Matanuska River
The Matanuska River ( Dena'ina: ''Ch'atanhtnu''; Ahtna: ''Ts'itonhna’'') is a 75-mile (121 km) long river in Southcentral Alaska, United States. The river drains a broad valley south of the Alaska Range eponymously known as the Matanuska Valley. Course Formed by the confluence of its east and south forks, the Matanuska River flows generally southwest to the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. Downstream of its source, the river is joined by meltwater from Matanuska Glacier in the northern Chugach Mountains. From there it continues through the Matanuska Valley, between the Chugach Mountains to the south and the Talkeetna Mountains to the north. Population centers along its course include Chickaloon, Sutton, Palmer, and Butte. It enters the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet about southwest of Palmer and about northeast of Anchorage. The Glenn Highway runs roughly parallel to the river for much of its length. Highway bridges over the river, listed from source to mouth, include Glacier Park B ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Glenn Highway
The Glenn Highway (part of Alaska Route 1) is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska, extending from Anchorage near Merrill Field to Glennallen on the Richardson Highway. The Tok Cut-Off is often considered part of the Glenn Highway, for a total length of . Route description The longest stretch of freeway in Alaska runs mostly along the Glenn Highway, beginning in north Anchorage, continuing onto the Parks Highway at the interchange of the two roads, and ending in the city limits of Wasilla, for a total of approximately 38 miles (61 km). This portion of the Glenn Highway is the only road access to Anchorage for most of the state (with the exception of the Kenai Peninsula on the Seward Highway), and as such is the main traffic corridor for Anchorage's suburbs in the Chugiak-Eagle River and Mat-Su areas. The highest point on the highway is at ''Eureka Summit'', which sits on the divide between the Chugach and Talkeetna mountain ranges. History The highway originated as t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Knik Arm
Knik Arm ( Dena'ina: ''Nuti'') is a waterway into the northwestern part of the Gulf of Alaska. It is one of two narrow branches of Cook Inlet, the other being Turnagain Arm. Knik Glacier empties into the Knik Arm. The Port of Anchorage is located on the arm. Etymology The Dena'ina name for Knik Arm is ''Nuti'', meaning "salt water". The name "Knik" comes from ''igniq'', the Iñupiaq word for "fire". It has been written Kinik, Kneep, Kneik, Kook, Knuyk, and Kweek. Geography Knik Arm begins at the Inlet's northern edge, near Anchorage, before heading north and east. It is about long, and at its upper end, receives the waters of the Matanuska River. West of Knik Arm is the delta of the Susitna River, the largest stream emptying into the inlet. At the head of Knik Arm, at the mouth of Knik River, was the village (ghost town) of Knik. Knik Arm's other major tributaries are Ship Creek, Eagle River, Peter's Creek, Eklutna River and Fish Creek. The greater part of the plain, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stream Gauge
A stream gauge, streamgage or stream gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water level surface elevation ("stage") and/or volumetric discharge (flow) are generally taken and observations of biota and water quality may also be made. The locations of gauging stations are often found on topographical maps. Some gauging stations are highly automated and may include telemetry capability transmitted to a central data logging facility. Measurement equipment Automated direct measurement of streamflow discharge is difficult at present. In place of the direct measurement of streamflow discharge, one or more surrogate measurements can be used to produce discharge values. In the majority of cases, a stage (the elevation of the water surface) measurement is used as the surrogate. Low gradient (or shallow-sloped) streams are highly influenced by variable downstream c ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization's work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility. The agency was founded on March 3, 1879. The USGS is a bureau of the United States Department of the Interior; it is that department's sole scientific agency. The USGS employs approximately 8,670 people and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. The USGS also has major offices near Lakewood, Colorado, at the Denver Federal Center, and Menlo Park, California. The current motto of the USGS, in use since August 1997, is "science for a changing world". The agency's previous slogan, adopted on the occasion of its hundredt ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Braided River
A braided river, or braided channel, consists of a network of river channels separated by small, often temporary, islands called braid bars or, in English usage, ''aits'' or ''eyots''. Braided streams tend to occur in rivers with high sediment loads or coarse grain sizes, and in rivers with steeper slopes than typical rivers with straight or meandering channel patterns. They are also associated with rivers with rapid and frequent variation in the amount of water they carry, i.e., with "flashy" rivers, and with rivers with weak banks. Braided channels are found in a variety of environments all over the world, including gravelly mountain streams, sand bed rivers, on alluvial fans, on river deltas, and across depositional plains. Description A braided river consists of a network of multiple shallow channels that diverge and rejoin around ephemeral ''braid bars''. This gives the river a fancied resemblance to the interweaved strands of a braid. The braid bars, also known as channel ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Main Stem
