The Way We Were

July 26, 1923

The water has been so low in the city reservoir the past week as to be a serious matter. On this account, the linotype machine and printing presses in the Sentinel office, which are run by water power, have been shut down the entire week. Naturally, we regret the shortage of reading matter in this issue, but we have no apologies to offer. We feel we have more than done our duty in attempting to get out any kind of a newspaper at all under such a tremendous handicap.

July 23, 1948

A group of members from the Emblem Club and Elks Lodge are going to give the hometown folks a showing of the famous New York stage comedy “Here Comes Charlie” Sunday afternoon and Monday evening at the ANB Hall. The Sunday afternoon show will be at a children’s matinee starting at 2 p.m. Adults attending will pay the regular adult price of 75 cents.

July 27, 1973

Wrangell’s All-Star Womens Baseball Team defeated the Petersburg Womens Team 25-6 during the season’s first intercity game Sunday before a big crowd. A PFI-sponsored intermediate-age group team from Petersburg took the second game by a score of 19-12 against an alternate team of players from the Wrangell womens softball league. The Wrangell All-Stars coach, Cliff Chamberlin, described his players as “the cream of the crop, comprised of the best individuals on the four teams in the city womens softball league.” After the all-stars blazed their way to a decisive victory in the first game, the Petersburg girls team, ages 11-13, defeated a secondary team of Wrangell women players in the final late afternoon game. Although the playing field had been drenched by early morning rains, evident by large puddles around the baselines, Fay Khort, co-captain for the Petersburg teams, commented that “rain or shine, win or lose, the girls like to get over to Wrangell for a visit and to have a great time playing ball.” Mrs. Khort is a former Wrangell resident.

July 23, 1998

Visitors to the Petroglyph Beach may soon be able to walk there from the ferry terminal via a beach boardwalk, and once there they would be able to rest on one of the benches providing a comfortable viewing platform. Spotting scopes, sidewalks, and covered platforms were just a few of the topics discussed during a meeting concerning the popular beach area with the state Office of History and Archelogy on July 8. Several groups met with the state’s planning team to discuss the Petroglyph Beach access situation. According to Theresa Thibault, the state has already been working to replace the existing boardwalk with a more user-friendly version. Although it will be easier for hikers to get down to the beach and walk among the ancient rocks, the days of making rubbings and handling the original carvings may be nearing an end as the rubbings wear down the carved images.