Talkeetna Alaska Lodging, Susitna River Lodge

Talkeetna - History

The Talkeetna and Chulitna Rivers join the Susitna River at Talkeetna, an Indian (Tanaina) word meaning “river of plenty.” Originally the site of a Tanaina Indian village, Talkeetna was settled as a mining town and Alaska Commercial Co. trading post in 1896, before either Wasilla or Anchorage existed. A gold rush to the Susitna River brought prospectors to the area, and by 1910, Talkeetna was a riverboat steamer station, supplying miners and trappers. In 1915, Talkeetna was chosen as the headquarters for the Alaska Engineering Commission, who built the Alaska Railroad. Several of its old log buildings are now historical landmarks, and Talkeetna was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 1993.

The town is approximately 370 feet above sea level with Mt. McKinley rising to 20,320 feet above sea level to the north. Denali (the high one) is the Athabascan word for Mount McKinley, the crown jewel of the Alaska Range and the world’s tallest mountain from top to bottom.

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