All things hidden had been revealed—most important of all, the love they would share for a lifetime.
Dear Reader
We want to thank you for joining us on this journey.
The decision was made in January of 1935 for the Matanuska Project. In less than five months, the government had to plan and ship everything for the colony and choose all the families. (And the ARRC wasn’t actually established until April!) In such a brief amount of time, there were sure to be mistakes—and there were many—but the brave colonists who stayed will go down in history as pioneers of the Alaska territory.
The incredible valley that is the Mat-Su valley today is flourishing with the towns of Wasilla and Palmer. It’s one of our favorite places. Surrounded by some of the world’s most beautiful mountains, the valley is fertile. With long days and plenty of sunlight in the summer months, the crops grow to enormous sizes. Just like the twenty-pound cabbage.
Even though FDR’s project was real and we used the historical timeline of real events, our hero and heroine (and their families), Nasnana and Sadzi, our Pinkerton agent, the bank robbery in Chicago, the colonists’ fear of the natives, and the criminal activity at the colony are all fictitious for the story.
But below are many of the real events and real people we used:
The hailstorm, July Fourth picnic and celebration, and the Matanuska River flooding (although we fictionalized and dramatized it for our story, it did flood, and it flooded the town of Matanuska) all happened. The actual telegram sent to Washington was taken from Alaska Far Away, seventy-five workers left in a single day, and many families left as well. The concert and performer in September were real, as well as David Williams’s changing the positioning of the town, and all the generous Christmas presents for the families celebrating their first Christmas in the colony.
Dr. Earl Albrecht was indeed sent after the deaths of several children. But what is most fascinating is that this man did it all alone. Posted at the railway hospital in Anchorage, he came to the valley in July of 1935 and was the only doctor. An extraordinary man, he longed to be a missionary doctor to Bethel, Alaska, but was sent to Palmer instead in the midst of the Great Depression. Later in his career, he became Alaska’s first full-time commissioner of health and also won the right for natives to be treated at Alaska hospitals. In addition, he’s noted to have all but eradicated the plague of tuberculosis, which was widespread and extensive during that time among the native populations. During WWII, he ran the hospital at Fort Richardson with responsibility for more than 50,000 troops.
Our cast of characters included many other real people from this exciting time in our history:
The first baby born in the colony—Laura Norena Van Wormer
The Bouwens family and all their children (they were the largest family chosen)
Don Irwin—general manager of the ARRC
Eugene Carr—U.S. commissioner
Stewart Campbell—FERA administrator
Mrs. Lydia Fohn-Hansen—from the University of Alaska
David Williams—platted the town of Palmer
Reverend Bingle and the other two clergymen
Arville Schaleben—reporter for the Milwaukee Journal
As you can imagine, we had a lot of fun researching this story. If you’d like to see some of it for yourself, this Web site gives an aerial tour of the Valley in 1939: http://palmerhistoricalsociety.org/1939%20Aerial%20Photos.htm. Another favorite resource was the Alaska Digital Archives—below is a Web site with hundreds of pictures from the ARRC and the Matanuska Colonization: http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cdmg21/id/4336/show/3280.
The Palmer Historical Society was a huge help to us during the research of this book. http://palmerhistoricalsociety.org/colonyhouse.htm. The Colony House Museum is a charming place to visit, and if you are ever in Alaska, we highly recommend it!
The documentary entitled Alaska Far Away gives a detailed account of the Matanuska Colonization and also has interviews with a few of the original colonists and colony children.
Again, we’d like to thank you for joining us for All Things Hidden.
Enjoy the journey,
Tracie and Kimberley
Acknowledgments
Heartfelt thanks are due to many people, for each book takes a team to bring to this point.
First and foremost—to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May you alone be glorified. This is for you.
Jeremy, Josh, and Kayla—my beloved family. I love you. Thank you for all the encouragement and support. I couldn’t do this ministry without you.
Tracie Peterson—What a gift you are to me, precious friend! I’m so thankful to the Lord for crossing our paths all those years ago. How humbling to be asked to team with you and what an incredible, incredible honor. You have blessed me immeasurably.
Karen Ball—amazing editor, agent, and friend. You always challenge me and help me grow. So very thankful you are on this journey with me.
The absolutely incredible team at Bethany House—wow. Let me say that again backward—wow. Your love for the Lord, the written word, and your authors shines through. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Dave Horton—it has been a privilege. Thank you.
Sharon Asmus—thank you so much for being such a wonderful editor to work with. What a joy!
Becca Whitham and Darcie Gudger—love you—thanks for reading in a crunch!
Arlene Benson Fox and Wayne Bouwens—real colony children—thank you for answering so many questions and sharing a bit of the actual account with us. It was so much fun to learn about you all.
Tracie Peterson is the author of more than ninety novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her bestselling HEIRS OF MONTANA and STRIKING A MATCH series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.
Visit Tracie’s Web site at www.traciepeterson.com.
Kimberley Woodhouse is a multi-published author of fiction and nonfiction. A popular speaker and teacher, she’s shared her theme of “Joy Through Trials” with over 150,000 people at more than a thousand venues across the country. She lives, writes, and homeschools with her husband of twenty-plus years and their two awesome teens in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Connect with Kim at www.kimberleywoodhouse.com.
Books by Tracie Peterson
* * *
www.traciepeterson.com
House of Secrets • A Slender Thread • Where My Heart Belongs
LAND OF SHINING WATER
The Icecutter’s Daughter
The Quarryman’s Bride
The Miner’s Lady
LAND OF THE LONE STAR
Chasing the Sun
Touching the Sky
Taming the Wind
SONG OF ALASKA
Dawn’s Prelude
Morning’s Refrain
Twilight’s Serenade
STRIKING A MATCH
Embers of Love
Hearts Aglow
Hope Rekindled
ALASKAN QUEST
Summer of the Midnight Sun
Under the Northern Lights
Whispers of Winter
Alaskan Quest (3 in 1)
BRIDES OF GALLATIN COUNTY
A Promise to Believe In
A Love to Last Forever
A Dream to Call My Own
DESERT ROSES
Shadows of the Canyon
Across the Years
Beneath a Harvest Sky
HEIRS OF MONTANA
Land of My Heart
The Coming Storm
To Dream Anew
The Hope Within
LADIES OF LIBERTY
A Lady of High Regard
A Lady of Hidden Intent
A Lady of Secret Devotion
WESTWARD CHRONICLES
A Shelter of Hope
Hidden in a Whisper
A Veiled Reflection
YUKON QUEST
Treasures of the Nor
th
Ashes and Ice
Rivers of Gold
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
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