What is the Hyland Hotel?
This is the oldest hotel in Palmer, Alaska!
What Makes It Historical?
As part of the New Deal, the federal government set aside land in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley to resettle 203 families who’d lost everything in the Dust Bowl! This Matanuska Colony was centered in the new town of Palmer, named after trader, George Palmer, and here in 1935, Myles and Joanna Hyland arrived from Girdwood to build a hotel from scratch! They dug the basement themselves, and with funds from meals that Joanna sold onsite, bought scrap lumber and windows from an old mining dormitory, plus $100 worth of furniture from Anchorage! The Hyland Hotel opened in 1936 with four single rooms at $3 per day, two double rooms at $4 a day, and three apartments, often used by local coal miners! Except for a brief period in the 1950s, this plucky hotel has been operating ever since!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Spend the night at the Hyland Hotel!
- Become a member of the Palmer Historical Society!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
333 W Evergreen Avenue
Palmer, AK 99645
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!