(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Soldotna Alaska is located in Kenai Peninsula Borough of Alaska on on
the banks of the Kenai River. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the
city had a population of 4,087. It is the seat of the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
History
There are three explanations of the origin of the word Soldotna: one, that it is
derived from soldat, the Russian word for soldier; two, that it is derived from
an Athabaskan word for "stream fork" and three, that it is derived from
Tseldatna, the Athabaskan name of an herb.
In 1947, after World War II, United States government allowed settling of land
on parts of the Kenai Peninsula under the Homestead Act. Veterans of the United
States armed services were given a 90-day preference over non-veterans in
selecting land and filing for property. Also in that year, the Sterling Highway
right-of-way was cleared of trees from Cooper Landing to Kenai. The location of
present-day Soldotna was selected as the site for the highway's bridge crossing
the Kenai River.
The construction of the Sterling Highway provided a link from the Soldotna area
to the outside world. More homesteads were taken and visitors came to fish in
the area. The Soldotna post office opened in 1949 and other businesses opened in
the next few years.
Oil was discovered in the Swanson River region in 1957, bringing some new
economic development to the area. In 1960, Soldotna was incorporated as a city
with a population of 332.
Sport fishing and tourism are currently the mainstays of the economy in
Soldotna. It also receives some economic advantage from being the seat of the
Kenai Peninsula Borough.
