The Soldotna, Alaska Story
From fish and timber to oil.
Photo above from KPC Anthropology Lab, year unknown
In the picture are Paul and Jane Nestor with their children in front of their concrete manufacturing plant.
Where is Soldotna?
The south central Alaska town of Soldotna is located 150 miles south of Anchorage by road on the Kenai Peninsula. In 1960, the population was 332. In 2021, the population was 4,444.
What Does Soldotna Mean?
The name, Soldotna, comes from the Dena’ina word, ts’eldat’nu, meaning “trickling down creek”.
The Kenai Peninsula was originally the home of the Kenaitze Indians. Later, the area was developed by non-natives for its fish, timber, and oil.
Homesteading
In 1947, following World War II, the United States government opened up the area for homesteading.
However, Veterans were given preference for a 90-day period over non-veterans.
The Original Soldotna Post Office
In the picture above is the original Soldotna Post Office
Now on the National Register of Historic Places. It still stands on its original site near Corral Street.
A Name Change
The Soldotna Post Office was established in 1949.
The name of the town that was originally submitted to the U.S. Postal System was “Soldatna”. The name wasn’t officially changed to Soldotna until the 1960s.
Yes, You can Share this Edition
Your friends and family will say “wow” when you share this look at Soldotna, Alaska with them. They may even be so happy that they will send you on an all expense - paid, cruise around the world… well, it could happen.
The Sterling Highway
The photo above shows the construction of the Sterling Highway
The 138 mile-long Sterling Highway goes from the Seward Highway at the Tern Lake Junction, 90 miles from Anchorage, to the town of Homer.
Construction of the highway began in 1946 to connect the Kenai Peninsula agricultural area with Seward. The main reason for the road was and transport agriculture and for tourism.
The highway was named for Hawley Sterling, a Civil Engineer who surveyed the route for the highway.
Dedication of the Sterling Highway Bridge
Soldotna is located at the junction of the Sterling Highway and the Kenai Spur Highway. The Sterling Highway Bridge was officially dedicated in September 1950.
The bridge connected the Kenai Peninsula with the rest of Alaska.
The First Full-Time Movie Theater in Soldotna
Photo above from KPC Anthropology Lab, year unknown
George and Shirley Denison opened the first full-time movie theater in Soldotna in 1957. Mike of Alaska Stories remembers seeing the movie, “Demetrius and the Gladiators” at the theatre seen above.
The Discovery of Oil
In the picture above is part of the Swanson River Oil Fields
Soldotna, on the Kenai Peninsula, borders Cook Inlet. The town of Soldotna is just over 30 miles from the Swanson River oil field.
Richfield drilled the first well at Swanson River in July 1957 and struck oil.
The Swanson River field was the first commercial oil field discovered in the Cook Inlet, triggering a massive land rush for oil and gas leases on the Kenai Peninsula. The discovery led to other major oil and gas discoveries in Cook Inlet.
Alaska's first governor, Bill Egan, later credited Swanson River with providing the economic justification for statehood.
Visiting the Kenai Peninsula
The name Kenai comes from the word “Kenaitze” or the Kenaitze Tribe, which is the name of the Athabascan Tribe who had historically inhabited the area.
They call the Kenai Peninsula, “Yaghanen”, meaning “the good land”.
There are plenty of great reasons to visit Soldotna and the Kenai Peninsula.
World-class fishing on the Kenai River, sightseeing in the 600,000 acre Kenai Fjords National Park which could include visiting a glacier on the Harding Ice Field, the largest in the United States.
BONUS
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Take a look at Soldotna, Alaska and discover.
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Until Next Time
Mike and Mary
Alaska Stories