The Way We Were

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

February 9, 1916: A fire completely destroyed the home of Councilman Chas. Bryant at 2 a.m. this morning. The fire caught from a defective stove pipe is the belief of Mr. Bryant. The house was situated near the head of the bay. Mr. Bryant was up town late last night and upon returning home he started a fire and after getting a bite to eat he went to bed and woke a half an hour later to see that the ceiling was ablaze. He gave the alarm and getting help succeeded in getting all his personal effects out, the only things lost were a few tools and small effects which were stored upstairs. The big boat shop along side of his house was saved. The loss is estimated by Mr. Bryant at between two and three hundred dollars, and he states that he will build a new house on the site as soon as the weather will permit.

February 7, 1941: Question of a road as well as a trail up Mount Dewey was presented to the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce at its luncheon meeting Monday noon by District Ranger S.V. Dennison of the U.S. Forest Service. Ranger Dennison, who was in town in connection with the laying out of the already approved trail by CCC labor up the mountain, brought out that a road leading up to the summit from near the Standard Oil docks could be built at a non-labor cost to the town of about $1,500. It would require about 2,400 yards of surfacing, he said, and would be an easy grade, opening up a choice observation point to motor vehicle travel.

February 11, 1966: Survey work will begin this spring on the Wrangell east road route, which will be part of the access road to the proposed airport, and a call for bids will be advertised this fall on the Wrangell through street widening and paving. The word was received by the highway department from Alaska legislators, who forwarded it the Wrangell Sentinel. Senators James Nolan, Howard Bradshaw, Frank Peratrovich and Representative E. J. Haugen, who represent this area, plus Senator Bob Ziegler of Ketchikan and Senator Richard Peter of Juneau, met with district highway engineer Willis Walker to hear first hand information on proposed projects in Southeast Alaska.

February 7, 1991: Wrangellites Richard Head and Det Tyler were presented the Meritorious Public Service Award this week for helping rescue Mike and Barb Rugo and their two young children Feb. 27, 1990, two miles off shore from Shoemaker Bay. The Rugos’ boat, the Romance, had been pushed over by a gust and started taking on water. As the boat sank, Mike Rugo put his family in a water-filled dinghy. Head noticed that the vessel had overturned and he called Tyler to join him as he sped to the scene in his 28-foot bowpicker. Tyler pulled the children from the 39-degree water and handed them to Head, who started warming them up in the cabin. Tyler then pulled the adults safely aboard. All were suffering from hypothermia. They were taken to Shoemaker to an awaiting ambulance. After two hours of treatment at the hospital, they were released.

 

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