The Way We Were

July 18, 1912: Dr. Dawes has recently received a modern x-ray machine from northeastern surgical appliance firm and is now prepared to see the exact location and condition of fractured bones. The outfit which is fitted to run on the city's current consists of coil, rheostat, interrupter, volt and amp meter in a compact cabinet. The x-ray tube which throws the greenish penetrating rays operates on a voltage high enough to show a six-inch gap. Mr. A. Crossman, who broke both wrists in a fall several weeks ago, was the first willing victim to be looked through and he saw for himself that his bones were mending properly.

July 16, 1937: Ferdinand Lo Pinto, of New York City, Karl E. Fortess and Roland Mousseau of Woodstock, N.Y., three of the 12 government artists sent out to reproduce scenes of Alaska, arrived in Wrangell on the fifth of July on the government Coast Guard boat Atlanta. The artists have established a studio in the city hall building through Mayor Hanford and have been busily engaged in making rough sketches of the fishing and canning activities here, which they will put the finishing touches on in their own studios when they return to the states. Authorized by the Department of the Interior, the purpose of the project is to publicize Alaska and the paintings and sketches will be circulated throughout the United States, its territories and possessions. The collections will be permanently placed in the naval section of the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. Many of the paintings will grace the walls of the various officials in the capitol building and some undoubtedly will be placed on exhibition in museums.

July 13,1962: Benny Lanting's 51 lb., 10 oz king caught at Point Ward, is the top fish in the 1962 Wrangell Salmon Derby. He was followed closely by Phil Rasler's 51 lb. 2 oz. king caught at the same area but gaffed with resultant loss of blood on the two-hour run into town to weigh his fish. Rasler caught his one day before the derby closed July 7. One hundred and five sportsmen entered the derby this year and the committee said the derby was successful.

July 9, 1987: Wrangell's lifestyle and attractions are featured in a recent issue of Travel-Holiday magazine in an article called “Alaska in the Rough -The Frontier Spirit of Wrangell.” The story by Sarah Eppenbach discusses the author's trip up the Stikine River with Todd Harding and sightseeing in Wrangell. She describes Wrangell as having “frontier ambiance” with “the rough edges and elbow room I expected of a frontier town. There is no manmade glamour here, only the raw inescapable green beauty of Southeast Alaska,” the article says. “And apart from the 'Shady Ladies' who dress in 1890's attire and greet visitors as they deplane from arriving Alaska Airlines jets, there is little concession to tourism. Much of the time, the chamber of commerce doesn't even answer the phone.”