The origins of the Historical Society read like a number of Talkeetna organizations. The society was formed in 1972 by a small group of Talkeetna residents headed by Minnie Swanda and Pete Dana. They worked on making the old one room schoolhouse a museum, which opened in 1974. There are very few documents to show how many meetings were held or what was official in those days. There is a gap in the late 70s. The society officially signed incorporation documents in 1985. Some of the same residents that started the organization were on that Board of Directors. Since that time, however, the society took off and at times had as many as 250 or 300 members from around the world. In 1989, we became an official 501 c 3 nonprofit, tax deductible organization.
Today, the organization handles several historic properties and buildings and continues to promote and educate individuals and visitors from all over the world about Talkeetna’s rich heritage: natives, mining, mountaineering, the Alaska Railroad and much more.
