SOCIAL NOILS
_ Homemaking —
Happening) About Fown
— Gardening —
Of This and That
By Betha Digree
A new employee at Knudsen’s
Outfitters is Mrs. Mary Clark, who
began working there as sales lady
this week. Mary has been employed
at the Mecca Liquor Store for
several years . . .
Perhaps all the stormy weather
we’ve had recently has been caused
by various politicians during their
campaign for reelection . . .
Their boasting of their “accom
plishments” may have blown up
a gale . . .
One often wonders if the union
officials are trying to delay prog
ress in Alaska . . . Last summer
much important construction work
was halted because of a strike by
the carpenters’ union . . . Recent
ly 100 plumbers were taken off
their jobs in the state. Who reaps
the so-called “benefits”? We doubt
that the families of the men out of
work are buying many luxuries
during the strike. Power over peo
ple can be a fearful thing at times.
We acquired some information
last week that we feel should be
passed on to business people who
employ members of their family.
No spouse, son or daughter of the
owner of any business is eligible
for Alaska Employment Security
Commission taxes if they are on
the payroll of a family business,
nor are they eligible for any un
employment benefits from AESC.
Further information may be ob
tained by writing M. E. Weir,
Director, Alaska Employment Se
curity Commission, Box 2661, Jun
eau. You may find, as we did, that
you have a refund due (for not
more than the past two years) to
both the firm and the employee.
We feel that no one should pay
for benefits they cannot possibly
receive, nor should any employer
contribute toward any such fund
when it is not necessary. We have
talked to several business people
in town who have been paying the
tax on members of their immediate
family. Most of us are already
over-taxed . . .
Marvin and Anna Mae Wilson,
who recently moved to Olney, Illi
nois, wrote, “We miss being at
Kodiak and miss all of our friends.
My wife and I purchased a grocery
store and meat market and we
enjoy it very much, especially
meeting the public.
“After being back here, and do
ing a lot of traveling, we found
that Kodiak should be proud of
their Scout movement bcth in Girl
Scouting and Boy Scouting. It is
excellent and very active. We hope
the good work is kept up to help
our boys and girls . .
Eudora Preston, who is a candi
date for the House of Representa
tives, is spending the week visit
ing Alitak and Moser Bay . . .
28 Women Will
Be ‘Blue-Noses’
Twenty-eight women, most of
whom are members of the Officers
Wives Club on the Naval Station,
will become “Blue-Noses” shortly
after they depart for Nome on
Saturday, August 6, according to
Mrs. Barbara Richmond, club en
tertainment chairman.
The flight, a special charter ar
ranged through Pacific Northern
Airlines, will take the women to
Nome via King Salmon on Satur
day, and return them via Bethel
the following day.
During their stay at Nome, Mrs.
Richmond said, they hope to pan
for gold at one of the sluices on
the famous gold-producing Nome
River, and will also take a side
trip to the Eskimo village of Kot
zebue
As the Kotzebue trip will take
them north of the Arctic Circle,
she added, they will be eligible to
receive the traditional “Blue-Nose”
certificate.
Those'igoing on the flight are
Dorothea Caldwell and her guest,
Genevieve Koester of La Jolla,
Calif., Winnie Herman, Phyllis
Dootson, Estelle Huber, Elaine
Dandrea, Betty Breed and her
mother-in-law, Irwina Breed of
Corning N. Y., Marge Claborn and
Hope Carrithers.
Mary Vaughn, Elaine Bururn and
mother-in-law, Gladys Burum of
Berkeley, Calif., Eleanor Bast,
Mary Converse, Polly Esch, Diana
Delano, Virginia Siegle, Eleanor
Broman, Nancy Armitage, Mimi
Case, Eugenia Baker, Ruth Brech
an, Helen Hall, Justine Hinckel,
Judy Sloan, Ginger Veerman and
Barbara Richmond.
Cannon Children
Return To Kodiak
Carol Ann, Susan and Michael
Cannon, children of Mr. and Mrs.
Lloyd Cannon, returned home
Tuesday after an extended vaca
tion Outside.
The youngsters spent several
weeks visiting their maternal
grandmother, Mrs. Jean McMurdro,
in Ellensburg, Washington. They
also spent some time in Montana.
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Life Not So Lonely At Beaty Ranch
With Many Visitors-Bears Included
By Miriam J. Angell
Several Sundays ago our family
was momentarily complete, and in
company with friends, we took the
route to Pasagshak to call on Freda
and Joe Beaty. Forty miles and
six gates later we drove past the
last fence and onto a high meadow
carpeted with lupin and wild
flowers. A lush green valley slopes
down to the sea from a surround
ing rim of jagged mountains. The
Beaty ranch lies at the foot of the
valley, a few steps from the cliffs
of Narrow Cape on Ugak Bay.
Before the rustic entrance we
paused to let Robbie Acheson herd
six horses across the road and into
a corral. They were as sleek and
handsome as any we have ever
our water supply is by gravity
flow and must be watched.
“No, we have no permanent
tenant workers. Our boys are here
in the summers, we have lots of
visitors and some who come to
stay awhile and help out, but in
winter, just Joe and I are here.
