Curry, Alaska

Curry is a ghost town in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It was also known as Dead Horse (not to be confused with the community near the Arctic Ocean). Its post office was founded with that name as well.[1]

Curry, Alaska

Dead Horse, Alaska
Ghost town
Curry, Alaska
Location of Curry in the state of Alaska, United States
Coordinates: 62°36′53″N 150°00′43″W
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughMatanuska-Susitna
Government
 • Borough mayorVern Halter
Elevation
554 ft (169 m)
Time zoneUTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-8 (AKDT)
GNIS feature ID1400901[1]

History

The old townsite of Curry is now an uninhabited stop along the Alaska Railroad, about 22 miles north of Talkeetna. In 1922, this remote train station in the Alaska wilderness became a briefly popular luxury resort destination. Located halfway between Seward and Fairbanks and alongside the Sustina River, Curry was billed "a wilderness palace" when the Railroad opened the first hotel in 1923. Curry was the perfect overnight stop for rail passengers, and with the hotel and renowned fishing, became a destination spot of its own. The little town blossomed, and the resort became more popular as it expanded to include a golf course, a suspension bridge, and boasted magnificent views of Mount Denali.

Curry was plagued by a series of unfortunate events leading to its ultimate demise. A fire in 1926 destroyed the engine house and power plant. The engine house was again destroyed by fire in 1933. The construction of a larger hotel in Denali National Park in 1939 drew visitors away from Curry, but the Railroad continued investing in the town, housing employees there in 1945. Disaster came again in the way of a boiler explosion in 1946, completely destroying the power plant. Curry rebuilt, and added a ski area, which would be popular for years to come. The final disaster, however, was a fire in April 1957, in which fire burned down the town's lifeblood, the 75-room hotel. Three people were killed in the blaze. The hotel was never rebuilt, and Curry faded away.

Today you can get off and explore the site on the Alaska Railroad's Hurricane Train, or take one of the rafting expeditions from Talkeetna that go up the Sustina River.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
193091—
194045−50.5%
1950183306.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[2]

Curry first appeared on the 1930 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It appeared just twice more in 1940 and 1950.

gollark: I always have trouble with questions like this. I'm torn between saying "it makes it loop infinitely" and a proper explanation which is hard to type on a phone and possibly harder to understand.
gollark: Also what are you *doing*? `if 1 == 1`?!
gollark: That's because `reactor.getEnergyStored` is a function. You need to call it to get the result.
gollark: Perhaps. Can you see what error you get?
gollark: All all hail dofile.

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Curry, Alaska
  2. "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved June 6, 2013.



This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.