Albert Pederson came to Juneau in the late 1890s from Bodo, Norway, with the intention of starting a dairy. In 1902, he sent for his wife, Jensine Danielsen Pederson and their son, William. Albert worked as a longshoreman and caretaker of the Evergreen Cemetery until 1910. In 1907, Albert and Jensine established a 160-acre homestead about ten miles from Juneau on the northwest side of the Mendenhall River. The family moved to the valley in 1910 and built their first home which was a cabin with a sod floor. Aside from dairy farming, the Pederson's sold fresh vegetables to the Alaska Treadwell Gold Mining Company. Mrs. Pederson realized the need for a school and was instrumental in creating the first Mendenhall school house, which operated until 1918. In the summer, the Pederson Dairy cows grazed along the tide flats and hay was cut and stored for winter use. Mrs. Pederson had a reputation for raising healthy animals and by 1934, the Pederson Dairy had 32 cows for milking and breeding. In 1929, Albert passed away at the age of 74 after a brief illness. Jensine and her son continued to run the dairy until 1940 when it was sold to Curtis and Gladys Sherwood. In 1935, William received a patent to 160 acres adjacent to the Peterson Dairy. In 1959, Jensine died at the Sitka Pioneer Home at the age of 84. William Pederson married Emilia Silvertsen and had two daughters, Ellen and Koggie who currently reside in Juneau (1992). Koggie lives on a portion of the original Pederson dairy homestead. These photographs were copied from the albums of Mrs. Koggie Pederson File.