In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago.
April 9, 1914: Another industry will be added to Wrangell's ever-growing variety next week in the shape of a dray and transport company. Mr. Oscar Carlson expects a horse and wagon for the new line up on the Alki, which sails from Seattle tonight. The new business is a much-needed one, and with Mr. Carlson at the helm, it is an assured success from the start. During this dry weather, much care should be taken when burning brush. The fire company was called out twice today.
April 7, 1939: In the quietest city election in many years in Wrangell Tuesday re-elected Van H. Fisk, owner of Van's Transfer, as mayor for the coming year. Mr. Fisk was unopposed for the office. F.S. Barnes, president of the Wrangell Packing Co., was elected to serve one year and Leo McCormack, of the McCormack Dock Co., to serve three years on the school board. One hundred eighty ballots were voted out of a registration of 230. Last year 267 votes were cast out of a registration of 315.
April 3, 1964: Jerry Powers and Bill Choquette, Wrangell boys doing their reserve time training at Fort Richardson, were returning from the parade grounds when the big quake hit the Anchorage area. They felt the shock but there was no damage in their area which is about seven miles from downtown Anchorage. Both boys returned home Saturday after completing their training course. Devastated areas in the earthquake zone of last Friday are continuing to dig out and get back to normal.
April 6, 1989: More than 200 Wrangellites were out of work this week in the wake of closure of the local sawmill for an “indefinite” period. Steve Seley, owner of the company that manages the sawmill for Alaska Pulp Corp., said re-opening of the mill depends on the parent company “gaining an adequate supply of logs and also reaching an agreement with the state on its wood-waste disposal site.” While he said mill managers hope to “resolve these issues as soon as possible,” he said it would be impossible to predict a re-opening date at this time. The closure put 207 mill workers out of jobs less than a month before congressional hearings on Tongass reform legislation are set to be held in Southeast. Those hearings are scheduled for April 24 in Ketchikan and April 25 in Sitka. Seley said the mill's major source of logs - Alaska Pulp's 50-year contract with the federal government - is in jeopardy because of legislation now pending in Congress. The so-called Tongass Timber Reform Act - the subject of the congressional hearings later this month - is one of the bills now pending that would eliminate the 50-year contracts.
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