New School Now
The Day The Roof Fell In
By MARTHA TEF.I.l’K
Contributing Editor
As a former teacher, or more cor
rectly instructional-aid for the Bur
eau of Indian Affairs, I marvel at
the increasing number of new
schools being built in the villages
and also how many of our children
are being enrolled in schools in
Alaska as well as in other states.
Just about ten years ago some of
us were struggling to get the Bu
reau of Indian Affairs to under
stand the need for schools in some
Of the remote areas.
This was the case when I started
teaching at Scammon Bay. At that
time I thought myself fortunate that
my application had been accepted
and that I could earn a living.
Although I did r.ot have any for
mal education beyond the eighth
grade, I could teach in some vil
lages since it was almost impossible
to get teachers for isolated villages
and Scammon Bay was one of them.
Church Building
The building that we were to use
for a classroom belonged to the
church but it was kind enough to
let us use it for teaching purposes.
- I will describe it to you to give
you a better understanding of the
way some schools were started in
the villages.
Crowded
The school was a small log cabin
made by the villagers themselves
for the church. The walls were 3
feet high and the gabled roof was
about 5 feet high. The room in size
was approximately 15 by 25 feet.
Since I was late in getting ihere
I rushed to tidy up the place to get
it in shape for the school year.
We had to move the groceries for
the lunch program out of the build
ing and since we could not boast
of a warehouse we distributed them
among the houses for safekeeping
until we were in need of them.
There were 45 children enrolled
and you can imagine the crowded
condition of the classroom. But the
warm reception I received from the
children and the cooperation from
their parents helped me forget the
inadequate conditions of the school
Blizzards Struck
I never dreamed what was in store
for us that winter. Since Scammon
Bay is situated on the west slope of 1
the Eskinok Mountains, on the Ber
ing Sea Coast, we got the full
blast of the cold winds and bliz
zards.
Before we knew it our little school
was half buried in snow and with
the doors so low we soon found our
selves shoveling our way to the
school entrance through the snow.
By mid-March the building was all
covered with snow and all you could
see was the smoke stack and the flag
j waving proudly over a snow bank
to mark the site of the building.
Some days snsw blocked the en
trance to the school completely.
Sliding Entrance
One of the men -would make a
hole at the1 top of the snow bank and
the children would tunnel their way
in. Sometimes we had snow steps
down to the entrance but most of
the time we just slid down inside
the school.
Then when the winter was almost
over and spring came, we had to
contend with the melting snow.
The roof had begun to cave in in
the middle from the weight of the
snow. So one of the men got a piece
of driftwood and centered it inside
the school, making a support for
the roof.
Wrote Pleas
In the meantime. I kept writing
to the closest BIA headquarters tell
ing them of the hazardous condi
tions in the school. Even the chil
dren wrote letters in our attempt to
persuade them of our need.
But for some reason not entirely
clear to me (lack of funds, appar
ently) they could not build the
school there.
Rocf Fell In
In my third year of teaching, con
ditions got so bad that one day or.e
of the children fell through the
flooring.
Towards the er.d of April one cf
the older children told me that one
of the logs was ready to fall on her
head.
The day the rocf fell in I sent a
m'essage to the BIA and told them
that I could not hold classes any
longer.
Finally authorities were convinced
we needed a new school. That sum
mer construction was started on
a new two-classroom school which
is in Scammon Bay today.
How's This For Progress . . .
Alaska's first elected state government has
launched the first real program for devel
opment of rural areas in Alaska's history.
• More than one hundred communities helped through rural
development program.
• Drainage systems, sidewalks, community buildings, floats,
well houses, bus stop shelters constructed
• Comprehenive program to provide rural school children
with adequate educational opportunities developed.
• Bush airports, waters and harbor projects constructed.
• Pioneer access roads pushed into valuable resource areas.
HERE IS A RESPONSIBLE PROGRAM TO
IMPROVE A LONG-NEGLECTED
AREA OF ALASKA LIFE
On Nov. 6 vote for the man who has provided Alaska
with sound, progressive leadership
Re-elect
WILLIAM A. EGAN
The Man You Can Trust
—sponsored and paid for by Egan for Governor Committee
Sketch
Chenega
The Prince William Sound area of
Alaska can truly boast of majestic
beauty, and the little village of
Chenega is surrounded by it.
Situated on the southern end of
a small island by the same name.
Chenega is located east of the Kenai
Peninsula and west of Knight Is
land in the prince William Sound
Archipelago.
The old name for the village was
“ingim atshia," which means “the
bottom of the mountain,” and for
good reason, since the village sits
at the bottom ' of a very steep
hill thick with the plush vegetation
typical of this part of the state.
