Homesteads on Fort Richardson, Alaska - The USARAK Home Page ...

The roof of the cabin has collapsed, and the back and side wallshave fallen. An eastern portion of the land appears to have beencleared for fields and is presently maintained as moose habitat bythe army. Very few trees in the immediate vicinity of the cabinwere cut down. Building logs were probably obtained from theroad being built and the garden clearing a small distance from thecabin. In front of the cabin is a six-feet deep wood framed pit thatwas used for meat storage.Figure 26. Front view of Meier cabin.Bill Quirk standing in storage pit to right.From collection of USARAK.The cabin is not eligible for the National Register of HistoricPlaces. It was inhabited for approximately three years and, accordingto Doris Meier, used by the military after their departure.The Meiers did not have enough time to “prove up” and receivepatent before the land was withdrawn. The cabin is deterioratedand collapsed. Its appearance was altered by the military in removingall interior fixtures, chinking, flooring, doors, and windows.The site no longer conveys integrity of design, feeling, association,materials or workmanship. The site contains no artifactualmaterial that would provide information important to our understandingof the history of homesteadingANC-1167ANC-1167 is the former homestead of ChristFolberg. The land was entered in 1917, and patentwas issued in 1924. Folberg sold the homesteadto Jack Mannick in 1938 for $300. Field surveyfound a cabin that matches the one the wardepartment’s closing sheet describes as underconstruction in 1942. It was probably built by JackMannick.Figure 27. East view of Mannick cabin. From collectionof USARAK.This is a 10' x 30' three room log house. It and thesurrounding area is very clean with little culturaldebris. The cabin is in good condition except forpart of the north gable which is gone. Remainingelevations and corrugated tin roof are intact.The building is constructed with full dovetail notching, from full and two-sidedlogs. The walls are pegged. Canvas and burlap were used for chinking. On the long,east side of the cabin are two windows centered in the two end pens and a largeopening in the center pen. The opening was infilled down to a single personal door.This infill has fallen to the ground. The south elevation is gabled end and has asmall, single sash window in the gable wall. An infilled door is to the right of theelevation’s center. The east side has a window centered in each room.The floor of the cabin is 2 x lumber with log joist. There are three rooms: oneclearly a kitchen and one a bedroom. It is less obvious what the south room wasused for. The flooring in the northern room has been removed. The center room hasa hole in the roof for the wood stove, and a table hinged to the south interior wall.There is some debris scattered about the room, mostly old cans and cooking items.50<strong>Homesteads</strong> on Fort RichardsonAlaska