Agriculture

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With a short growing season, harsh climate, poor soil, and permafrost, farming has always been difficult in Alaska. No Native groups traditionally farmed, and Russians had limited success. Before and during the Gold Rush Era, farming did slowly expand in Alaska. However, most potential farmers discovered that the costs to bring farm machinery and fertilizer to Alaska were prohibitively expensive. Local labor costs were also high. Often, agricultural products imported from Washington or California were cheaper than Alaskan farm products. In 1923, only 90 farms, each averaging around 15 acres in size, operated in the Anchorage, Matanuska, and Fairbanks areas. The farmers primarily produced milk, eggs, and vegetables, along with grain and hay for horses.

During the Great Depression, the federal government created the largest agricultural project in Alaskan history. In 1935, 203 Midwestern families who had lost their farms during the Depression were relocated to the Matanuska Valley. The agricultural colony became the city of Palmer. Families were given 40-acre lots at low-interest loans, and colonists were hired to build roads, homes, and schools.

The costs totaled $5.4 million, five times higher than estimated. Difficult farming conditions led to many families' leaving. Some called the program an expensive failure. Others saw it as an expensive success. By 1940, the Matanuska Valley had become a stable agricultural community with 118 tracts of land under cultivation. Many of the colonists' descendants still operate farms in the Palmer area today.

Matanuska Colony in 1935

The tundra of western and northern Alaska was not suited for agriculture, but some thought reindeer could be grazed there. Siberian Natives had domesticated reindeer for food and hides, and it was hoped they could be introduced to Alaska. Between 1891 and 1902, the federal government paid to import 1,296 reindeer from Siberia.

Most of the reindeer were located on the Seward Peninsula. Local markets for reindeer meat and hides had been created by the people lured to Alaska by the gold rush. Miners bought reindeer for food. Reindeer were also often used to haul freight on the Seward Peninsula. The first postal reindeer route was established between St. Michael and Kotzebue in 1899. Reindeer were preferred to dogs for carrying supplies, as they were less expensive and they could graze freely, whereas food needed to be carried for the dogs.

The end of the Gold Rush would see a decline in the reindeer industry, but it remains part of the western Alaskan economy. Currently, there are approximately 20 reindeer herders and 20,000 reindeer in western Alaska. An additional 10,000 reindeer exist in herds on Nunivak, St. Paul, Umnak, and other Aleutian Islands, along with a few fenced herds along Alaska's road system.

1910 postcard of reindeer team carry mail in Alaska

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