****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This book had me at the cover, and while there is a lot written about the neighbor town of Palmer's colonist history, not a lot can be found specific to Wasilla. I was not disappointed. The book is divided into three parts: a narrative history, a pictorial history, and a family history. The narrative history is something that would be of interest to anyone in South Central Alaska. It starts with how the land was formed and continues, covering the early peoples, the Russian period, gold, railroads, homesteaders, colonists, schools, statehood, and even a brief projection about what the next 100 years might hold. I love historical pictures and have seen several from this area because I live here. This book had several new ones that I'd never seen because as part of Coghlan's research he visited many of the early residents who opened their doors, sharing stories and wonderful photos. Which leads to part three, the family histories. It was fascinating to learn about who was behind several of the street names in the Wasilla community. This book really takes a deep look into Wasilla's unique history and I believe would be of interest to anyone with an interest in Alaska.
