September 9, 1920
Sourdoughs of Alaska read with interest lately the repetition of the name Wrangell in the press dispatches. Wrangell, in Alaska, was the first town in the territory reached by the airplanes in the flight from New York to Nome. From the Crimea came news of the activities of General (Baron) Wrangell as the head of anti-Bolshevik forces. He is undoubtedly a descendant of the other Baron Ferdinand P. von Wrangell, a governor of Alaska under Russian rule in the thirties of the last century. The bustling port of Wrangell of course takes its name from the pioneer governor. It was during the administration of Governor Wrangell that plans were made for ship building and great agricultural development at the settlement of Ross in California near the Russian river. He also made a futile attempt to colonize Mexico about the same period.
September 7, 1945
Grand Opening of Helen’s Cocktail Lounge, to be operated by Helen Ronning, will be held Saturday evening, September 8, with festivities starting at 8:00 p.m. The lounge, which is situated in the McKowan building, is beautifully designed, and many people from Southeastern Alaska are expected to attend the opening tomorrow night, including a large party from Petersburg. The new lounge is spacious and modernistic, in every detail. Lighting is fluorescent, and the rooms are decorated in cream and white, with molding near the ceiling of light blue. There are nine booths with four tables for extra parties. The booths are upholstered in dark red leather. Three of the booths are for couples while six accommodate parties of a larger size. Draperies for the windows are of tasteful Mexican-figured material with colors which blend effectively with the color scheme of the lounge and windows will be shaded with venitian blinds. The bar curves across one corner of the large room in the form of an “S” and is finished with chromium, while near one end of the curve is a huge plate glass mirror. The whole effect is one of striking modernism. Booths and tables for tomorrow evening may be had by reservation only, and at this present moment it appears that they have been completely filled. An orchestra is planned to add to the pleasure of the evening’s dancing.
September 10, 1970
When Einar Ottesen opened his “new” business last Jan. 1, he didn’t have to worry about making himself known to his customers or his fellow merchants - he was already an old-timer. The doors of Ottesen’s Inc. opened and townspeople were coming in for hardware, clothing, marine supplies and sporting gear as if the business had been there all along. Ottesen had simply moved down from City Market where he had been a partner since 1959, bringing the market’s hardware line with him. Ottesen had the background to evaluate Wrangell, for he had been a resident for 55 years after being brought here as a baby from Tacoma, Wash. Ottesen’s father, Olaf Ottesen, was an outside foreman for the old Alaska Packers.
September 7, 1995
Taking advantage of the newly installed 110-foot float at City Dock, Morning Glory, a two-masted sailing vessel out of Hamilton, Bermuda, visited Wrangell last week. The highly polished craft attracted quite a few Wrangellites to the dock area, with not a few dreams inspired by the boat’s clean lines and state-of-the-art appearance.
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