Curry, Alaska facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Curry, Alaska Dead Horse, Alaska
Ghost town
Curry, Alaska Location in Alaska
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Matanuska-Susitna
Elevation	554 ft (169 m)
Time zone	UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-8 (AKDT)
GNIS feature ID	1400901

Curry is a ghost town in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. A ghost town is a place where people used to live, but now it's mostly empty. Curry was also known as Dead Horse. It's not the same as the community called Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean. Its post office also had the name Dead Horse.

Curry: A Wilderness Getaway

Curry is an old town site along the Alaska Railroad. It's about 22 miles north of a town called Talkeetna. In 1922, this remote train stop in the Alaskan wilderness became a popular place to visit.

The Wilderness Palace

Curry was located next to the Susitna River. When the Alaska Railroad opened its first hotel in 1923, Curry was called "a wilderness palace." It was a common place for train passengers to stop overnight. The hotel and great fishing made the town grow. The resort became even more popular as it added a golf course and a suspension bridge.

Fires and Changes

Curry faced some challenges over the years.

• In 1926, a fire destroyed the engine house and power plant.
• The engine house was destroyed by fire again in 1933.
• In 1939, a larger hotel was built in Denali National Park. This new hotel drew visitors away from Curry.
• Even so, the Railroad kept investing in Curry. They housed employees there in 1945.
• A boiler explosion happened in 1946. This completely destroyed the power plant.
• The people of Curry rebuilt the town. They even added a new ski area.

The End of an Era

The biggest disaster happened in April 1957. A fire at the hotel killed three people. The hotel was not rebuilt after this tragic event. Over time, Curry became a ghost town.

Population Changes

Curry first appeared on the U.S. Census in 1930. At that time, it was an unincorporated village. This means it was a community that didn't have its own local government. It was also listed on the census in 1940 and 1950.