"4-Mile" Road leads into the Slana Settlement, created in 1983 when the BLM opened over 10,000 acres north of the road to homesteading. It was one of the last opportunities for homesteading federal land. Eight hundred claims were filed, but most were soon abandoned. Alaskan winters took their toll. Many tried to live in hastily-built cabins and tents, with temperatures down to -60 degrees F. Jobs were scarce and the climate was not suited to farming. Only a little over a hundred claims were eventually patented. Today, about 50 people live in the settlement. Both the north and south side of the road are part of the boundaries of the park.
