The Way We Were

Aug. 28, 1924

A public meeting for fishermen was held Tuesday night to get an expression of their attitude toward the fisheries regulations as they apply in this immediate district. Carl Arola was selected as chairman of the meeting. After some discussion of the matter a resolution was passed opposing the present closed season on account of the inefficiency of the regulation in conserving salmon, as well as the unnecessary hardship that results from its enforcement. A committee was appointed to draft a resolution to be presented at the meeting of the Bureau of Fisheries Advisory Board at Juneau next month. A finance committee was appointed to circulate a subscription list to raise funds to cover the expense of sending a delegate to Juneau.

Aug. 26, 1949

The stork was a busy bird Wednesday morning at Bishop Rowe Hospital when he swooped down to the doorstep with two babies within 18 minutes. The first, at 6:55 a.m., was a 7-pound, 10.5-ounce girl, consigned to Mr. and Mrs. Howard Benjamin. She was named Melody Jean. On the second trip the stork brought a son, Darrell Robert, to Mr. and Mrs. Warren Powers, who arrived at 7:13 a.m. The little boy weighed 9 pounds, 15 ounces. Both mothers are progressing rapidly.

Aug. 23, 1974

More than a dozen logging operations in the Stikine area received word Monday evening from the Forest Service that they could return to normal hours of operation. Southeast logging operations had been on “Hoot Owl” shifts since Aug. 14 because of high fire danger. Ken Gilbertson, Forest Service resident management assistant in Wrangell, said Hoot Owl was put into effect last week following seven days of high fire danger ratings. The Forest Service had hand delivered letters to each of the logging operations informing them of the decision. It required loggers to suspend all yarding and felling operations and the use of chainsaws between noon and 6 p.m. However, Hoot Owl does not prevent hauling logs or building and other activities not directly connected with falling and yarding, Gilberson said. The Hoot Owl shift takes its name from the midnight to 9 a.m. shift worked by loggers in the states when the fire danger is high. The loggers there actually work with the owls hooting.

Aug. 26, 1999

A dream that began more than 100 years ago for residents of Wrangell was on its way to greater fulfillment when the groundbreaking ceremonies for the James and Elsie Nolan Center took place Saturday morning, Aug. 21. The center, a museum complex that includes a civic center and visitors center, is made possible by a $6 million matching grant ($3 million for construction and $3 million endowment for future operations and maintenance) from a charitable trust established by the late Alaska state Sen. James Nolan and his wife Elsie. “They loved the museum and made very specific provisions for it in their will,” said Theresa Thibault, museum director. “It has already received a collection of paintings from the Nolan estate, including two by Sydney Lawrence and one by Eustace Ziegler.”