Latest news with #Talkeetna
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Army vet is killed in freak accident just weeks after his family moved to live off the grid in Alaska
A Minnesota Army veteran who had just moved his family to Alaska to pursue dreams of a simpler life has been killed only three weeks after arriving in the state. Brian Neudecker, 45, was struck and killed by a train while riding on an ATV along a stretch of the Parks Highway in south-central Alaska on June 23. The deadly collision happened shortly after 10:30pm with first responders pronouncing Neudecker dead at the scene, tragically cutting short what had been a bold new chapter for the decorated veteran, his wife, and their young daughter. Neudecker and his wife, Rachael, who is also a military veteran, had packed up their lives in Minnesota in May. After selling their home, they set out with their four-year-old daughter to build a new life off the grid in the remote village of Talkeetna, about 100 miles north of Anchorage. The family had barely begun to settle into their new wilderness haven when disaster struck. The news sent shockwaves through the tight-knit veteran community and among neighbors in Alaska who had just started to get to know the Neudecker family. 'Their dream was to come live here in Alaska, and they moved up here and got a nice place,' a man who had befriended the couple told KTUU in Anchorage. 'They moved into a nice neighborhood; they were super nice people trying to live their dream.' According to Alaska State Troopers, Neudecker had been enjoying a ride through muddy backcountry terrain on his ATV that evening when he crossed the railroad tracks at a dangerous angle and was hit by a passing train. The Alaska State Troopers say their investigation remains open, but there is no indication of foul play. Loved ones set up a GoFundMe to help her pay for funeral costs, emergency travel, and the possibility of relocating once again. 'After years of military service, Rachael and Brian, both proud veterans, made the courageous decision to sell their home in Minnesota and pursue a shared dream: to live off the grid in the stunning wilderness of Alaska,' the fundraiser reads. 'With their 4-year-old daughter by their side, they set out to build a simpler, more intentional life, one rooted in nature, freedom, and family.' Neudecker was born in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, and had spent years living south of Morristown before making the long journey to Alaska, reaching their new homestead on May 31. Friends say he had been eager to begin building a more sustainable, rugged life that would see him teaching his daughter to appreciate the outdoors, and savoring the vast, breathtaking quiet that Alaska can offer. 'On June 23, Brian was in an ATV accident and did not survive,' the GoFundMe post explains. 'In an instant, Rachael lost her husband, his kids lost their father, and their new beginning was forever changed.' Donations have begun pouring in with $21,000 raised so far to help Rachael navigate the future that sees her grieving her husband, while trying to care for their young daughter. Neighbors in Talkeetna described Brian as generous and friendly, quick to wave and lend a hand as he and Rachael worked to set up their new off-grid home. 'They moved into a nice neighborhood; they were super nice people trying to live their dream. I've been talking to him every day… talking about hunting and fishing and everything and just been showing them the Alaska experience,' said Nick Taylor to KTUU. 'Your generosity will help carry them through this unimaginable time and honor Brian's memory by supporting the family he loved so deeply,' the fundraiser reads, urging people to help the family recover from the tragedy. Neudecker's adult daughter Taylor also paid a touching tribute to her father.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Minnesota veteran killed by train weeks after family's move to live off the grid in Alaska
Minnesota veteran killed by train weeks after family's move to live off the grid in Alaska originally appeared on Bring Me The News. Just weeks after living out his dream of moving to Alaska to live in the wilderness with his wife and 4-year-old daughter, a U.S. Army veteran from Minnesota was killed when he was struck by a train while riding his ATV. According to the Alaska State Patrol, the crash happened just after 10:30 p.m. on Parks Highway in south-central Alaska on June 23, with first responders pronouncing Brian Neudecker dead at the scene. Loved ones who arranged a GoFundMe after his death said he and his wife, Rachael, who is also a veteran, were just settling in after living out their lifelong dream in Talkeetna, Alaska. "After years of military service, Rachael and Brian, both proud veterans, made the courageous decision to sell their home in Minnesota and pursue a shared dream: to live off the grid in the stunning wilderness of Alaska," the fundraiser explains. "With their 4-year-old daughter by their side, they set out to build a simpler, more intentional life, one rooted in nature, freedom, and family." Neudecker, 45, was born in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. He and Rachael lived south of Morristown until relocating in May to a small village located on the Susitna River about 100 miles north of Anchorage. A man who befriended the Neudeckers in Alaska told KTUU that they were having fun in the mud on their ATVs when the accident happened. 'Their dream was to come live here in Alaska, and they moved up here and got a nice place,' the man told the Anchorage-based news outlet. 'They moved into a nice neighborhood; they were super nice people trying to live their dream." The GoFundMe has raised approximately $20,000 to help Rachael cover "funeral expenses, emergency travel and relocation support." This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Federal board considers ‘Mount Carola' as name for peak in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough
