Anchorage Muldoon Memories
Do You Know How Muldoon Got It's Name? Discover the fascinating story in this edition of Anchorage Memories VIP.
Two dark figures lurked behind the trees at the edge of a clearing.
Then they began shooting at a man working around his homestead cabin.
The man being fired upon was Arnold L. Muldoon. Fortunately, he was not injured during the attack.
The cabin pictured above is the actual cabin of Arnold L. Muldoon.
Arnold L. Muldoon had staked out a homestead, built a cabin and put in a vegetable garden. He was putting in the work required to “prove up” on his homestead.
The dark figures skulking about in the woods were two brothers who had come up to the Anchorage area with the intent of exploiting ways of making a buck, and they didn’t care how. Once they made their money, the two planned to quickly leave Alaska.
The two brothers wanted Muldoon to cooperate with their schemes. And when Muldoon refused, the two tried to run him off.
But shooting at Muldoon didn’t do the trick and neither did a forest fire they set. Later, in an effort to get rid of Muldoon, the brothers even told the authorities that Muldoon had started the blaze.
The authorities didn’t believe the two and eventually, Muldoon was left alone to continue improving on his homestead.
It Was “Muldoon’s Road”
That stretch of paved Muldoon road we all take for granted, was actually created by Arnold L. Muldoon by hand to connect his homestead with the Glenn Highway.
Quickly, as he worked to make his road manually, his neighbors began referring to it as “Muldoon’s Road”. And rightly so.
Created with his hands, this hardworking man had no way of knowing how important his road would become.
Muldoon Road Today
This state-of-the-art interchange is where Muldoon Road intersects with the Glenn Highway.
If you no longer live in Anchorage, you would no doubt be shocked if you drove through this Muldoon, Glenn Highway interchange.
Muldoon Today
Today, the suburb of Anchorage known as Muldoon is a very long way from the forest Arnold L. Muldoon first discovered when he was searching for a place to homestead.
And because of Muldoon’s hard work and perseverance, there is a part of Anchorage we all know as Muldoon. Named appropriately after the man of Irish descent who helped create a part of a city we call Anchorage, Alaska.
BONUS
Read “Arnold L. Muldoon; The Man Behind Muldoon” and enjoy.
Village in the City
By Michael Hankins
Once located on Muldoon road, Alaskan Village Trailer Park was once home to author Michael Hankins.
BONUS
Remember days gone by with Village in the City and remember when.
The How How Restaurant
Do you remember the How How Chinese restaurant located in Muldoon?
It was a favorite, and Mike of Anchorage Memories once wrote and produced a TV commercial for the restaurant.
A Movie Theater
A fellow named Bob Benbow opened a couple of movie theaters in Anchorage in the 1970s under the business name “Admiral Benbow Theaters”.
Those theaters ran second run films in the days before cable TV and HBO.
The Admiral Benbow Theater in Muldoon also premiered the 1977 Alaskan produced movie “Claws”.
BONUS
Click on the following to enjoy a movie clip from the Alaskan produced movies “Claws”.
The above movie was produced by Chuck Keen of Alaska Pictures based in Juneau, Alaska. The movie was originally titled “Devil Bear” but changed the name to cash in on the craze surrounding the movie “Jaws”.
Taco Florez
It’s not in Muldoon, but Spenard.
Mary of Anchorage Memories along with our son Christopher (the little one) and daughter Nikki are getting lunch from one of our favorites. Did you ever eat the delicious food served by Taco Florez?
What Are Your Favorite Muldoon Memories?
Yes, it’s time to say goodbye until our next exciting Anchorage Memories adventure.
Do you have a memory to share? A comment or just want to say “hey, I remember that.”
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Until Next Time
Mike and Mary
Anchorage Memories
