The Way We Were In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago.

December 26, 1918

The new Willson Sylvester mill is nearing completion. The buildings are up, a great deal of the machinery and the engines and boilers are in place, and the finishing touches will be done in a few weeks’ time. Within two months, the hum of the saw will be heard once more and Wrangell’s chief industry will be in operation again.

It was last March that fire destroyed the old Willson, Sylvester mill that had been on the mainstay of the town for about 30 years. It was not until August that the work of rebuilding the plant began in earnest under the direction of H.T. Hendricks of Everett, Washington. Meanwhile, the company had been reorganized with H.W. Gartley as business manager, and plans had been perfected for a mill that would be far superior to the old plant.

The new mill occupies more ground than the old and contains features that will aid production very materially. The mill will begin cutting the latter part of February. The first cut will be on lumber needed for the mill and will serve as a try-out of the plant after which actual production will begin, and about a month later, the box factory will be started.

December 31, 1943

The City Market announced this week it expected to move into new enlarged quarters in the Red Men building about the middle of January with a complete and expanded line of groceries in connection with the meat market. Renovation of the Red Men ground floor with installation of shelving and other equipment for the market is now underway and is expected to be completed in about two or three weeks.

The grocery stock of Campbell Bros., which is going out of the grocery line to specialize in hardware, fishermen’s supplies and clothing will be purchased by the City Market and added to the serve-yourself display in the new City Market quarters.

“With the additional room in the new store quarters, we will have a complete line of household food supplies so that patrons may walk about and make their own selections,” Manager R.W. Curtis explained. “We will have our meat market as usual, with the grocery stock greatly enlarged, hoping to be able to fill every household need in food. We will add a delivery service, the same three-times-per-week service which is now in effect in town.”

December 26, 1968

The city’s lighted garland and city Christmas tree add to the yuletide appearance of downtown Wrangell. The tree is in a vacant lot. This, city officials hope, will keep it upright. Two years ago a motorist downed the city’s tree minutes after it went up in the middle of Front Street.

December 23, 1993

Three light industrial lots will be sold by the City of Wrangell to the highest bidder next month.

Sealed bids are being accepted by the city until 2 p.m. on Jan. 12 for lots 3, 8, and 9 of Wrangell’s Block 49. Each of the lots has an assessed value of $11,900 and city officials have set that as the minimum bid for each of the lots, according to City Manager Duane Gasaway.

The lots are located next to the Kadin Corp. shop off Wrangell Avenue. Gasaway said the offering resulted from a request by Kadin Corp. to have the properties put up for sale.

At last week’s Wrangell City Council meeting, the mayor and council voted to put another 12 lots of city-owned property up for sale at a future date, which has not yet been set. Those lots are located in the Wrangell Industrial Park in blocks 63a, 63b, and 64 along Howell and Third Avenues, which will be extended by the city after the lots sell, according to Gasaway.

 

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