Tucked into a fertile valley between the rugged Talkeetna Range to the north and the towering Chugach Range to the south, Palmer was originally established as a trading post on the Matanuska River by George Palmer around 1890. It remained a sleepy little town until 1935 when it was chosen as the site of a New Deal agricultural experiment called the Matanuska Valley Colony. Two hundred farm families from the American Midwest arrived in the area that year and were given 40-acre tracts of land in the hopes of establishing a permanent agricultural colony that would help in the development of Alaska. Although the colony ultimately proved unsuccessful, descendents of the original colonists continue to live in the area today and many of the original buildings they constructed are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nowadays, Palmer is home to the Alaska State Fair, a 12-day event that begins in late August and runs through Labor Day. The Palmer area also offers a broad array of activities year round, ranging from fishing, hiking, and berry picking during the summer to ice-fishing, cross-country skiing, and dog sled racing during the winter.