The Way We Were

July 24, 1924

A new business building 50 by 60 feet is to be erected on Front Street, and work on the structure will begin at once, according to Harry Saito. The new building will occupy the entire space between Engstrom’s store and the property owned by Walter Waters. Saito said his first step will be a concrete foundation, after which the erection of the building will be pushed as rapidly as possible. The lower story will be used for a restaurant and possibly some other line of business. The upper story will be used as a rooming house to take care of the increasing demand in that line.

July 22, 1949

A washout, caused by heavy rains in the hills, took out a detour near Wrangell Institute on Wednesday afternoon, temporarily halting traffic out the highway. The detour had been put in by Sommers Construction which is building a concrete bridge over the creek running along the Institute property. Rains swelled the creek and the washout resulted. Sommers instituted a “ferry system” for residents beyond the bridge, carrying them across the creek and furnishing transportation into town. Repairs were completed by Thursday morning. Sommers is employing about 23 men on the repair and resurfacing job, which runs from Angerman’s corner to the 6-Mile post on Zimovia Highway.

July 26, 1974

A second doctor is due to arrive in Wrangell and set up practice in a few weeks. He is Dr. Wayne Davenport, 38, who told the Sentinel in a phone interview that he had “always wanted to settle in Alaska.” Davenport said he would be here by Aug. 15, if not sooner. He and his wife Ruth, who is a registered nurse, and their 3-year-old son, plan to drive a truck and an old jeep station wagon from Oregon to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and catch the Alaska state ferry to Wrangell. Davenport will join Dr. Harriet Schirmer in the practice of medicine here. He said he had known for a long time that he wanted “to work in a small town such as Wrangell,” so he concentrated on acquiring a broad background. “My training has been in general surgery,” Davenport said, “but I’ve tried to get as broad a base as possible.” His trip to Wrangell in August will not be his first. He visited Southeast last year and stopped in Wrangell. He said he liked the people he met and is looking forward to “planting himself in Wrangell for a long time.”

July 22, 1999

Wrangell’s rich and colorful history makes several locations in town eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Wrangell Museum Director Theresa Thibault reports the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has recently determined that the Cemetery Point property is eligible. The Corps of Engineers is required to make sure that the proposed new harbor near Cemetery Point doesn’t impact the area as a historical site. The Corps and the Bureau of Land Management, which owns the site, agree that the harbor project will not impact the cemetery. A number of downtown buildings may also be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The first step toward their consideration has already been taken when historical information was researched and incorporated onto plaques which are displayed, along with an early photograph, on many Front Street structures. Thibault believes that the city should do the necessary paperwork to get the downtown area listed on the register because it would make available funds for restoration – even new water lines – and could become a part of Wrangell’s downtown revitalization plan.