The Way We Were

In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago.

Dec. 12, 1912: William Tamaree and L.J. Paul were in receipt by the steamer Humboldt of returns from samples of ore recently sent to a Portland assaying firm showing $20 per ton values in gold and silver in one of the samples from a prospect on Frederick Sound. Shortly after the fishing season closed this year, Tamaree and Paul made a trip to Frederick Sound in the launch Starlight, looking for the famous placer mine “Lost Rocker.” While Tamaree hunted the valley where they believed the Rocker is located, Paul scoured the hills and found several bodies of ore, samples of which were sent to Portland for assay.

Dec. 10, 1937: The Legion Auxiliary during the business session of its meeting at the dugout Wednesday night voted under the Child Welfare Department to send five dollars to the Children's Orthopedic Hospital at Seattle for the shoe fund, maintained to buy shoes for needy Alaska children receiving orthopedic treatment at the hospital. A Christmas toy will be sent to a Craig child, as there are no orthopedic patients now in the hospital from Wrangell. Christmas cards have been bought to send season's greetings from Wrangell Unit to other Alaska Units Territorial and National officers and absent members. Wrangell Sentinel subscriptions were renewed for Wrangell Legionnaires Louis C. Scribner, receiving Veteran's Hospital care at Walla Walla, Wash., and James Dolan at Ronan, Mont. Advertising support in the Alaska Legionnaire was voted to be continued. The Auxiliary pays 50 cents a month for an advertisement. Five dollars was voted, as has been done in previous years, for a contribution to the community Christmas baskets and Mrs. Paul Binkley and Mrs. Emma Case agreed to help pack the baskets if other duties do not prevent.

Dec. 14, 1962: The Bishop Row General Hospital building has been condemned as not meeting the requirements of the state fire protection code, it was revealed in a letter to the City Council at its meeting Tuesday night from Assistant Fire Marshall Gerald Phillips. Phillips also advised Council that the Wrangell school building also failed to qualify under State regulations in some respects and listed eight corrections, which could be made to meet the code. Phillips was in Wrangell on a fire inspection trip last weekend and said in his letter he was recommending to the State Fire Marshall that the hospital be placed on the unsafe list. Hospital Supt. Geri Arndt reported at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting yesterday that she had a letter from the Fire Marshall that the action had been taken.

Dec. 10, 1987: A grey poodle rescued from the claws of a hungry eagle was rescued a second time last week just before it was scheduled to be put to sleep. The story of the pup's dramatic escape from death Nov. 27 was spread by Associated Press throughout Alaska and the Lower 48, the fate of the animal remained uncertain last week. Karen Martin, Wrangell's dog catcher, was preparing to have the animal put to sleep Dec. 3 after the appointed number of days in captivity without having been claimed by its owner. The dog ran under her dog catcher's truck Nov. 27 as it raced away from an eagle that was just inches away from grabbing the canine and flying off with it. A report about Martin's rescue of the dog from the eagle, however, hit Seattle's KIRO-Radio on that date. The story also made the news in north-central Alaska on that day, fishermen reported hearing it on San Francisco radio - and the offers of adoption started pouring in. By Saturday Dec. 5, when the story hit Paul Harvey's national commentary show, the Wrangell canine had been offered new homes in scores of towns, Martin said.