In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago.
July 24, 1913: Two of the biggest jobs surveying ever attempted are the marking of the boundary between Alaska and Canada which has just been completed and the marking of the southern boundary of Canada which is now in progress. Both surveys are of a difficult nature, and the Alaska boundary particularly so, because of the mountains and in parts inaccessible character of the regions traversed. The discovery of gold in the Klondike, followed by a rush of gold seekers from both nations made the Alaska boundary a matter of immediate importance and a joint international commission was accordingly appointed to settle all disputed points. The work of surveying and permanently marking the boundary was begun seven years ago and has been carried on continuously, the fieldwork being done in the summer and the office mapping and computations during the winter.
July 15, 1938: The July meeting of the Civic Club was held at the dugout last Saturday with Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Brodhead as hostesses and Mrs. Smith as program chairman. Twenty-five women were present and several new names were added to the membership roll. Violas and pinks in small vases the length of the long table and a colorful arrangement of the sandwich trays made the luncheon very attractive. Except for reports of special committees and some new committee appointments, a list of which will be announced later, little business was transacted. It was announced that Miss Lulu Fairbanks of the Alaska Weekly with a part of “Gold Diggers” would be on the Monday boat and a Greeters Committee consisting of Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Barnes and Mrs. Anderson was asked to meet them. It was further announced that members of the Garden Clubs of America would be making the Alaska trip later in the month and a suggestion that all local gardens be made to look their best at that time was made.
July 19, 1963: By an almost unanimous ballot, Wrangell voters yesterday approved the purchase of a new fire truck at a cost of $20,000 to be paid for by an additional one-mill tax levy, the tax to be removed when full payment for the vehicle has been made. Of the 111 ballots cast in the special election, limited to property taxpayers, 105 voted approval with only six against. It was the closest to 100 percent endorsement ever given a question in the community, according to city records. Taxpayers were faced with the question of whether to buy new and more modern fire equipment or pay an anticipated increase in insurance rates for lack of more adequate fire protection. They bought the truck on an overwhelming vote.
July 14, 1988: Wrangell will receive $210,000 for construction of a fire substation at Shoemaker Bay now that Gov. Steve Cowper has signed the reappropriations bill passed by the 1988 Legislature. The bill signed into law July 8 earmarks another $3 million to be split among school districts statewide to compensate small and rural districts for a shortfall in federal dollars received in past years. Gov. Cowper's office said Wrangell could be expected to receive about $200,00 of this fund. The $210,000 for construction of the fire substation is money left over from building Wrangell's Public Safety Building. Legislative action was needed to use the leftover money on another Wrangell project. The reappropriations bill contains money for more than 300 items across the state, ranging from start-up funds for the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation to improvement of the bears' den at the Anchorage Zoo. It was the last of 176 bills passed by the 1988 Legislature to be acted upon by the governor. The delay in signing the bill resulted from a review of each specific item. That review prompted vetoes of a number of items contained in the bill.
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