Curry is a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska Matanuska-Susitna Borough (often referred to as the Mat-Su Borough) is a borough located in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its borough seat is Palmer, and the largest community is the census-designated place of Knik-Fairview. As of the 2020 censu ...

, United States. It was also known as Dead Horse (not to be confused with the

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

near the Arctic Ocean). Its post office was founded with that name as well.

History

The old townsite of Curry is an uninhabited stop along the

Alaska Railroad The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad that operates freight and passenger trains in the state of Alaska. The railroad's mainline runs between Seward, Alaska, Seward on the southern coast and Fairbanks, Alaska, Fairbanks, near the center of ...

, about 22 miles north of

Talkeetna Talkeetna ( Dena'ina: ''K'dalkitnu'') is an unincorporated small village, incorporated by the United States Census Bureau within a larger same-named census-designated place (CDP), in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 ...

. In 1922, the remote train station in the Alaska wilderness became a briefly popular luxury resort destination. Located alongside the Susitna River, Curry was billed "a wilderness palace" when the Railroad opened the first hotel in 1923. Curry was a common overnight stop for rail passengers, and with the hotel and renowned fishing. The town rose in population, and the resort became more popular as it expanded to include a golf course, and a suspension bridge. In 1926, a fire destroyed the engine house and power plant, with the engine house being destroyed by fire again in 1933. The construction of a larger hotel in Denali National Park on 1939 drew visitors away from Curry, but the Railroad continued investing in the town, housing employees there in 1945. A boiler explosion occurred in 1946, completely destroying the power plant. The populace rebuilt the town, and added a new ski area. Finally, was a fire at the hotel in April 1957, in which three people were killed in the blaze. The hotel was not rebuilt, and Curry eventually became a ghost town.

Transportation

The town is served by the Alaska Railroad's ''

Aurora Winter Train The ''Aurora Winter Train'', operated by the Alaska Railroad, provides passenger service between the cities of Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska. It is a seasonal train, only operating during the non-summer mo ...

''. The stop contains no platforms, and is used by skiers skiing in the area.

Demographics

Curry first appeared on the 1930 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It appeared again on 1940 and 1950.

References

Anchorage metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska Unincorporated communities in Alaska Ghost towns in Alaska {{MatanuskaSusitnaAK-geo-stub