Trapper Creek

History

The first permanent inhabitants of the area were brothers Oliver Rabidoux and Noah Rabidoux. These men were trappers, giving the area its name of Trapper Creek. The discovery of gold in 1905 in the Cache Creek mining district brought more people to the area. In 1914, construction on the Alaska Railroad began, prompting the opening of a district headquarters in the neighboring town of Talkeetna in 1916. This enabled miners and trappers to travel by rail to Talkeetna and then cross the Susitna River and arrive in Trapper Creek. In 1917, construction on Petersville Road, one of two major roads that run through Trapper Creek, began from the river landing. The town grew with the arrival of homesteaders in the late 1930's. In 1939, Shorty Bradly was the first to settle permanently in the region and started a homestead along the Petersville Road. In 1959 an influx of people from Michigan, known locally as the Michigan 59'ers, staked homesteads to the west of Shorty's original homestead. In 1968, Trapper Creek was connected to the highway system as the George Parks Highway was pushed north to Fairbanks.

Geography

Trapper Creek is a community located in Matanuska-Susitna Borough at latitude 62.317 and longitude -150.231, with an elevation of . It is at mile 114.5 on the Parks Highway, just south of Denali State Park. Trapper Creek is found at the intersection of Petersville Road and is spread out along the Parks Highway north of Talkeetna Junction. The Trapper Creek CDP extends west down the Petersville Road, which leads to mining, prospecting, and recreation country in the foothills of the Alaska Range. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.37%, are water. The eastern border of the CDP is formed by the Chulitna and Susitna rivers.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Trapper Creek Elementary
  Elementary · Trapper Creek · 22 students · 22:1 ratio