Talkeetna is the original headquarters of the Alaska Railroad, founded in 1916 at the confluence of three rivers, the Susitna, Chulitna and Talkeetna. The first businesses were a sawmill, a trading post, cigar store and a donkey store. The town’s historic district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with early buildings such as Nagley’s General Store, the Fairview Inn and Talkeetna Roadhouse. It is a popular base for visitors for fishing, hunting, winter sports as well as excursions into Denali National Park. Although unincorporated, the town casually elected a cat named Stubbs as their mayor, who served for ten years from 1997 until 2017.