In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago.
November 5, 1914: The Wrangell Fire Department held their regular meeting at the City Hall last Monday evening. The feature of the evening was the thorough discussion of a baseball park for Wrangell. The idea is one that should be thoroughly worked out and it is certainly possible for Wrangell to have good ground and with the rest of Alaska enjoy the national game. Several persons have already come forward with the promise of financial assistance if the fire boys can get the ground. The fire boys appointed a committee to look into this and report at the next meeting of the company.
November 3, 1939: Lending full support to the plans for developing various projects in the community during the winter months by means of CCC labor Merlin Elmer Palmer Post No. 6 of the American Legion at its first meeting of the new Legion year last night in the Dugout named a committee to consider various projects and work with the City Council and other organizations in bringing about a realization of the objective. The value of a rifle range and the proposed sites were discussed by the Legionnaires, as well as possible airport development, ski run clearing, further Pat's Lake development and other projects. Commander M.G. Shain named Van H. Fisk, E.M. Campbell and Lew M. Williams on a committee to consider the survey in cooperation with other organizations.
November 6, 1964: Last Monday, delegates were elected to attend the annual convention of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood to be held in Hoonah on November 9. Delegates elected for the ANB are Richard Rinehart, Joseph Pratt and Herbert Bradley. For the ANS, the delegates are Mae Dailey, Sarah Hanbury and Edna Wright. The senior class has worked out details for its annual Senior Ball to be held Saturday, November 14. The theme, “Time of Grandeur,” will be carried out with the appropriate decorations. Music for the occasion will be furnished by the Roadrunners. The gala affair will be semi-formal with all schools patrons invited to attend. Dancing will be from 9 o'clock to 1 a.m. The Senior Ball, for a number of years, has been one of the big social events of the school year.
November 2, 1989: A 40-foot humpback whale was swimming and jumping in Zimovia Strait Sunday and thanks to the quick action of several Wrangell residents. Ron Merritt spotted the whale tangled in a shrimp line Friday morning and quickly notified Eloise Harding via radio. Harding turned the message over to Tim Buness and Wrangell Search and Rescue - and the whale's dilemma soon ended. “I saw him again Sunday and he was happier than a clam, playing around the same area, and he jumped completely out of the water,” said Dick Stokes, who was heading out for a hunting trip Friday, Oct. 27, when he heard Merritt hailing Harding over the marine radio. Merritt was power trolling and could not stop, so Stokes said he decided to see if he could help out by providing another vessel in the rescue work. The whale was tangled in a seven-sixteenths diameter line, diving and coming back up for air repeatedly. Attached to the other end of the line was a two-foot diameter buoy, which bobbed under each time the whale dove underwater. “It was really exhausted,” Stokes said. “Usually, when a whale blows you can't even be near it because of the smell. They don't use Scope, you know.” But Stokes said the smell this time was minimal as the whale made only shallow dives. Water spouted only about three feet high after the mammal surfaced, he said. Fire Chief Buness said he received instructions from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - which Harding translated via marine radio - to grab hold of the buoy and let the whale drag the rescue vessel until the mammal tired. The next step was to cut the line around the whale's fin - and once the two cuts were accomplished, the mammal was freed.
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