Editing Willow, Alaska (section)

==History==
The community got its start in 1897 when miners discovered gold on [[Willow Creek, Alaska|Willow Creek]]. Ships and boats brought supplies and equipment up [[Cook Inlet]], landing at [[Knik Site|Knik]] or [[Tyonek]]. From Knik, a 26-mile summer trail went northwesterly. The trail along Willow Creek heading east became Hatcher Pass Road, currently an adventurous scenic road used during the summer tour season.<ref>State of Alaska Dept of  Commerce, Division of Community & Regional Affairs Community Database Online at http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CF_BLOCK.cfm</ref>

In 1920, the [[Alaska Railroad]] built its Willow station house at mile 185.7 along the tracks leading from [[Seward, Alaska|Seward]] to [[Fairbanks]].<ref name="Dictionary of Alaska Place Names">Dictionary of Alaska Place Names</ref>

During [[World War II]], a radar warning station and airfield were built near the railroad tracks; a post office was established in 1948.<ref name="AK DCRA Community Overview">AK DCRA Community Overview</ref>
  
By 1954, Willow Creek was Alaska's largest [[Gold mining in Alaska|gold mining]] district, with a total production approaching 18 million dollars.<ref name="AK DCRA Community Overview"/>
   
Around 1970, before construction of the [[Parks Highway]], Willow had a population of 78<ref name="Dictionary of Alaska Place Names" /> until land disposals, homestead subdivisions, and completion of the George Parks Highway in 1972 fueled growth in the area.<ref name="Community Overview">Community Overview</ref>
   
In 1976, Alaskans elected to move the state capital from [[Juneau]] to Willow in an effort to improve access for Alaskans while keeping the capital out of Anchorage, the largest city. Landscape architect [[M. Paul Friedberg]] created a master plan for the city as part of one such proposal.<ref>{{cite web |website=M. Paul Friedberg and Partners |title=Timeline |url=http://mpfp.com/timeline/index.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401111934/http://mpfp.com/timeline/index.shtml |archive-date=April 1, 2016}}</ref> This fueled interest and land speculation in the area. However, funding to enable the capital move was defeated in the November 1982 election. As a result, Juneau remains the state capital.<ref name="Community Overview" />
   
More than half of the 1,500 cabins around Willow are for seasonal use. Nearly all of the occupied homes in Willow are fully plumbed, using individual on-site [[water well]]s, [[septic tank]]s and [[drain field]]s.<ref name="Community Overview" />

Willow is now the official host of the [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race]] restart.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Treinen |first1=Lex |last2=Hanlon |first2=Tegan |date=March 4, 2023 |title=The race is on: What to know about the 2023 Iditarod |url=https://alaskapublic.org/2023/03/04/the-2023-iditarod-starts-this-weekend-heres-what-to-know/ |publisher=Alaska Public Media |accessdate=March 6, 2023}}</ref>

In June 2015, a [[2015 Alaska Sockeye wildfire|large wildfire]] burned thousands of acres of wilderness, numerous structures and forced the closure of the [[George Parks Highway]], severing the road link between Anchorage and Fairbanks.