August 8, 1941: Like the ad about the chap that sat down to the piano and nobody thought he could play, they laughed back in 1922 when F.A.
Cooper, Wrangell pioneer, decided that fruit could be grown successfully in Wrangell. For several years now fruit grower Cooper has been having the laugh,
and this year it is a little more hearty than usual. The reason is that the successful
Wrangell fruit producer has one of the most prolific crops in
history. One of his Blue Damson plum trees is so loaded that it is necessary for
him to prop up the limbs to keep them from breaking. It is doubtful if there ever was a heavier crop of plums on any tree, any time.
August 6, 1966: Industry halted here Tuesday and
processing plants were forced to close for the day due to an obstruction in the city’s
main water line from the lower city reservoir. The entire
town was without water from early morning to about six o’clock that night while debris which had jammed the lower dam outlet line to the
chlorinator plant was being removed. City trucks with tanks aboard were supplying homes with water from a stream at the city park which has been the source of water in previous emergencies when freeze and drought interrupted the water flow. Farmers Home Administration has given preliminary approval for a grant and loan to the city of $605,600 for reconstructing the water system.
August 8, 1991: Carrying signs that read “Forest Service Gestapos,” about 20 people demonstrated outside the Wrangell Forest Service building Aug. 2 against what they see as a rigid enforcement of regulations on the Stikine River and area. “Keep moving, we can’t impede business. It’s not our intent to disrupt service,” Judy Daniels shouted while handing out signs that read “Forest Service eliminates our traditional rights” and, for the children present, “Forest Service picks on us little guys.” “We’ve always gotten along fine with the Forest Service,” Daniels said. “All of a sudden, this spring, they’re real demanding. It’s ‘Do it my way.’ If we weren’t such good guardians of the wilderness already, there wouldn’t be any left to protect.” The protested regulations have been on the books for 11 years, but, according to District Ranger Keene Kohrt, they weren’t enforced until recently because of administrative and personnel reasons. The rules date back to 1980, when President Jimmy Carter signed the Alaska lands bill into effect, creating the Stikine-LeConte National Wilderness area. The wilderness includes the land around the Stikine River from the flats to the Canadian border, making it subject to federal regulations that limit the types of travel used on the river and the construction of cabins on land. The problem, according to Kohrt, is the local Forest Service office had been waiting to hear about the
interpretation of the legislation before officials proceeded
with enforcing any rules. Once he got the go-ahead from the top, Kohrt said, the office
wasn’t “physically able to
do it” because of a lack of personnel.
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