The Way We Were

March 7, 1912: The members of the alert fire company No. 1 enjoyed another of their monthly meetings at city Hall last Monday evening. With a view to initiate the green secretary, more business was put through than at any previous meeting within a year. Many discussions concerning the fire protection of the town were made. The useless condition of the fire plug on Front Street opposite St. Philip's Church was once again discussed. Mr. Gingrass agreed to repair the valve.

March 5, 1937: At a recent meeting of the local Health Council, announcement was made that the room adjoining the library in the city hall will be used for a clinic and the secretary of the council, Arnold Krone, was instructed to write letters to organizations who may be interested in helping to furnish the room. A list of needed supplies for which the nurse-in-charge has no funds was given the Nursing Chairman by Miss Stinger, who is remaining here for the first three months, and a survey of the town by Mrs. B. Y. Grant, member of the Council, has revealed that all items but two or three can be bought locally. Miss Shields of the high school faculty has offered to have some of the articles made in one of her sewing classes and women of the town will no doubt take care of the rest. Funds for the purchase of all the materials needed and it is hoped that the organizations approached will respond generously. The establishment of the clinic with a trained working nurse in attendance for a period of three months about twice a year provides Wrangell with training in health habits, and demonstrations that will be of untold value and in accord with the Territorial health campaign.

March 2, 1962: Air strips in the smaller towns to accommodate wheel planes in Southeast Alaska is a probability of the future, and perhaps not so far away. R. E. Ellis, founder of Ellis Air Lines, now merging with Alaska Coastal, told the Chamber of Commerce at its luncheon meeting yesterday. Planes of limited capacity, around 25 passengers, which will require landing fields are now nearing manufacture, and may in the future, supplant the present amphibians, Ellis said. Pioneer pilot Ellis reported the Alaska Coastal-Ellis merger is nearing completion with approval of the Civil Aeronautical Commission. “It is one of those things that takes a little time,” he said, “but we are close to count-down, say about 3, 2, 1, step. It's been a long honeymoon, but the merger is about to be consummated.”

March 5, 1987: Sealaska Corp has purchased a downtown lot in Wrangell as a site for a totem park, allowing the newly carved replica of the Kicksetti totem to return to the pole's original location. Sealaska Vice President Robert Loescher, in announcing purchase of the lot at Episcopal Street and Case Avenue, told Alaska Native Brotherhood officials that the Native Corporation also would work with local groups to make improvements needed for the totem park. The parcel is zoned commercial, however, requiring change to the open-space classification before the park can be created. Sealaska spokesman Ross Soboleff this week said the parcel was purchased from Alaska Pulp Corp. for fair market value. He said Sealaska does not release the terms of such sales or the purchase price. Alaska Pulp has been asking $40,500 for the lot, which has been on the market for some time. Members of the Wrangell Cultural Heritage Committee, which is running the totem carving project to replicate original Wrangell poles, had asked Sealaska to make the purchase because of the high price for the lot.