Colony Christmas

Last week Ken and I were in Palmer, Alaska. We celebrated cold weather in a winter wonderland, where we attended  “Colony Christmas”. 

There were all the trappings of a small town from the turn of the last century. 

We attended craft fairs. The children built marshmallow snowmen and the adults toasted to one another at the Pioneer Museum. A string trio played Christmas music as people simply enjoyed each other’s acquaintance.

Our grandchildren baked Texas Tea Cakes and we attended the play, “A Christmas Carol” at the PAC in Anchorage. 

It reminded me of the night before Christmas: “Mama in her 'kerchief… just settled down for a long winter's nap”.

Palmer is a small farming community north of Anchorage, in the Matanuska Valley. Historically, in May of 1935, 203 families from Michigan and Minnesota relocated to Palmer in an effort to colonize the area.

I was able to visit with one of those pioneers this past week, Bonnie Larash. Bonnie was a 1 year old babe the year her Mom (age 19) and Dad (age 24) moved  to the Mat-Su Valley.

Bonnie, now 80, grew up in the Mat-Su. She has a picture of herself as a toddler I love!  She looks like Shirley Temple standing on a rugged driveway holding a slice of cheese letting the entire world know she will survive.

Bonnie told me Alaska has changed. But people need to remember, “It’s not like the TV shows, nor will it ever be”. 

She remembers 25 below degree days - using hot water from a wood fire and pouring the water over a frozen propane bottle to warm up the propane.  She needed to do this just to get it out of the bottle to shower to go to work. 

As a child, her first home was a tent. Yes, there was lumber, but her folks had to build the house --- no chain saws! When the families arrived they drew lots for the 40-acre tracts and their farming adventure began in earnest. The failure rate was high. There was no US currency; everything came from the company store.

After a few years, Bonnie’s dad realized that unless he got away from that co-op his family would die owing the company. So they moved into the upper story of a flooded out school house.  Life was hard.

Bonnie grew up and worked at Peggy’s Diner in Anchorage (by the way it is still there) where she earned $2.49 an hour and she raised three kids!  After the children grew up she was offered a job on the Alaska Pipeline, Pump Station 12.  She earned $12.49. She said it was the best job she ever had.

Bonnie is a treasure.  She has life experience!

Look around and you’ll find a Bonnie; I have a few of them.  There is my Aunt Knoxine and my Dad, Tom Campbell.  These people are remarkable, rugged individuals. They have survived life and have life wisdom.

                                                       

I like that!

This holiday, spend time with people who can teach you to learn to leave your own trail.