The Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry started in 1967 as the Air Progress Museum, a small collection of Alaskan transportation artifacts gathered for the Alaska Purchase Centennial Celebration. It also included six retired railroad cars used as troop carriers during World War II, which became Alaska’s only rolling museum. Fire forced the museum to close its doors in 1973.

Several years later, a group of Matanuska Valley residents arranged for the remains of the museum’s collection, charred aircraft, and The Centennial Train to be moved to Palmer and in 1976 its name was changed to, “The Transportation Museum of Alaska.” MATI moved to Wasilla in 1992. At one time funded by the State, now the Museum is a private, nonprofit corporation dedicated to the collection, restoration, exhibition, and interpretation of artifacts relating to Alaska’s transportation and industrial history and their statewide scope encompasses Eskimo skin boats to jet aircraft. [From: http://www.museumofalaska.org/ ]