Earl & Florence Daniels

Earl and Florence Daniels were some of the earliest homesteaders in Nikiski.

Florence Daniels was born about 1898 in Cashman, Wisconsin. Her marriage record indicates her maiden name was Gisleson. Her obituary states she left Wisconsin in 1920 and moved first to Nova Scotia before making her way eventually to Alaska.

Robert Earl Daniels was born May 7, 1895 in Eureka, South Dakota, the son of Nicholas and Elizabeth Reed Daniels. 

Earl and Florence were married in Ayer, Massachusetts on June 19, 1923 while he was serving in the Army and she was working as a waitress. In 1930's census they were enumerated in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he was working as a water well driller. According to Florence's obituary, they moved to the Susitna, Alaska area in 1935.  

In 1939 Florence and Earl moved to a Boulder Point homestead in Nikiski, where they operated a fox farm, ran traplines and fished. This parcel was finally patented in 1953 and was 41.69 acres. They were apparently living there and gillnet fishing in 1950 when they were enumerated in the census. This land (Township 8N Range 11W, Section 20, Seward Meridian, Govt Lots  5 & 8) is now owned by the Salamatof Native Association.  

Earl later patented a parcel on the south side of Daniels Lake that was a little over 3 acres. According to Vern Nowell, the Daniels cabin was the first one on Daniels Lake. 

Florence died in February 1962 and her grave is located on the Daniels Lake homestead.  Her marker was moved during subsequent ownership of the property. Earl died in Tacoma, Washington in 1966 and is buried in Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. They had no children.