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Newspaper The Valley Settler (Palmer, Alaska) 1937-195?

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About The Valley Settler (Palmer, Alaska) 1937-195?

The Valley Settler was a weekly mimeographed tabloid published in the Matanuska Valley, home of the Matanuska Colony, a New Deal program of the federal government to resettle displaced Midwestern farmers in Alaska. It was published by the Matanuska Valley Farmers’ Cooperating Association beginning in late 1937 and sent to its members. Verna Eastham was the managing editor. The publisher’s block stated that the purpose of the Settler was to share news of the Co-op’s “work, problems and accomplishments and also news of local and general interest; and to help foster the competitive spirit of the farmers.” The publication included hand-drawn and lettered advertisements for other co-op businesses.

The Settler reported on the activities and meetings of local councils and the Alaska Rural Rehabilitation Corporation. The realty contracts signed by the colonists with the government, the terms of those contracts, and when payments would come due, were important issues to the colonists and thus had recurring coverage in the paper. The paper also reported on the produce contract signed between the co-op marketing association and the Army in 1943 to supply vegetables for the military, including the planning and surveying that was being done to see if the farmers could successfully meet the contract. The editor, Carl Rasmussen, pushed back in the September 10, 1943, issue against a rumor that the Army would renege on its deal with the Co-op and called the idea as “so ridiculous that it doesn’t deserve any attention.” Rasmussen countered that “the only danger that exists … is the failure on the part of the growers and their marketing association to live up to their part of the contract.”

Lois Allen temporarily became the editor of the Settler in May 1942, after she had moved on from Moose Pass and the Moose Pass Miner. In handing over the editor position the previous editor, Irving Nowville, wrote that both farming and editing were full time jobs and “The Valley Settler, though small, deserves more consideration than we have been able to give.” Allen’s tenure was short-lived: she left in November of the same year to become a teacher. The paper was published at least through February 22, 1952.

Provided By: Alaska State Library Historical Collections

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Valley Settler (Palmer, Alaska) 1937-195?

Dates of Publication

  • 1937-195?

Created / Published

  • Palmer, Alaska : Matanuska Valley Farmers' Cooperating Assn.

Headings

  • -  Palmer (Alaska)--Newspapers
  • -  Alaska--Palmer
  • -  United States--Alaska--Palmer

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began Dec. 2, 1937.
  • -  Issue numbering irregular.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 1, no. 2 (Dec. 9, 1937).

Medium

  • v.

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn98060266

OCLC Number

  • 39215562

ISSN Number

  • 2993-902x

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The Valley Settler Palmer, Alaska -195?. (Palmer, AK), Jan. 1 1937. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn98060266/.

APA citation style:

(1937, January 1) The Valley Settler Palmer, Alaska -195?. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn98060266/.

MLA citation style:

The Valley Settler Palmer, Alaska -195?. (Palmer, AK) 1 Jan. 1937. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn98060266/.