Alaska Railroad - Matanuska Branch Map, 1918
Map, railroad route, Anchorage to Chickaloon and main line to Houston showing agricultural mining & industrial development, in vicinity of government railroad. Feb. 1918 Verso: Alaska Railroad - Matanuska Branch [AEC H55. cf. .33]
Map, railroad route, Anchorage to Chickaloon and main line to Houston showing agricultural mining & industrial development, in vicinity of government railroad. Feb. 1918 Verso: Alaska Railroad - Matanuska Branch [AEC H55. cf. .33]
The development of the Alaska Railroad had a profound negative impact on Alaska Native Peoples. Although it was intended to connect communities across the state, the construction of the railroad led to an influx of new populations, the destruction of thousands of acres of pristine land, the creation of pollution where there was none, and in some cases, the diversion of waterways that disrupted salmon populations—an essential food source for Alaska Native Peoples. These destructive changes disrupted the Ahtna way of life, and their lasting effects continue to influence the work of the Tribe's Environmental Stewardship Department, which is dedicated to reversing this damage.
The Matanuska Branch of the Alaska Railroad lies within the ancestral homelands of Nay'dini'aa Na' Kayax (Chickaloon Native Village). Although these lands were never ceded and only parcels of land within this area are under the legal ownership of the Tribe, the Tribe continues to monitor all of these lands including occasionally assisting in clean up, rehabilitation and cultural interpretation, to ensure they are responsibly stewarded and that their history is appropriately acknowledged.