The Way We Were

Oct. 19, 1922

The regular monthly meeting of the Parent-Teachers Association was held last Thursday evening at the schoolhouse. H. W. Gartley spoke forcibly and to the point regarding the need for a playground for children, aside from the playshed on the school grounds. Mr. Gartley’s talk met with enthusiastic approval, and he was asked to act as chairman of a playground committee to look into the matter and report at the next meeting on available sites for a public playground where the boys can play baseball with no fear of breaking windows, with a view to the PTA backing such a project and working toward its accomplishment.

Oct. 17, 1947

At the city council meeting last night, Mr. Charles Marler, CPA from Ketchikan, was hired by the council to set up a new and more efficient bookkeeping system for the city. Under the new system the various city accounts, assets and expenses will be in such form that a complete report of city finances can be had in a few minutes. It will facilitate reports at the end of the year, it was explained, and conserve on clerk time. Charge for this year, up to April, including setting up of the new system, Mr. Marler said, would be about $1,000, and for keeping it up in the future with personal audits from the firm of Marler and Marler every three months should not amount to over $400 a year.

Oct. 20, 1972

The state Public Utilities Commission has ordered WPTV to upgrade programming and services in its Wrangell and Petersburg cable television operations or face revocation of its operating license. In a directive to the Seattle-owned cable television company, the commission warned “that any future willful inattention to customer complaints and written requests of the commission could result in the amendment or revocation of its certificate.” The commission action was taken after an investigation which included public hearings in Petersburg and in Wrangell. At Wrangell’s hearing in August, WPTV drew both criticism and praise from its customers.

Oct. 16, 1997

By next spring, Muskeg Meadows will be a nine-hole, regulation par-35 golf course. The golf course has been built by volunteers with funding assistance from the Alaska Pulp Corp, the City of Wrangell and Ketchikan Pulp Corp. In a forested muskeg, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, the fairways and greens are comprised of wood chips and byproducts from the two mills. This in itself is unique enough, but the golf course also has resident ravens, eagles, bear, mink, moose and deer. But watch out for those ravens – they like to steal the balls. Neon balls seem to be a deterrent, but the white ones are prized, and a crazed raven or two has even tried to chase the white balls as they fly through the air. This turned out to be a bonus for one golfer, who chased a raven that had his ball in its mouth. He followed the bird into the woods where it finally dropped the ball. Looking around, the golfer found a whole pile of golf balls!