The Way We Were

April 9, 1925

A government surveying party, headed by E. C. Guerin, cadastral engineer, arrived in Wrangell on the Yukon on Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Guerin headed a party which spent six months last year surveying land suitable for agricultural purposes in the Stikine River district between Farm Island and the Canadian border. The work will be of incalculable benefit to future settlers along the Stikine. When the work is completed, the homesteader will not have to wait for a survey or a report on his holdings by a government representative. In view of the long, drawn out experiences some settlers have had in the past, it is gratifying to know that something is being done that will make it possible for homesteaders to obtain a patent with much less red tape.

April 7, 1950

Wrangell will be right in there pitching when the Methodist Board of Missions gets ready to choose a site for their liberal arts college in Alaska. The city council last night authorized a letterbe written by City Clerk Robert Wickman designating certain lands around here as available to the college. The Methodists will be offered a deed to the property if they will build a school on it.

April 9, 1975

It appeared this week that the high cost of fuel will drive Wrangell electric rates up another 20%. The boost would be in addition to the 44.5% rise in rates put into effect just one year ago. The city council weighed its electrical generating cost problems at a work session a week ago, and last night called for a public hearing on rate changes. The hearing will be April 26 at the council chambers beginning at 7:30 p.m. City Manager Jim Eide said the city is looking at a rate increase “in the neighborhood of 20%” in order to balance its electric utility budget for fiscal 1975-76.

April 13, 2000

Tuesday’s regular city council meeting, which had been adjourned for a rather lengthy public hearing concerning the upcoming ballot issue on buuilding the museum/civic center, finally got under way at approximately 8:15 p.m. The council meeting immediately fell into the familiar pattern of reviewing the city manager’s report. Although the museum/civic center issue has dominated much of the time and energy of the council, there are many other things they are required to deal with. The city manager’s report included discussion of the possibility of a special election before October 2000 to see if the city can issue bonds to help pay for the new Heritage Harbor.