SEWARD’S
All-cWeatker
SEAPORT
Is Alaska’s
Greatest Asset
Vol. VI, No. 46
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, DEC. 9, 1949
' Price 10 Cents
Homer People Make First Official Auto
Trip To The Gateway City Of Alaska
Homerites Celebrate
Opening Of Long
Awaited Highway
Saturday, Dec. 10, 1949, will
be an occasion that will be
long remembered by many resi
dents of the Homer area. That
is the date an auto caravan will
make the trip all the way from
that Cook Inlet town to the
Gateway City of Seward.
The trip is made possible by
freezing of the unsurfaced
Homer end of the highway
which was cut through during
the past summer, but was not
passable for passenger cars until
the freeze up. The road has
been plowed out by B. P. R.
equipment and is reported to be
in very good condition.
It is expected that the road
will be kept open until the
spring thaw and that surfacing
will be completed next year,
giving the Homerites a year
round highway connecting with
the Seward-Kenai road and e
ventually will give them an
outlet to Interior Alaska.
The people of the Homer area
have up to this time been rela
tively isolated, their only means
of transportation being by air,
water and a foot, path up the
coast of Cook Inlet.
Homer people have long
awaited the opening of a high
way outlet to the rest of the
world and this trip to the Gate
way City is proof that their
dreams have been fulfilled.
A community that is worth living
in is worth doing something for.
'Round V 'Bout Town
—The Rovini
Mrs. Gentry Schuster arrived
home Tuesday nite. Had an in
teresting talk with her about
the trip she and her husband
took Outside. They left about
Nov. 1st and flew to New York
City.
bhe talked about tne nice
visit she had with Rev. Turner
and his wife. Miss Watson, a
former employee of the hospital
here, was a guest of the Tur
ner’s when she was there.
They later went to Detroit.
Bought a new car and plane
and then flew to Kansas to visit
with her folks. They then drove
to the west coast via the Grand
Canyon and Boulder Dam.
Had Thanksgiving dinner
with the Murl Trevethans in
California. Mr. Schuster had
some business to attend to there
with Dick Carpenter and they
are planning on flying the two
planes home within the next
4 or 5 days. One of the planes
is for a Mr. Lawrence of Homer.
58
Mrs. Homer Boe of Seward
was on the same plane with
the Schusters on their way to
New York. Mrs. Boe is flying
to Paris to visit her folks.
58
Mrs. Glenn Hammerly had
a birthday party for her sister,
Marian Burnard, Monday nite.
58
The 8th graders are having
a box social Saturady nite at
6 p.m. They are going to use
the funds for a Christmas party.
58
Mrs. Ed Burke and Mrs. Paul
Lee were hostesses at a stork
shower at the Lutheran Church, j
honoring Mrs. Marvin Viale.
Mrs. Viale was happy about the
many gifts she received and
after a pleasant evening a des
sert of little blue cakes with
pink and white frosty dolls
adorning them, were served
witl? ice cream. |
Snow Removed Pronto
With Scoopmobile
The new scoopmobile recent
ly purchased by the city from
Munter and Philips is being put
to good and immediate use in
the removal of heavy snort
banks from the streets. The
snow was plowed to the center
of the streets instead of bank
ing it along the sidewalks as in
former years. It is then lifted
by the new machine into trucks
for disposal. This relieves the
congestion caused by high snow
banks along the sidewalks, ob
structing parking and street
crossings.
Work is being done on Fourth
Avenue first in preparation for
the Homer caravan. Other
streets will follow.
C. of C. Election
To Be Dec. 15
A nominating committee was
appointed at Thursday evenings
Chamber of Commerce meeting,
recommendations of which will
be presented at the regular
meeting Dec. 15th, in the Meth
odist Church parlors. Nomina
tions will be completed at that
time and election by ballot will
follow with the 1950 officers
probably taking office imme
diately.
A large attendance is expect
ed at the next meeting as there
will probably be a report on
Rev. Paul Irwin’s trip to New
York to confer with the Meth
odist Board of Education on the
location of the college.
• • •
1 Reporter—
Gus Werner entertained Mr
and Mrs. Delmar Zentmire, the
Loyd Rodgers and son, and Mr.
and Mrs. Dan Southard and son
at a dinner party last Wednes
day.
