, Mike said, “mom, we used to live in this cabin when it was across the street.”

BONUS

Do you want to know more about Knik, Alaska?

Take a look at Sketches of Knik and discover.

From Our North Stars (that’s you)

From our look at Anchorage Pioneers, the Carlson family.

“Thank you for the wonderful memories. I thoroughly enjoy the history.”

Avril

Connect with Us

Have you ever been on Goose Bay Road, headed toward Knik?

Mike of Anchorage Memories and his family lived just off Goose Bay road in around 1957 while it was still a two-lane dirt road. Mike’s dad, Ray Dougherty, was the foreman on a job to upgrade the gravel-covered road.

Did you enjoy this edition of the Anchorage Memories VIP Club? Do you have a comment? You can connect with us by replying to this email. Or you can say, “I’ve been to Knik” and Contact Us directly.