The Way We Were

February 6, 1919

We are enjoying a very mild winter, and up to the present have not had any weather below zero. The snowfall has been light; only a depth of eight inches along the river in this vicinity. Also, very little ice is on the Stikine. The trappers are catching very few furs. In fact, trappers say that prospects this winter are the worst that they remember in this district. There is a lot of illness among the Natives at present, and the medical missionary has 22 patients under his care. He said that it resembled Spanish influenza, but that it was not this epidemic.

February 11, 1944

Striking out at the lack of coordination between Federal and Territorial agencies in Alaska as the result of our “inefficient” form of limited Territorial government, retiring Secretary of Alaska E. L. Bartlett of Juneau addressed the first “Statehood for Alaska” dinner ever held in the Territory here last Monday night. The momentous event, sponsored by the Statehood committee of the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce, brought out a crowd of men and women who filled the Civic Center to capacity. The Alaska flag and the 49th state ideas were carried out in the table decorations arranged by women of the Civic Club, who also assisted in serving the excellent dinner which had been prepared by Mrs. Helen Ronning and which was topped off with “Statehood” cake and “Alaska” ice cream. In his address Bartlett replied to many of the arguments which have been advanced against statehood. “Too much of our money goes out now in the form of dividends and accumulated wages and accumulated nest eggs and not enough remains behind to add in developing the country,” Bartlett said.

February 6, 1969

Governor Keith Miller will be in Petersburg for a Lincoln’s Birthday program. He hopes to visit Wrangell on the same trip. Bernice Stokke, former mayor of Petersburg has been named to the State Boundary Commission by Gov. Miller. She will succeed Luis Chase, Wrangell stevedoring firm manager. A $235,000 boat harbor improvement project is in the budget for Petersburg. Also in works for this year is the Wrangell East Highway, which is scheduled to be bid this year. Also in the works are airport extensions for Wrangell and Petersburg. The Wrangell job is in the 1969 fiscal year budget and Petersburg a year later. Representative Haugen said he expects to attend the meeting this weekend of the recently-revived-Southeastern Conference, a group of representatives from the communities of Southeast Alaska. He also said he will be sending copies of legislation to residents of Wrangell and Petersburg so they can study it.

February 10, 1994

Wrangell voters will go to the polls Tuesday to decide the fate of the city’s controversial harbor ordinance. Opponents of the ordinance successfully petitioned the Wrangell City Council late last year to hold a special election to give voters the chance to repeal the ordinance governing operation of city harbors passed by the council in October. The new ordinance increases rate charged for moorage of “transient” vessels from 10 cents per running foot to 20 cents.

 

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