Palmer is a fairly important farming community, although I believe their
main product these days is Cannabis. Palmer was settled during the depression
by a group of midwestern "colonists" brought up to Alaska by the US government.
Major businesses at the time included the Alaska Railroad, which had a
spur through town to the nearby coal fields, and the Matanuska Maid dairy
in the middle of town. The dairy (actually a creamery) was the largest
business for quite some time, ocupying most of the town center and owning
many buildings. The complex included a water tower, power plant, dairy
buildings, warehouses, staff housing, a school, store, and dormitories.
Many of these buildings were linked by small steam tunnels, built sometime
in the 1930s. Rumor has it that these tunnels are now inhabited by ghosts
and satanic cults, until recently it was fairly easy for local teens to
enter and have parties inside the abandoned tunnels and basements of disused
buildings. When I visited Palmer I was told that all tunnel entrances had
been sealed, and that the best entrance was lost when the main Creamery
building burned. I was able to locate an entrance near the creamery, but
when I returned later to explore it I found that it had been buried by
the public works department (or someone anyway).
The remaining creamery buildings: the third photo shows the location
of the former main building, which burned a few years ago.
The Colony Inn, formerly a worker's dormitory. This has a confirmed
tunnel entrance, but I failed to pick the lock on the basement door.
The old coal-fired power plant. At one side is a chamber which seems
to lead into the tunnels, but they have been sealed or were never originally
connected.
The actual, genuine Palmer Satanist Tunnels, in all their glory a week
before being sealed. I'm sad :(
Potentially a new entrance, if it erodes far enough and isn't noticed
by the fuzz. Then again that trailer could end up falling into it.
A locked manhole at the nearby state fair, I'm not sure why...
Ghost tracks of the former Alaska Railroad spur up the Matanuska Valley.
The aurora popped out for me while I was in town.
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