It does get lonely, and I love to
have people come out. Many peo
ple go to the fossil beds or to Boat
Beach to look for glass balls. We
have found a good many but I
think the Navy personnel finds
more than we do.”
Knowing nothing about ranches,
beyond a good dose of Hollywood
interpretations, we asked how,
what and why. Mrs. Beaty told us
it is a good life, not without ro
seen. We passed a large barn, built
almost entirely of giant driftwood
logs, and found a space to park
with as much difficulty as we
sometimes encounter in Kodiak.
Someone had said that visitors to
the Beatys are legion; here was
the legion!
Mrs. Beaty welcomed us cordial
ly and made introductions to a
roomful of friends and relatives.
In the comfortable, large living
room a ham radio set has a promi
nent place. Did the family make
radio contacts on a regular sched
ule? “Oh yes, we have a daily
schedule with ACS. We report
weather, and anyone who wants to
can reach us then. Of course we
can call out anytime. If we needed
help in a hurry we could get air
service right away; Bob Hall can
land on our strip or on the lake.”
We wondered how often the
road to town was blocked in win
ter. “Normally we can get out just
about anytime we want to. Our
driving problems are the same you
encounter: icy roads, and once in
a while the pass gets blocked with
snow. This was particularly true in
1956 when there was so much
snow: for eight weeks we couldn’t
get out.
We asked how long the Beatys
have lived on the ranch and what
brought them to Kodiak. “We have
always liked ranching. We had
one in Montana and then decided
to go into the furniture business
in Casper, Wyoming. We soon
realized we preferred the ranch
and we drove up the Alcan to Fair
banks to look for one. Joe heard
about one on Chirikoff and flew
down to look it over but the weath
er was souped in. Instead, he was
able to fly over this one that he
had also heard about, and we chose
to buy. We moved up in June of
1953. There were a lot of problems
right away: the washing machine
didn’t work, the power plant didn’t
work and there were new problems
every day. Right now our diesel
motor is in town to be repaired
and there is always something
vital to keep going; for example,
mance and adventure, but there
is more pure hard work than any
thing else.
“We lease twenty-two thousand
acres and we own twenty acres
surrounding our home and build
ings. We have four hundred and
seventy head of cattle and we must
have eight or ten horses. There is
much riding to do and I ride with
mv husband quite a lot. With
cattle in this country, you must
check constantly, and there is
branding, breeding, calving and
slaughtering to do. We get so busy:
sometimes I am just too busy to
cook dinner.
“We usually let the cows graze
back into the valleys but this sum
mer we have not let them go so
far back because of the bears. Last
year we lost five head and the
year before that, twenty-two. Those
l
bears always work when it is foggy
and rainy and we can’t catch them,
n winter we run the steers out
on the point. We don’t bring cows
in close to the house until time for
them to have their babies and we
have to feed and care for them.
“It’s hard w*ork, yes, but we love
it here and this kind of life. Our
sons love the ranch and Alaska;
you know that they are both at
home for the summer. Billy works
at the Chiniak Station now that he
is out of the Army, and Jimmy
goes to the University of Wyoming.
He’s studying nuclear physics I
have a few hobbies, crocheting,
knitting, reading. I play a little
bit of piano but cooking is about
the best thing I do and I do lots
of that, we have so many guests.”
We left Mrs. Beaty to visit with
her other guests and went to find
her husband. Joe Beaty showed us
around the buildings and slaugh
ter house. Substantial investment,
long, hard years, constant vigilance
and pride have built a fine ranch.
Near the house is the power plant
that supplies twenty-four hour elec
tricity; not far from this, the great
barn and network of corrals. Ad
jacent to the corrals is a low, red
bunkhouse; opposite this, the fam
ily home. A short walk from these
buildings is the slaughter house;
to go there we crossed a swift
running stream which serves a
practical purpose in the slaughter
process. Thp slaughter house is
immaculate and Imre except for
essential equipment. Here, one by
one, the steers are shot, bled,
strung up, 9kinned out and quar
tered, then wrapped in sterile
canvas shrouds which have been
dipped in hot salt water. Not the
least of the steps to beef on the
table is the inspection by a govern
ment agent who stamps out most
of the Beaty cattle Good Grade.
“We tried some grain fed beef
a few years ago but Choice Grade
brings only two or three cents a
pound more than grazed Good
Beef, so we gave it up. When we
are slaughtering we scrub down
the floors and walls constantly
and no one in here can smoke or
even chew gum. We send some
beef by air to Anchorage—the
plane lands on our strip—and we
sell to Kodiak stores and to the
Navy Base.” We started back to
ward the house and, impatient to
talk about bears, we asked about
the cow bear situation.
“Well, we started out with a
herd of about two hundred head
and we’ve built it up mo-e than
double that. But those bears take
an awful toll some years and then
(Continued on Page 11)
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WARDROBE
SALE
Going Out of Business
Bargains
FOR THE TALLS
Insulated Raincoats.$16.95
Long Formals
Sizes: 20-42-44
Beautiful Coats and Dresses
Fall & Winter
This sale will continue until
remaining; merchandise is
marked at cost and sold.