The Way We Were

June 26, 1924

What enthusiasm and energy can accomplish was fully demonstrated last Thursday night when two bathhouses were built at the Wrangell bathing beach in a remarkably short space of time. The Civic Club’s recreation committee was responsible for this valuable acquisition to the joys of sea bathing. When the men whose services made the buildings possible arrived at the beach armed with tools, lumber and nails, on hand were the ladies of the party who had prepared a substantial supper. After the edible had disappeared, the builders, under the expert direction of Ole Johnson and E.G. W. Morris, caused the bathhouses to appear as if by magic. Only the doors, signs and a few other improvements remain for another occasion. The thanks of the Civic Club are due to the Redmen for the permission granted to build the houses on their dock, a particularly good location.

June 24, 1949

Wrangell Steam Laundry has just completed an entire renovation of its building and installation of new equipment, designed to give customers speedier and more modern service. A new boiler and 500-gallon hot water tank furnish unlimited water supply, and a new revolving drier delivers woolens and bath towels to the original fluffiness. Five new clothes presses are lined up in front of the big ironing room. Two are especially designed for shirts and a smaller press dries and presses socks, preserving their original size. For curtains, there is the latest in a curtain stretcher which will handle the most delicate fabric without harm. “With our new floor arrangement,” Phil Williams Sr. said, “It is possible to unload dirty clothes from the trucks to the rear of the laundry where they are washed. Therefore, no dirty bundle ever comes in contact with the clean clothes which are ironed in the front part of the building.”

June 28, 1974

“Hey mom, quick tell me again how to make a left-turn signal!” The scene was one day last week at the grade school playground where miniature three-foot stop signs, yield signs and foot-wide marked lanes were set up for a bicycle rodeo. Sponsored by city police and the public schools, the rodeo’s purpose was to test the skills of young bike riders on an obstacle course set up by the police. Nearly 50 youngsters on various shapes and sizes of bikes turned out for the event and faced such obstacles as stop signs, curves, turns requiring signals and foot-wide lines to ride between. Each bike was inspected for safety prior to the rodeo. Bike drivers’ licenses and stickers were issued to the participants upon finishing the course.

June 24, 1999

Disappointment and the search for new options pervaded the public workshops held prior to the regular city council meeting on June 22. The first workshop’s discussion topic was the failed cannery purchase. Speaking to a small group of community members seated in the chambers, Mayor Bill Privett stated repeatedly how disappointed he was with the results of the special election. The proposal to sell the city-owned cannery for $1 million to Wrangell Seafoods Inc. was voted down by a narrow margin in a special election held June 1.