Brief History of Kenai and Soldotna, Alaska

The Diamond M Ranch was originally a fox farm in the 1920’s because of its easy access to the Kenai River. It was later homesteaded by Red Miller in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s. Carrol and JoAnne Martin purchased the Diamond M Ranch property in 1975---which is the same time that the bridge you see on the viewing deck was opened in to Kenai.

Kenai is on the Cook Inlet at the mouth of the Kenai River. Pre-1700’s the Dena'ina Athabascan village of Skitok, which translates as "where we slide down," existed at the site of modern Kenai. In 1778 Captain Cook sailed up Cook Inlet looking for the Northwest Passage from Pacific to the Atlantic. In 1791, Russia built Fort St. Nicholas in the midst of an Athabascan Dena’ina community near what is now Kenai. The Dena’ina hunted, fished, farmed and trapped in this area, but the Russians were only interested in the fur trade.

Alaska was purchased by the U.S. in 1867 for $7,200,000. The U.S. Military established a fort in the years following and this brought in a post office to Kenai. A village grew up around it.

The area was opened for homestead filing in 1947 and veterans were granted a 90-day preference over non-veterans in choosing and filing for land. Thus, World War II veterans were among the very first Soldotna homesteaders. Transportation to the area was difficult; some flew or took a barge to Kenai, then hiked eleven miles to Soldotna, while others took a train to Moose Pass and sloshed seventy miles through the mud.

Soldotna took its name from the existing Soldotna Creek that empties into the Kenai River. Some say "Soldotna" came from the Russian word meaning, "soldier". Others say it is from an Athabascan Indian word meaning "the stream fork". In 1949, Soldotna obtained its first post office.

In 1957, oil was discovered in Alaska at the Swanson River near Kenai; Soldotna and the oil’s “boom years” began. In 1959, Alaska became the 49th state. Kenai’s economy was traditionally based on the oil and gas industry and commercial fishing. Over the past few years, tourism is playing a more important role.

Today, Old Town Kenai still shows remnants of its Russian history. A self-guided walking tour takes visitors to some of these sites as well as to the Russian Orthodox Church, where services are still held. Many Alaska Native and Russian artifacts are on display at the Kenai Visitors Cultural Center. Soldotna’s Visitor Center is also a good place to visit, with a Homesteader’s Cabin Museum nearby.