When the last federal homestead land went public in 1983, radio host Paul Harvey broadcast, “free land in the Last Frontier.” From across America, hundreds hurried to Slana with big dreams and little preparation. Pioneer romance crashed head on into harsh weather, no jobs, nearly impossible regulations, claim jumpers and chaos. Decades later, like husks of misspent dreams, abandoned cabins lean in the woods. A core few endured. Today, Slana’s homesteaders proudly call their hard won land and the community they built, their own.
