In 1921-22 the Alaska Engineering Commission (AEC) built a large coal washery for the purpose of cleaning coal from Chickaloon to be used by the US Navy and was completed in 1922. When it’s mined naturally coal has some dirt and rock mixed in so it needs to undergo a cleaning to get rid of the dirt, especially if it was for marine use. The coal washery was located where Chickaloon Way and the Glenn Highway are today. The coal from Chickaloon was high quality and was used solely by the U.S. Navy. The Sutton-Alpine Museum is located on the grounds of the coal washery which is home to several coal mine/early railroad era buildings and mining equipment used in Jonesville, Eska and Moose Creek. The concrete foundations are still present 100 years after it was poured.
The washery had four tracks, the main, siding, and two tracks used for the washery. At this time, I can’t say how the process went other than coal from Chickaloon was brought down and was cleaned and dried, then the coal was loaded into gondolas or flat cars with sides and then hauled to town to the docks to feed hungry U.S. Navy ships. The washery was a rather large building that supported its own power and steam to run the operation with huge coal burning boilers.
The biggest reason for construction of the Matanuska Branch was to tap into the large coal fields that surround the region. The coal from Chickaloon was high quality and the U.S. Navy found it to be a good source of fuel for the ships of the line. Of course, the coal from the other mines that dotted the Matanuska Branch were useful for the railroad and other non-railroad entities. During the late 1910s and early 1920s, bunker fuel better known as fuel oil was starting to take a hard grasp as a fuel source for marine use and many ships were converting older ships to fuel oil or building new ships that used fuel oil. Coal was considerably more expensive to process than oil. In 1922 the U.S. Navy converted many of its ships to bunker fuel and the mines of Chickaloon that produced coal for just over five years was deemed moot and were shut down. Ironically the brand-new coal washery was shut down two weeks after it started operations. The Sutton to Chickaloon portion of the Matanuska Branch held on until 1929 with that portion of track pulled in 1930. The Glenn Highway was built over most of the railroad grade with very, very little of remaining grade in existence today.
The Sutton area of the Matanuska Branch had a large yard, a few sidings, the wye, and the tracks associated to the washery. Among the yard tracks there were several buildings that supported the railroad, section houses and sheds for the MOW crews, a car repair shop and other buildings. There was also a sort of engine servicing for the locomotives, though not a large service shop, as Anchorage could be reached. Very few photos of the Sutton area from the late 1910s and early 1920’s exist. What does exist shows very little and those who have an idea on what they are looking for can determine the photos. Old timetables also help with the locations along the right of way and is a good source to figure out when parts of the railroad such as branch lines were taken out of service or what buildings were there.
Today very little of the old railroad yard and the washery exist, but for the trained eye there’s enough to make out. Everyone in the Valley, Palmer and Sutton know the little local Sutton-Alpine Museum. As mentioned above the museum is on the grounds of the coal washery. The concrete foundation remains are still there, though some has been long taken away and trees are growing out of parts of it. There are also may large relics from the mining days on display, from an ancient diesel-powered shovel, to stationary boilers and machinery associated with the washery. Several buildings from the coal mining and railroad era are present as well. In Sutton itself minus the grade going up to Jonesville and Eska, very little railroad grade remains to be seen. The track off the river was actually a straight section versus the Glenn Highway where it curves. If you are on the highway looking through the trees located on private property, you can make out a portion of railroad grade that fades into the highway, overgrown and barely visible. When you turn down Crag Mountain in Sutton, most if it is on leased railroad right of way and when you make the hard right turn to go to the river, look hard left and you can make out the grade, the same grade that passed the washery and on to Chickaloon. The washery was torn down sometime in the 1930s. I know it had some uses after it was closed but for a new building it was hardly used. I hope a reader might know when the washery was torn down so that bit of history could be documented. If you look in the historic images of the railroad in Sutton, it’s hard to believe that at one time Panama Moguls roamed the rails along the Matanuska River and stopped in Sutton. If you look today and imagine really hard, you might hear a faint whistle blow and catch a hint of coal dust in the air.
In September of 2021 I made a short visit of the museum in Sutton along with Jonesville Café and the Alpine Inn in which both establishments are from the coal mine and railroad era. I took many images of the museum grounds as well as a video that I may share if there is interest. I am still looking for land owners who have railroad or mining remains on their property in Sutton for permission to document the history.
Photos 1and 2, show the building of the Sutton Coal Washery. HG Kaiser, October 17, 1921.
Photo 3, the boilers of the Sutton Coal Washery, a very rare inside image. HG Kaiser May 6, 1922.
Photo 4, the Sutton Coal Washery in use. HG Kaiser, May 6, 1922.
Photo 5, the Sutton Coal Washery. HG Kaiser, May 6, 1922.
Photos 6 and 7, the remains of the coal washery. Michael J. Gerenday September 13, 2021.
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