May 26, Historical Wasilla and its Ghost Town Neighbor

Did some of our own exploring today and found out that we were within miles of the Cook Inlet.  It is the inlet the British Explorer Captain James Cook landed at,  looking for the Northwest Passage.   The settlement that was located here was called Knik.  It was a thriving area until the railroad decided to build their railroad a little further south,  where the town of Wasilla would develop and flourish.  As a result,  Knik became a ghost town. They say there are only two historical buildings left of that era 
because the others were destroyed 
when a new highway was put in in the 60's. 

The Iditarod Trail ran through Knik.  In 1912, four Iditarod teams carrying 2,600 pounds of gold bullions,  arrived at Knik which fueled "gold fever."  In 1916, a gold Iditarod team arrived with 3,400 pounds of gold hauled by 46 dogs.  
That had to be a sight to see! 

An odd sign for us to see;  but not for the people in Alaska.

I know we have seen these a little in Wisconsin; but in Alaska they are all over.  They are drive up coffee shops and and are painted all different styles.  Sometimes we even see them in what seems to be in the middle of nowhere. 

People think it's summer here!  I'm comfortable with a long-sleeved shirt on.  I guess for Alaskans....when the average high for the whole summer is 70....the 60's in May seem like a heatwave!

This is the view from our camper.  
The haze isn't due to the weather.  
It's the effect of the fires that are raging on the Kenai Peninsula. 

Over 182,000 acres have burned and over 1,000 people have been forced to leave their homes for safety.  They are hoping for rain to help get this fire under control.