Hours of Operation
2009 Summer Season: May 15 - September 15
Daily guided tours, please check back for times and dates
Special showings by appointment also
About the museum
This year the museum will be inside Tim's house. Last summer we put a sampling of his items into a 20 foot gertee, but eventually everyone who came in there wanted to go up to the house, see the rest of his stuff and meet him personally. Tim's museum is dedicated to preserving and sharing the spirit and tenacity of the Alaskan families who lived and intermarried in these vast and desolate lands for the past century. Not all white men came here to plunder the riches from the earth, and many Alaskan Natives across the state share blood with Russians, Germans and Norwegians and numerous other cultures; their descendents are the locals of today.
The Edgerton Highway follows an ancient trail that hosted Native owned lodges along the route. The Lower Tonsina Roadhouse is still standing and remains in the hands of its Native owners. The road was built by Major Edgerton, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in 1919, called the Valdez, Chitina, Fairbanks Military Road. Paved in the 1960s and opened up to homesteading, only two of the white families who originally homesteaded in Kenny Lake are still living out here. Times have changed a bit, but there remains a living pride in many locals for what it takes to live off this treacherous and unforgiving land.
Like many Alaskans raised in remote villages without urban-white man conviences, Tim has great respect for all things modern, but he still loves to wear his handsewn beaver hats and mittens (even though he's always a bit afraid somebody might mistake him for a bear and shoot him). Some of his most cherished items were made for him (or his parents) by their Native friends around the state. The museum includes vintage camp supplies, hand sewn mukluks and parkas.
Far from stores and readily available replacement supplies, many handy homesteaders saved anything that might become useful for something else later. Innovative designs and recyling were a big part of the homesteader's life. This was sustainable living at its American best.
The Homesteader Museum in Kenny Lake will share some of Tim's original homesteader items he received from his parents' estate as well as many other items he has gathered over his 57 years in Alaska. Some of the items include a 15,000 + year old bison skull, tools and trapping implements. Enjoy Tim's Slide Show!
The museum's slide show will feature the Redington family photo collection preserved for them by photographer Jeff Schultz.
There is ample parking for buses and RVs.
Make your Alaskan vacation into an Alaskan experience.
This year the museum will be inside Tim's house. Last summer we put a sampling of his items into a 20 foot gertee, but eventually everyone who came in there wanted to go up to the house, see the rest of his stuff and meet him personally. Tim's museum is dedicated to preserving and sharing the spirit and tenacity of the Alaskan families who lived and intermarried in these vast and desolate lands for the past century. Not all white men came here to plunder the riches from the earth, and many Alaskan Natives across the state share blood with Russians, Germans and Norwegians and numerous other cultures; their descendents are the locals of today.