The Way We Were

April 20, 1922

Messrs. Hansen and Lystad arrived here from Seattle recently and will enter the mild-curing seafood business. They will be located where the Ripley Fish Co. formerly had its station, and they will also have a scow near Shakes Island where the shrimp cannery was recently in operation. This firm will ship salmon and trout. Both members of the firm are old-timers in Alaska, and are by no means new in the fish business. Wrangell welcomes this new firm and there is every reason to believe that their venture will be a success.

April 18, 1947

George Sumption, local businessman, this week announced the sale of his interest in the Reliance Shrimp Co. to John Sivertsen, of Wrangell. Sumption and his father, Joe Sumption, came to Wrangell in 1925 and established the Reliance Shrimp Co. Sumption said he will remain to help out the new owner and in the fall will go south for an extended vacation. After the first of next year he will return to Wrangell to assist in the operation of The City Store, in which he is in partnership with Howard Baltzo. Siversten, the new partner in the shrimp cannery with Neil Grant, is well known in Wrangell. He returned recently from 52 months with the Navy. Most of the time he served during the war was spent in the Aleutians and South Pacific. Siverstsen has been in Wrangell since 1925. He has been engaged in the fishing industry for many years, commercial fishing and also as captain of cannery tenders.

April 21, 1972

Mayor Don House will officiate the groundbreaking ceremonies at 10 a.m. at the site of the new Salvation Army Corps headquarters on Zimovia Highway. Capt. Gary Souders said a chapel, recreation, crafts and meeting building will be built on the land in July by a crew of Salvation Army volunteers from Souders’ home town of Oakland, California and local members. The Rev. Peter Gorges, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, will give the invocation at the groundbreaking and the mayor and others are scheduled to turn first earth with special shovels. Souders said construction of the foundation for the building will begin soon.

April 17, 1997

About 70 parents, teachers, students and community members descended on Tuesday evening’s school board meeting to show their support for music teacher Ron Horner, whose bid for tenure had so far drawn no action from the board. Supporters feared that losing Horner would mean the collapse of the school band and choir programs, which he had built up over the past two years. A petition with the names of 83 supporters was presented to the board. In addition, board president Bob Caldwell said all the board members had received many calls on the matter over the weekend. By a vote of 3-1, the board agreed to retain Horner for next year. The action drew applause from the audience. Caldwell reminded the crowd that retention of all four non-tenured teachers (including three already approved: Patti Gilbert, Scott McKay and Lenny Church) depends on city council passage of the school district budget.