The Way We Were

March 12, 1925

Among the northbound passengers on the Princess Mary on Saturday was A. D. Rees, advance agent for the company which was recently organized for the purpose of operating airplanes between Wrangell and the new gold diggings near Dease Lake, British Columbia. The plane, which will operate from Wrangell, will have high- speed and exceptional maneuvering ability, fully capable of negotiating the climb over the Coast Rockies which mark the international boundary. Before the backers of this new transportation project decided to go ahead with the proposition they consulted some of the best known experts on the Pacific Coast. All agreed that flights from Wrangell to Dease Lake were perfectly feasible.

March 3, 1950

Wrangell’s water and sewer system is due for a complete rehabilitation just as soon as the funds are available, the city council made it known this week. At a special meeting Monday, the council hired Aner Erickson of Ketchikan to survey and draw up plans for a new water and sewer system. The next step is to convince territorial officials of the urgency and obtain approval of the plans. Erickson said he hopes to get the plans ready by June. “Wrangell’s mains are in such a terrible mess that the only thing to do is start from scratch and put in the entirely new system,” Erickson said. Cost of the new system is estimated at “around $250,000.”

March 12, 1975

The city’s massive annexation of 14,400 acres of northern Wrangell Island encompassing nearly 800 new residents and their homes, a lumber mill, the airport, five trailer parks, thousands of acres of timber and 25 miles of coastline, became law at midnight March 6. The annexation, which was carried out without a popular vote and was initiated by the city, was finalized when it went unchallenged in the Alaska Legislature after approval last year by the state Local Boundary Commission. The annexation swelled the city’s population to approximately 3,000 residents, increased the city’s assessed valuation by 20% to 25%, and put all residents of the island under a single local governmental jurisdiction for the first time in history.

March 9, 2000

Approximately 80 Wrangell citizens met Sunday afternoon at the Catholic parish hall to discuss their views on the proposed James and Elsie Nolan Museum and Civic Center. The focus of the meeting was not for the need for or value of a museum for Wrangell (the group uniformly supported a museum for locals and tourists), but on the need for or value of a civic/convention center at that location. The issues, from their point of view, revolve around the importance of citizens having a right to determine what type of public buildings sit on public grounds. They feel that the proposed museum project does not meet the needs of the city and want to see the issue placed on a ballot for a public vote.