The Way We Were

Sept. 6, 1923

J. Frank Callbreath, one of the best known businessmen of the Cassiar, arrived Thursday last week. “We are having a good season in the Cassiar,” said Mr. Callbreath, interviewed at the Wrangell Hotel. “The road from Telegraph Creek to Dease Lake which is now being completed means, perhaps, much more to the Cassiar district than it is at present realized.” Mr. Callbreath was asked if there had been any further exploration of the Whiting River since Joe Coburn’s visit last year. He replied: “No, there has not; but the Whiting has been very much on my mind lately, and I have come to the conclusion that it would be perfectly feasible to have a seaplane take a couple of prospectors in there and let them spend two or three weeks. The distance is only about 60 miles from Telegraph Creek.”

Sept. 3, 1948

A report from Juneau says that salmon cannery operators were consulted regarding the closure of salmon fishing in this area, A.R. Brueger, local operator of the Farwest-Wrangell Co., said today. “I cannot understand the reason for closing this area,” Mr. Brueger said. Fishing has improved greatly in this area and yesterday was one of his biggest days yet at the cannery. Mr. Brueger said he had in no way been contacted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in regard to fish showing up in the area, which is improving all of the time, and said he cannot concur with the “operators” who agreed with the Fish and Wildlife Service in Juneau that all areas other than the southern district were having a poor showing of fish. Local opinion in Wrangell was at the boiling point regarding closure of this district.

Aug. 24, 1973

An A-frame lodge in which Southeast Alaska children soon will gather for fun before a roaring fireplace is going up on a rugged island that for years has known only the echo of the chainsaw and the tread of the logger and occasional hunter. Seventh-day Adventist members are putting up the lodge in the center of their youth camp on Vank Island, 10 miles west of Wrangell. They like to call it “the camp the loggers built.” The Adventist’s Camp Lorraine – named in memory of the wife of former Vank Island logger Art Hilbert - has seven of the nine-bunk A-frame cabins, a bathhouse and a four-level lodge under construction. The 40-by-40-foot lodge will include a first-level meeting room with a large central fireplace and a kitchen, craft room and staff housing area. The lodge will be completed by this winter in time for the first summer campers next spring.

Sept. 3, 1998

After months of working closely with the museum director and the building committee, two designs have been developed by Professional Practice Environments/Salmon Bay Design Group for the Wrangell museum and civic center. The building layout was completed first, so that all the spaces would work well together, then the outside design of the building was developed to complement the floor plan. These plans are now on display at the museum. Museum director Theresa Thibault is seeking public comments and input. According to Thibault, the facility will be approximately 16,000 square feet, with 10,000 square feet for the museum and the remainder being the visitor center, lobby and civic center. Although the interior design of both proposals are the same, the exterior designs differ. The public is invited and encouraged to view the two plans and offer suggestions.