This map by the state of Alaska shows the location of Mount Carola in the Alaska Range. (State of Alaska image) The federal government may name an Alaska Range mountain after a longtime Talkeetna miner and pioneer woman this week. On Thursday, the domestic names committee of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names is scheduled to meet in Washington, D.C., to consider proposals for new names. On its agenda is Mount Carola, a mountain between Ruth Glacier and Tokositna Glacier in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The mountain doesn't currently have a federally registered name, according to U.S. Geological Survey records. Carola June Young, born in 1936, was a longtime resident of Talkeetna and the rural Matanuska-Susitna Borough. She was a former owner of the Fairview Inn in Talkeetna, one of the founders of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, and former president of the Yentna Mining District, which includes Petersville. After her death in 2018, one of her daughters, Michele Stevens, sought to name the mountain — which overlooks the Cache Creek area, her home for 40 years — in her honor. The naming is supported by the Talkeetna Historical Society, the Mat-Su planning commission and the Alaska Miners Association, which petitioned the Alaska Historical Commission, the last stop before the national board. 'Carola Young embodies the Alaska spirit and is the kind of legend we can all be proud of,' wrote Deantha Skibinski, executive director of the Alaska Miners Association, 'and AMA could not be more proud to endorse naming a mountain after her.' During its October 2024 meeting, the board voted 6-1 to approve the nomination and submit it for federal approval. At the same meeting, the board approved the renaming of Arkose Peak to Souvenir Peak, and it approved the naming of a nearby, unnamed mountain to Arkose Peak, reflecting local use by mountaineers and skiers. Both peaks, each above 5,000 feet high, are in the Talkeetna Mountains within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Neither of those proposals is on the federal board's agenda this month, nor is a proposal to rename 'Nazi Creek' in the Aleutians. The Alaska Historical Commission approved that latter change in April, but it remains under consideration by the federal board. The World War II-era name was chosen as part of a pattern of naming features in a grid starting with different letters of the alphabet, and advocates for the change said the original naming was arbitrary. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Alaska Railroad work train derails north of Talkeetna with no injuries
Jun. 7—An Alaska Railroad train derailed north of Talkeetna early Friday morning with no injuries reported. Three crew members were aboard the work train at the time of the incident, according to a spokesperson for the railroad. The cause of the derailment was not immediately clear, they said. Catherine Clarke, an Alaska Railroad spokesperson, said the derailment led to a puncture on the derailed locomotive's 2,600-gallon diesel fuel tank. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is responding to the incident. "The damaged fuel tank has been secured and initial containment strategies put in place, as efforts continue to remediate the impacted site," Clarke said by email on Friday afternoon. Department of Environmental Conservation staff are coordinating with the railroad and other agencies on cleanup, officials said. In a situation report, DEC said Friday afternoon that the amount of fuel spilled "is unknown at this time." The derailment took place just after 3 a.m., approximately 22 miles north of Talkeetna on the Curry loop track — a section of the railroad that provides access to a quarry and is not accessible by road, Clarke said. The derailment occurred around 400 feet from the Susitna River. There are barriers between the fuel spill and river, DEC said. "The nearest culvert leading toward the river has been secured and blocked as a precautionary measure. No reports of impacts to surface water have been reported. No wildlife impacts have been observed," the agency said in its situation report. The Alaska Railroad typically transports around half a million passengers per year. The derailment was not expected to affect the railroad's main line, which operates trains between Fairbanks and Seward, Clarke said.
The Guardian
06-06-2025
- The Guardian
Alaska rangers recover body of man who died from fall on North America's tallest peak
Mountaineering rangers in Alaska recovered the body of a Seattle man who died after falling 3,000ft from a climbing route on Denali, or Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America. The National Park Service said that Alex Chiu, 41, was on the treacherous mountain's west buttress route when he fell from a location called Squirrel Point, about 12,000ft above sea level. Chui's body was transferred to the state medical examiner on Wednesday, the Denali National Park and Preserve said. Two other members of Chui's team had reported on Monday that Chui had fallen and that they had lowered over the edge as far as possible but were unable to see or hear Chui. He was not roped up at the time of the fall. Ground and air search crews were unable to reach the site until early Wednesday because of very high winds and heavy snow. An unroped French mountaineer fell to his death near the same location in 2010. His body was never recovered. This is the busiest time of year for climbing the peak, in May and June when climbers descend on the regional town of Talkeetna. There are currently 500 climbers on the peak and more on other mountains and glacial approaches to peaks in the spectacular range that is breathtaking but fraught with risk. Denali is known to be deceptively dangerous, although it looks relatively benign to ordinary tourists viewing the summit on a clear day from Denali National Park. Despite being lower above sea level, the mountain has a greater vertical climb from the base to the summit than the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest in the Himalaya. Climbers wanting to summit Denali must scale 18,000 vertical feet compared with Everest's 12,000ft. The Associated Press contributed reporting.
