Welcome to the Tedrow National Forest. This project began as a tongue-in-cheek way of mentioning the few tiny shrubs and a single, small spruce that fills in this odd little traffic triangle at the intersection of Fireball Street and Tedrow Drive. I imagined a fun little find, great for kids, in a spot that seems to only exist to hold a telephone pole.
However, as I was reading Legendary Locals of Chugiak-Eagle River, I learned the tragic origin of this street's name. Monte Tedrow was a teenager in 1950 when his family's Eagle River homestead caught fire. Monte was home alone at the time, and there was no telephone service in the area in 1950, so he jumped in his pickup truck to drive to the army base to get help. Unfortunately, his truck crashed and rolled near the Eagle River bridge and he passed away on impact. His family held funeral services for him in Eagle River and his birthplace of Jolin, MO. Today, both Monte Road and Tedrow Drive are named in Monte's memory. Telephone service was provided to the Eagle River area very shortly after his accident, mostly certainly in part due to his passing.
This "National Forest" holds a plastic, camo mason jar hiding under its baby spruce. It has a log book, a GeocacheAlaska! pathtag, and some swag for those who have the chance to take a moment to find it and show respect for this young man's legacy.
**This will seasonally be an ammo can, hence the "regular" size. I would describe the winterized mason jar as "small-to-regular."**
If you take something, please leave something. I think kids do often sled here, even though it is surrounded by street on three sides, so if you leave swag, the local children, most of them Monte's age or younger, will probably enjoy it. This is an easy spot to check on so please request owner maintenance if you cannot find it as I imagine it may be muggled once or twice before we find the right hide style for this memorial.