Gus has many talents and his
guests say his cooking is not
the least of them.
ss
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Horton
and their two children arrived
this morning on the Denali. Mr.
Horton will take Bud Hege
man’s place at the radio station.
They are making their residence
at the Harry Smith house.
Mf
John Paulsteiner isn’t back
at work as yet, but is recover
ing nicely from his recent ill
ness.
Paul Svedeen and also Minnie
Decker were admitted to the
hospital for medical treatment
last week.
Lytle and Green have shut
down construction operation for
the winter on their Mile 3 to
Mile 5 road contract.
&
Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Bryson
arrived home Monday. They
have been visiting in California
and drove up over toe highway.
Mrs. Bryson said the roads were
good and that they didn’t even
have a flat tire on the entire
trip.
Vg
Ray and Marjorie Markovich
are back home after a trip to
California and the east.
«
The V.F.W. Ladies held their
meeting at the Marathon Cafe
last Tuesday, the 6th.
*
Hal Gilfilen is taking it easy
on the icy streets the last few
days as he just had a minor
operation on his leg.
Oscar Dahl Says
The Swedes Can't
Understand Swedish
Mrs. Dahl has had a letter
from Oscar, popular owner of
the New Seward Hotel, who is
on a vacation visit to Sweden.
He left New York by Scandina
vian Airlines System plane,
named Alvor Viking, a DC-6
type transport, on Saturday,
Dec. 3, and wrote immediately
on Sunday saying that he had
arrived safely “last night”,
meaning that he made the 17
hour trip, gaining enough time
on the way to arrive on the
same day he left New York.
He said that the crossing was
smooth and uneventful, with
only one stop, in Scotland, for
refueling. Everything in Stock
holm was closed, being Sunday,
but he took a sightseeing tour
about the city. Having a little
trouble, he says, making them
understand him in Swedish, be
cause his memory of the lan
guage has become a little rusty
with disuse.
Frozen Garbage Cans
Can't Be Emptied
The City Garbage Collection
Department again asks that all
garbage cans be provided with
lids and placed on racks so
they will not freeze down.
The Department gives notice
that any cans that are frozen
down will be by-passed until
such time as they are placed
on racks and have proper lids.
It is pointed out that if wet
garbage is placed in paper sacks
before being put in the cans
it will be less likely to freeze
into a solid mass and be im
possible to remove from the j
can.
SCIENCE SERVICE CLUB
TO BE ORGANIZED
H. J. Winans announced that
on Wednesday, Dec. 14, a Sci
ence Service Club will be or
ganized in Seward with free
sample science kits for all who
attend. The kits came from Sci
ence Service Club headquarters
in Washington, D. C.
Any young people interested
in science are invited to be at
Mr. Winan’s apartment at 338
Fourth Avenue (below the O. M.
Beaver accounting office), next
Wednesday evening at 7:30.
Something new in science
will be brought up each week
with round table discussions.
OREGON FOLKS SPEND
WINTER IN SEWARD
Mrs. Herbert J. Cox and her
sister Mrs. Charles J. Dickey,
both of Manzanita, Oregon, ar
rived in Seward in time for
Thanksgiving dinner last month.
They enjoy the climate so much
that they have decided to spend
the winter here, and have taken
the Ted Bristow house for the
season.
Mrs. Cox is the mother of
Mrs. Harold Davis and Mrs.
Russell Norton, both of this
city.
ST. PETER'S GUILD
POSTPONED A WEEK
The regular business meet
ing of the Ladies Guild of St.
Peter’s Church, which was to
meet Saturday, Dec. 10, has
been postponed until next
week, Saturday, Dec.' 17.
The meeting place remains
the same, at the home of Mrs.
Van Nyman on First Ave.
Mobile Health Unit
Serves ARR Towns
Juneau—Word was received !
in Juneau last week that a rail
road health unit, newest mobile
unit of the Alaska Department
of Health, rolled out of An
chorage to take a general pub
lic health program to residents
along the railbelt.
First stop ,was to be made at
Nenana where physical exam
inations, x-rays, immunizations,
blood tests, child dentistry,
neaun eaucauon ana emergency
medical care will be offered to
the residents. Following stops
at the small villages between
Nenana and Fairbanks, the unit
will work south as far as Sew
ard, making stops at all small
villages which have formerly
not had regular medical and
dental care.