In hydrology, a mainstem (or trunk) is "the primary downstream segment of a river, as contrasted to its tributaries". Water enters the mainstem from the river's drainage basin, the land area through which the mainstem and its tributaries flow.. A drainage basin may also be referred to as a ''watershed'' or ''catchment''. Hydrological classification systems assign numbers to tributaries and mainstems within a drainage basin. In the Strahler number, a modification of a system devised by Robert E. Horton in 1945, channels with no tributaries are called "first-order" streams. When two first-order streams meet, they are said to form a second-order stream; when two second-order streams meet, they form a third-order stream, and so on. In the Horton system, the entire mainstem of a drainage basin was assigned the highest number in that basin. However, in the Strahler system, adopted in 1957, only that part of the mainstem below the tributary of the next highest rank gets the highest num ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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King Mountain State Recreation Site
King Mountain State Recreation Site is a state park along the Matanuska River near Chickaloon, Alaska. It features a campground and other visitor amenities. It is located immediately northeast of King Mountain, at mile 76 of the Glenn Highway The Glenn Highway (part of Alaska Route 1) is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska, extending from Anchorage near Merrill Field to Glennallen on the Richardson Highway. The Tok Cut-Off is often considered part of the Glenn Highway, for a tota .... External links King Mountain State Recreation Site- official site Protected areas of Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska State parks of Alaska {{MatanuskaSusitnaAK-geo-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge
The Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge is located in Alaska, south of Wasilla and north of Anchorage. It is composed of of coastal marshy areas adjacent to Knik Arm that support populations of moose, muskrat, foxes, coyotes, eagles, and migratory waterfowl. In springtime, tens of thousands of migratory geese, swans, shoebirds, and ducks rest and refuel. Many of these stay in the summer. The Knik River, the Matanuska River, Rabbit Slough, Wasilla Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Spring Creek flow through it. It is a popular location for hunting, skiing, iceskating, and hiking, and other uses. It is bisected by the Glenn Highway. It can be accessed at Rabbit Slough, from the Glenn Highway, Nelson Road, Scout Ridge and other locations. History An indigenous people called the Knikatnu first settled the land that would become the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge before Alaskan annexation into the United States. The indigenous people left behind a trail that would become the Iditar ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Alaska Railroad
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., it borders the Canadian province of British Columbia and the Yukon territory to the east; it also shares a maritime border with the Russian Federation's Chukotka Autonomous Okrug to the west, just across the Bering Strait. To the north are the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the Arctic Ocean, while the Pacific Ocean lies to the south and southwest. Alaska is by far the largest U.S. state by area, comprising more total area than the next three largest states (Texas, California, and Montana) combined. It represents the seventh-largest subnational division in the world. It is the third-least populous and the most sparsely populated state, but by far the continent's most populous territory located mostly north of the 60th parallel, with a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Butte, Alaska
Butte is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the population was 3,589, up from 3,246 in 2010. Butte is located between the Matanuska River and the Knik River, approximately southeast of Palmer. It is accessible via the Old Glenn Highway. Education Butte has its own elementary school, although the closest high school is Palmer High School. Recreation The town of Butte surrounds the geological formation Bodenburg Butte (''Hutnaynut'i'' in the indigenous Dena'ina language), from which the town draws its name. There are two hikes to the 900-foot summit, which offers 360-degree views of the surrounding Matanuska Valley and distant Knik Glacier. Located within the town is the Knik River Public Use Area (KRPUA), which provides a full spectrum of outdoor recreational opportunities and is open to motorized and non-motorized recreational pursuits ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sutton, Alaska
Sutton (Ahtna: ''Ts'es Tac'ilaexde''; Dena'ina: ''Ts'es Tuk'ilaght'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2020 census the population was 1,038, down from 1,447 in 2010. The CDP includes the former coal mining community and road construction camp of Sutton, as well as the former mining camps of Eska and Jonesville. Geography Sutton-Alpine is located in southeastern Matanuska-Susitna Borough at (61.712473, -148.885625), 52–72 miles (84–116 km) northeast of Anchorage along the Glenn Highway. It sits along Alaska Route 1, the Glenn Highway, between Buffalo Soapstone to the west and Chickaloon to the east. The Matanuska River forms the southern edge of the CDP. Palmer, the borough seat, is to the southwest via the Glenn Highway. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Sutton-Alpine CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.92%, are water. Climate Sutton has a continental suba ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chickaloon, Alaska
Chickaloon (''Nay’dini’aa Na’'' in Ahtna Athabascan; ''Nuk'din'itnu'' in Dena'ina) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 254 at the 2020 census, down from 272 in 2010. The Alaska Native people of Chickaloon are a mixture of Ahtna and Dena'ina Athabaskan. On May 31, 2021 a M6.1 Earthquake struck Chickaloon. Geography Chickaloon is located at (61.793994, -148.482733). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (1.05%) is water. Demographics Chickaloon first appeared on the 1930 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It appeared again on the 1940 & 1960 censuses, but was not returned separately in 1950, 1970 & 1980. It returned again beginning in 1990, when it was made a census-designated place. As of the census of 2000, there were 213 people, 87 households, and 58 fam ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |