The Way We Were

March 13, 1913: Even peace and prosperity palls the palate of Wrangellites. For five years, resources of the town have been multiplying so much so that the Chamber of Commerce organized in 1902 was completely forgotten when its immediate force was not sadly needed. Yet with every indicator pointing to a continued prosperity, the businessmen gathered at the Town Hall Tuesday and all signed up for membership in a reorganization of that booster body, the Chamber of Commerce of Wrangell, Alaska. Since the latest strike was reported in the Cassiar, the Sentinel has held that the Stikine is the proper route for stampeders to take. Businessmen of Wrangell have believed the same especially since the strike has been located and have expected to see the stampeder direct his steps this way. Some have even made individual effort to exploit the Stikine route. But on the Princess May, Tuesday over 100 mushers passed up the Stikine route to go to the new diggings via Atlin, B.C. Then everybody obeyed that impulse - to make united effort to give the town its due - with the result that about 35 businessmen have signed for membership in the re-organized club.

March 11, 1938: George Sumption and Neil Grant of the Reliance Shrimp Company, yesterday they decided to name their new boat, “The Shrimp.” It was launched last Friday and is now awaiting installation of the engine. Designed by A. C. Hansen of Seattle the Shrimp was built by W. C. Fletcher and Ken Halvorson in the Fletcher Boat Shop. The craft of fir construction was designed primarily as a shrimp fishing boat. It is 45 feet long with a 13-foot beam. For the coming year it will be powered with a heavy duty Ray gas engine which the owners plan to change next year to diesel. The boat is beautifully finished in the new pressed woods. Her lines are good, and the draft of 4 feet will enable Mr. Sumption to fish across the Stikine flats where the shrimp seem to be migrating.

March 8, 1963: In an endeavor to decrease operating expenses at the city's light plant, the city council is presently considering the installation of 170,000 gallon diesel fuel tank and buying diesel fuel direct from a refinery on Puget Sound. At the special council meeting held Tuesday evening, bids were opened from the Union, Standard, Shell, Texaco, Time, and Mobil Oil Companies, offering to sell their diesel fuels, FOB Seattle or the Puget Sound. Apparent low bidder was Shell with a quotation of $0.885 per gallon. Time quoted $0.1025; Union $0.129; Texaco and Mobil $0.133. To deliver the diesel to Wrangell, a bid quotation from Washington Tug & Barge offered to deliver from Seattle at a rate of 3 cents per gallon and United Transportation quoted $1 per 43 gallon barrel or $0.233 per gallon. The City is presently paying Union Oil $0.169 per gallon for fuel. By accepting the Shell and United offers the city would save 5.7 cents per gallon the council said. The city uses approximately 350,000 gallons per year and the saving would amount to about $19,950 per year if the city had ample storage.

March 10, 1988: The Post Office lobby will be locked from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., beginning March 14 as Postmaster Dwight Grimmer steps up efforts to enhance security at the building. Repeated cases of minor vandalism have been reported over the past year, with damage to the 1930s mural included in the list of problems vandals have created, Grimmer said. To curb this vandalism - and to ensure security for the mail in the building overnight - Grimmer said he was ordering the curtailed hours. Grimmer said he also was making arrangements for the mural to be cleaned and repaired, and someone will work to remove scratch marks vandals made in the work of art. Once that is accomplished, he said, plexiglass will be placed over the entire mural so it can be protected. The mural was painted in the 1930s as a Depression-era works project. It pictures a view of Wrangell from Shustak Point.