The ARR unit consists of
clinic and dormitory cars whicn
were remodeled from two sur
plus cars provided by railroad
officials. Leigh Kerr, senior x
ray technician of the Health
department, supervised remod
eling of the cars which contain
complete medical and dental
equipment in addition to living
quarters.
The railroad unit will operate
along the rail belt until May,
health authorities stated, when
its staff will transfer to the
Yukon Health, the department's
river boat being used to carry
a public health program along
the Yukon River.
Personnel of the newest unit
include: Dr. Roger Witzel, phy
sician in charge; Mrs. Norma
Jean Witzel, nurse; Dr. A. C.
Hodgkins, dentist; Mrs. Hodg
kins, dental assistant; and Clar
ence Best, x-ray technician. An
engineer and cook complete the
unit's personnel.
Womans Club Backs
Recreation Center
The Woman's Club met at the
Jesse Lee Cottage Thursday
night with Mrs. George Green,!
Mrs. Myrtle Wright and Mrs.
Guy Kearns as hostesses. j
The Club unanimously agreed
to back the proposed public!
recreation program and Civic
Center Teen-age Canteen to the |
limit. Mrs. Helen Jordan was j
appointed as the representative!
to the Seward Athletic Associa
tion, and individual members
are interested in various kinds
of club work.
A committee was appointed
to organize a Hobby Show for
the January Kenai Peninsula
get-together. As soon as plans
are formulated by the commit
tee the public will be notified
as to entries for the show.
After the meeting the ladies
enjoyed a Christmas party, with
an exchange of gifts, and re
freshments of holiday cookies
with coffee. A tiny red candle
in a gumdrop holder and a red
bordered Christmas napkin dec
orated each plate.
Lutheran Services,
Pot Luck Dinner
The Seward Lutherap Church
will hold Communion Services
Monday, Dec. 12, at 8:00 p.m.,
Rev. A. O. Odegaard officiating, j
The Lutheran Ladies Aid will I
have a pot luck dinner Tuesday
evening at 7:00 o’clock at the i
Lutheran Church. Husbands arej
invited to attend. This will also i
be a kitchen shower for the
Church and a Christmas party.
Seward Will Entertain
Vistors From
West Kenai Peninsula
Seward businessmen at last
night’s Chamber of Commerce
meeting laid plans for enter
taining members of an auto
caravan scheduled to leave
Homer at 8:00 aim., Saturday,
Dec. 10, for the Gateway City.
Local residents are all out
to see that the visitors enjoy
themselves and a committee is
to meet them out the road,
probably at Moose Pass. The
travellers will be given guest
tickets to a buffet lunch to be
put on at the Legion Club at
7:00 p.m.
Tickets for Sewardites are
available at $2.50 per person
from Leon Urflach, who has
charge of ticket sales. The tick
ets are being sold locally in
order to raise money to defray
at least part of the lunch ex
penses.
There is no need for people to
worry about what time to show
up at the Legion Club to get
acquainted. It is planned that the
caravan will take a swing
around the city with horns blow
ing and maybe even a police
siren screaming. The group will
end its trip around the town at
the Legion Club, which will give
the locals a chance to get there
about the same time if they start
soon after the noise begins.
During the lunch it will be
determined how the visitors
wish to spend their time in
Seward and every effort will
be made to accommodate them
on this momentous occasion—
first official automobile trip
from Homer to Seward.
Don Carlos Brownell of the
Liberty Theatre has offered free
show tickets to any of the visi
tors who wish to go the theatre.
Considerable pressure has been
exerted upon Leon Urback to
put up a fur coat for each show
ticket given, but at last report no
definite arrangement on that
score had been made.
On the more serious side, the
completion of a road to Homer
means much to Seward. Many
who have friends in the Inlet
town have been anxiously a
waiting the time when they can
drive through to Homer.
Opening of the highway may
well be the means of cement
ing the far-flung towns of the
Kenai Peninsula into one big
happy family. This visit from
the people of Homer and others
who may join the caravan along
the way can be the beginning
of a friendship that will bind
the Peninsula into an empire
that will be the envy of the
Territory of Alaska.
The caravan members expect
to leave Seward for home about
Sunday noon and from their
arrival until their departure
Seward will be out to entertain
them in celebration of the event.
fPOPPM*
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