AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ALASKA. 



13 



son. These men have abundantly demonstrated that the climate and 

 soil in this locality will permit a considerable agricultural develop- 

 ment. Limited markets and lack of a wagon road connecting the 

 farms with the town have been the chief difficulties. Ole Martin 

 keeps chickens and says they do well. Mr. McPherson writes under 

 date of July 8, 1912: 



We have the wagon road to Seward and are making a little more headway 

 with our farms, for we are using horses now. The road is very useful, but 

 is not yet ready for wheels. We had a very early spring this year and started 

 our gardens in April. Our crops are looking splendid. The Alaska weather 

 seems to have changed very much, and the change is for the good of the gardens, 

 so we will have good crops this year, but the market will be very poor, because 

 so many people are leaving Seward until the times get better. * * * Two 



Fig. 4. — Garden of cabbage and potatoes, Knik, Alaska, August, 1909. 



or three new homesteads have been located at Kenai Lake within the past year. 

 Otto Bergstrom, Ole Martin, Mr. Nash, and I have made quite a little more 

 improvement on our homesteads since last fall. We all broke a little more land. 



About 100 miles north of Seward, at the head of Cook Inlet, is 

 another group of homesteaders near the town of Knik (fig. 4). 

 Others are located at Sunrise and Hope, on Turnagain Arm. Knik 

 may be reached by ocean steamer from Seattle, or from Seward over 

 the 70 miles of track of the Alaska Northern Railroad to Kern Creek, 

 and from that point by gasoline launch through Turnagain and 

 Knik Arms. When extended into the Matanuska coal field and to 

 the interior, the railroad will pass through the Knik region. The 

 agricultural possibilities of the region are indicated in part by the 