Salmon-berry bushes abound
everywhere and usually offer .pro
ductive late-summer activities for
the -women and children. Looking
arcross the water toward Seward,
one can see the ice meeting the
j water from the Sargent Icefield-on
| the mainland. Whale will frequent
the waters surrounding the islands
j in this area, but they are no longer
! hunted as the oldest residents in the 1
village remember they used to be.
Today, the population, which av
erages about 80 or 90, makes its
living largely from commercial fish
ing or activities related to it.
During the summer months, the
village is sometimes virtually de
serted as some families go off in
| their boats to fish, and the others
find employment in canneries. Dur
ing the winter, the summer intake
is supplemented with black bear
and mountain sheep from the land,
and seal from the Sound.
Cordova and Valdez are the near
est towns to which the Chenegans
go to shop, visit relatives, or for
entertainment.
They have a lovely Russian Ortho
dox Church, which is regularly at
tended by all. and a fine school
which has sat on a little hill be- i
) hind the village since 1936.
Fishing at Clarks Point
By EARL GEORGE 1
CLARKS POINT
It is the summer of 1962.
A poor fishing season is predicted.
Men are preparing nets? fish boats,
and various other things for the
fishing season. They know it is go
ing to be a poor season but they
have to try because fishing is the
only livelihood they know.
These men are not educated men.
They are natives of Alaska, who
have had no opportunity to obtain
an education, only the education of
the fishing grounds and of dan
gerous locations such as sandbars
and shoals.
'They know where the 'fish usually
run and where and -what time to
catch them. This, then, is the situa
tion in a certain part of the state
of Alaska.
The men hope they will be lucky
and catch enough fish to feed their
families. There is not enough other
employment to meet their needs.
Each man mends every hole in his
gillnet and gives his fish boat a
new coat of paint.
The opening day is full of excite
ment and the boats move to the
spots where fish are usually caught.
The gillnet is set out over the pow
er roller and all 150 fathoms of
net are let out. The net is then
closely watched for fish gilling.
There seem to be only a few
strikes. Well, it is time to pull the
net in and clean what few fish
have been caught in the net and
move to another spot, in high hopes
of running into a school of salmon.
It is just about low water, and
the tide will soon be turning and
coming in. The river will be flood
ing as the tide turns.
Two men have pulled their net
in and are looking for a place to
set. The tide is slack now and in
a few minutes it will turn.
A new place has been found and
the net is readied to set out. It
begins to go into the water.
The net begins to smoke with
hundreds of fish gilling!
Kurry, set the whole net out!
Let it sink with fish!
Yes, the tide has really turned!
Sketch
Golovin
Across the Norton Sound to the
northwest of Shaktoolik, about sixty
■air miles is the village or town of
Golovin. The original name of this
village was Chenik.
It was probably some gold rush
people that changed the name to
Golovin in honor of Vasili M. Golo
fnin, and early Russian navigator
who had sailed in the Alaskan wat
ers. This village's population is
about 200.
Golovin had its period of bustling
activity, due to the discovery of
gold up the Neukluk River at the
once freewheeling town of Council.
Council is now a ghost town.
Golovin was once the supply re
lay point for this mining community.
■ River barges, loaded with freight,
\ powered with inboard engines and
two dray horses, would wind their
[ way up the Neukluk.
The inboard power propelled the
craft as far as the depth of water
allowed. Some miles below the min
ing town shallow bars became fre
quent. There the horses took over.
They were harnessed, led over the
side of the barge and hitched to the
bow.
The freight continued on to
Council utilizing the bona fide dray
| horsepower.
YOUR.
TRIED
AND
TRUE
FRIEND
SENATOR ERNEST
GRUENING
has devoted more than a quarter of a
century to: improving economic and
social conditions in Alaska . . . for
ALL ALASKANS.
For the story of what Gruening has
done to improve the lot of Natives, ob
tain your copy of: “Ernest Gruening
and the Native People of Alaska,’’ a
personal account of the record, from
Democratic Headquarters in Fair
banks, Nome or Anchorage; Juneau,
Sitka or Ketchikan, or, write to the
Senator at 50 Federal Building. An
chorage.
UNITED STATES SENATOR
El GRUENING, ERNEST
28 TEARS OF DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
TO ALASKA AND ALASKANS
ERNEST GRUENING
ir. Director of Division of Territories and Island
Possessions. 1934-1939.
ir Governor of Alaska, 1939-1933.
•fct Member of Alaska International Highway Com
mission, 1938-1942 i Alaska Highway completed
1943*
Author of "The State of Alaska" published in
1934.
ir Keynoter at Alaska Constitutional Convention,
1933.
it, Elected Alaska-Tennessee Plan Senator by Al
askans, 1936.
ir United States Senator from Alaska, 1938 to
present.
• Paid Political Adv. written by J. Vic
Richardson, Box 1184. Fairbanks).