Talkeetna and the Alaska Rail to Anchorage

After our tour left the Mt McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge we were bused to Talkeetna, Alaska, where we had a few hours to enjoy on our own before we were to board an Alaska Railroad train to travel to Anchorage, Alaska.

Talkeetna is located at the confluence of three rivers, the Susitna, Chulitna, and Talkeetna, forming the Big Susitna River.  The town began in 1916 when the area was chosen as a district headquarters for the Alaska Railroad and became a home to area miners after the railroad's completion. A post office opened, as well as a sawmill, trading post, boarding houses, and other businesses, as well as many miner's cabins. You can read more about Talkkeetna's history on this link. It still retains a bohemian pioneer vibe. Talkeetna is the staging area for the mountaineers who attempt to climb Denali each summer, as well as those seeking flightseeing, rafting, mountain biking, hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting.

The Talkeetna Historic District encompasses several blocks of the historic village center of Talkeetna. In the photo collage above we see Nagley's Store on top. The Nagley family are pioneer residents of Talkeetna. They were also partners in the Westward Hotel in Anchorage, a predecessor to today's Hilton Anchorage Hotel.  In the lower-left is the Fairview Inn, the town's first schoolhouse, now the Talkeetna Museum, In the lower right is the Talkeetna Roadhouse, which was built as a residential log house in 1917 and expanded in the 1940s to serve as a roadhouse.

Another historic structure is Tom Weatherill's House. His 20' x 26' log house was built in 1940 by peg and dowels instead of nails. It was painted a bright yellow. Weatherill arrived in Talkeetna in 1921. He was first a miner, who later also became a long-time employee at Nagleys Supply Store.

Sights from the historic section of Talkeetna...

...and some more charm.

I loved seeing all the wild Irises growing all around Talkeetna!

Please double click on the photo to enlarge it to read the placards about this historic site.

Talkeetna’s first businesswoman, Isabella “Belle” Lee McDonald, arrived in Talkeetna in 1917 and married Ed Lee. Along with her brother-in-law Frank Lee as her head freighter, Belle developed the Talkeetna Trading Post, a freighting service, stable, blacksmith shop, and the beginnings of a roadhouse, located half a mile west of the present-day Talkeetna Roadhouse, at the edge of the river. After Ed died in 1928, Frank and Belle continued the freighting business together.

Near the McDonald historic site, there was a wooded area that surprised me! It was filled with lush ferns and lots of wildflowers, particularly common yarrow. I never imagined Alaska having such a tropical looking area but I soon learned Alaska has one of the largest temperate rainforests in the world--the Tongass National Forest. 

My husband and I walked to Talkeetna's River Front Park to see the confluence of the three rivers that meet there--the Susitna, Chulitna, and Talkeetna rovers, forming the Big Susitna River.   To see a video of the rivers flowing together go to my Mille Fiori Facebook page at this link. Click on the photo which will bring you to Google photos and then click on that photo to begin the video--make sure sound is on! 

Talkeetna is nestled at the base of North America’s tallest peak--Denali--and also a panoramic view of the Alaska Range, but once again, heavy clouds obstructed those views while we were there.

We saw many river rafters downstream.

We walked towards the Alaska Railroad Talkeetna Depot to wait for the train that would be taking our tour group to Anchorage, Alaska. Since we were a little early we decided to cool off at a nearby bar with a cold beer first.  

We kept hearing the frequent bush planes flying overhead. That sound will always be a fond memory of Alaska for me.

Finally, our train arrived!

It was going to be nice to sit back and relax for a couple hours and see the views from our train car.

The views of the Alaskan Range from the train were glorious, full of misty mountains, shimmering rivers and creeks, thick lush greenery and spikey spruce trees

Soon we would arrive at Alaska's largest city and the last part of our land tour--my next post. We would be boarding the cruise portion of our trip in Whittier, Alaska, after our visit to Anchorage. Mount Denali might have kept itself hidden from sight during our land visit, but we certainly saw so much other Alaskan beauty!

You can also find me on 

Instagram Twitter Facebook 
Pinterest

I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

 Mosaic Monday, All Seasons, Blue Monday, Through My Lens Monday, Little Cottage Link Party, Blogging Grandmothers, Hearth, and Soul Link Party, You Are the Star Blog Hop, Good Random Fun, Nature Notes, Grand Social, Travel Photos, Photo Tunes, Happiness Is Homemade, Something Old Is New, Our World Tuesday, Ruby Tuesday, Tuesdays With A Twist, Wordless Wednesday on a Tuesday, Say Cheese!,  Party in Your PJ's, Wordless Wednesday, Nanahood WW, Oh My Heartsie Girl's Wonderful Wednesday, Your Whims Wednesday, Worldless Wednesday at Sky Girl, Wednesday My Corner of the World, Wonderful Wednesday,  Little Things Thursday,Thankful Thursday, Thursday Encouraging Hearts and Home, Thursday Favorite Things, , Friendship Fridays, Friday Features Linky Party, Friday Photo Journal, Skywatch Friday, Pink Saturday, Saturday Critters, 

Over the Moon Grammys Grid-Month Long Linky Party