Matanuska Colony

In 1935, the federal government sponsored a rural resettlement project in Alaska’s Matanuska Valley, selecting families affected by the Great Depression to establish farms and a planned community. Colonists travelled north with promises of land and a new economic beginning.

The project faced inadequate preparation, construction delays, unfamiliar climate and conflict over administration. Existing Alaskan residents also experienced the arrival as a major intervention in local life and resources.

All Things Hidden uses the colony’s medical and social pressures as the background for a nurse and a displaced Chicago doctor trying to rebuild their lives.