Ben Benson
(Continued from Page 3)
was being touted as the most lux
urious fur; Sea otter had been out
lawed for years in an attempt to re
build the almost extinct herds.
“There were lots of sea otter
around Ugaiasihak,” Ben con
tinued. “It was a regular sea otter
rookery, and still is. Once we went
to Chignik to get our winter sup
plies and wheh we came back there
was a boat in the lagoon—we had
a perfect harbor1—and we thought,
uh oh, soifcebne’s stealing foxes.
But here these guys were out hunt
ing sea otter. It s against the law
even to touch one. They had 12
pelts, and they were really beauti
ful. I guess they thought they were
going to take them into Canada,
but one of the men was a tough
looking customer called One Eye
Mike, and he came into Kodiak
and bragged about the skins. That
ended that; they were caught.
“Even now you can see the sea
otter in Sitkum Bay, right on the
beaches in summer. They like to
hang around kelp patches."
In 1936 Ben Benson left Ugaiu
sha It, and two years later, used his
scholarship to learn diesel engines
in school in. Seattle. For a while
he ran diesels on a tender, then
built boats; during wartime he
helped build Coast Guard picket
boats in a Kirkland, Washington
shipyard. It was in Seattle that he
married, and his two daughters
were bom. After several years of
breeding a lot of expensive, ner
vous mink, Mr. Benson came to
Kodiak, brought his daughters with
him, and fished for a year or so,
then learned airplane mechanics.
“In July I’ll have been with Bob
Hall for 10 years. He and Mrs. Hall
helped me a lot with the girls when
they were young.”
He laughed at the memory of
how he cared for his little daught
ars.. “It was comical; I sewed for
them, and did everything. No, not
dresses; I ordered stuff for them,
ordered it too big, and took up the
hems. They both learned to sew,
and Anna Mae, the married one,
made all her own clothes in high
school. And I cut their hair and
they’d get made with me for the
way I cut it, but we had some good
times. Anna Mae married a boy
from 'the base two years ago; he
was in the tower, and then he was
transferred to Georgia. Both girls
are there now.” Anna Mae was also
queen of the 1958 4th of July pa
rade.
One of the big thrills of his life
occure>d just two years ago when
the State Constitutional Conven
tion met in Fairbanks, and Ben
Benson was invited. Only two hon
ored guests were presented to the
packed audience of delegates and
spectators; one was the Governor
of Alaska, the other, the designer
of Alaska’s flag. When he stood
up the crowd gave him a roaring,
standing ovation. “The noise was
so loud I couldn’t hear a thing;
people whistled and hollared and
stamped. I thought, finally, I could
sit down, but this old miner came
up and wanted his picture taken
with me, so I stood a little longer.
I don’t like publicity too much, but
it bothers me more in Seattle or
other places outside; I feel at home
here.”
Ben’s home, where we spent
such an interesting and pleasant
evening, is on Tagura Road, just
at the edge of the bluff above the
channel between Kodiak and Near
Island. A wide expanse of glass in
both kitchen and living room gives
onto a superb view of the water,
islands, and fishing boats and pon
toon planes outward bound, or com
ing home. Not far off a bell bouy
rocks and sounds its mellow warn
ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME
Box 686
Kodiak, Alaska
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will be tag
ging pink salmon on the east side of Kodiak and Afognak
Islands this coming season. Tagging will be done during
weekly closed periods from the latter part of June until about
mid-August. Purse seine vessel owners and operators inter
ested in bidding please contact Bob Simon at the Alaska De
partment of Fish and Game, Commercial Fisheries Division,
Box 686, Kodiak, for particulars. Phone 486—2288.
KNUDSEN’S OUTFITTERS
Beautiful New
Blouses for
Mother’s Day!
Make Mom Happy
With Something
She Needs.
WE ARE ALWAYS GLAD TO HELP YOU
MAKE a SELECTION and GIFT WRAP FOR YOU.
•
KNUDSEN’S OUTFITTERS
YOUR HEADQUARTERS FOR SHOES
AND CLOTHING NEEDS
ing, and the incoming tide swishes
gently. Ben Benson has shared his
comfortable home with Carl Elli
son of Afognak for three winters,
and with hds dog, Maltchik, for a
longer time. Maltchik, meaning
little boy, is low slung, intelligent,
well trained, and has a delightful
doggy disposition. We watched his
antics as we listened to his master,
and remarked that it is a pity so
many long time residents of Kodak
are reluctant to talk about them
selves in the light of the past here,
or in nearby areas. Ben nodded
agreement and said, "Yes, it’s a
shame. A lot of people are taking
a lot of history with them. Nobody
has a chance to write down these
things. Mr. Sherateen who died 2
years ago was over 90 and he was
bom here the year the Russians
left Alaska.
“Just the other day August
Haightman told me how they used
to raise kids here. They would tie
a piece of seal blubber on a string
and the kids would suck on it—
yes, like a pacifier. They tied the
other end of the string to his big
toe. They did that here in the early
days. My step-mother could tell
some tales: she said when the na
tives would go from here in their
bidarkas they would stop at our
island (Ugaiushak) have tea on the
beach and portage over, then go on
to Sutkik Island. In the pass where
they packed through they always
left a rock; there are three piles
of rocks there, about waist high,
and the rocks are no bigger than
this.” He indicated the size of an
orange. “Nobody knows why they
did it. Yes, maybe it was like the
ones from here who climbed Pil
lar Mountain and always took a
rock to the top and put it on one
of the piles.
“In Chignik in the early days the
sailing schooners came up and
stayed all summer to can fish. The
Star of Alaska was the last one to
come up, in 1930, I think. Old Cap
tain Halverson sailed it right into
the bay there. There were a lot of
Chinese then; they brought their
chickens and pigs with them, and
my dad told me a story—I don’t'
know whether it was true or not—
about how they were buried when
they died. He said they put the
body in a barrel and salted it and
sent it back to China. One tame
a fisherman opened a barrel he
thought had salt fish in it and
there was the body of a Chinese.
He figured the barrel of salt fish
went all the way to China.
“Happy Uzhawan’s father is dead
now, but he had the last bidarka in
Chignik. He was in Katmai (the
village) when Katmai mountain
erupted. He said 4 feet of ash fell
there and there was no drinkink
water, nothing left. The Manning
came in and picked up all the peo
ple. Captain Perry was the skipper
and old Captain Crosby told me
once that he (Perry) took the na
tives to various places to let them
off. But they were enjoying them
selves so much they didn’t want
to get off the ship. They wouldn’t
go to Chignik, or places that had
people in them; they said they
wanted a place of their own. Cap
tain Perry wanted to let them off
at Metrofan; it was a nice place
with a good harbor, but no, they
had to go where the sea washes in,
so finally, he gave up and shoved
them off at Perryville. I guesS they
either chose Perryville themselves,
or Perry said they had to go.”
In other villages there was a
good reason for choosing inaces
sable sates: protection from war
ring tribes. Ben’s stepmother told
him there was once a village at
Wrangell Bay, and in the bay was
a bun shaped island to which the
villagers retired when in danger.
They climbed a steep pass to a
height on Bun Island and drew up
a ladder after themselves. “They
claimed the last one who knew
how to lead them up this pass was
old Mama Sinac, who was married
to Pat Charlie Olson. Each time
they took a big stone lantern that
probably belonged to the church,
and carried it in a bidarka, until
once the bidarka flipped over, and
they lost the lamp.
“My stepmother was born in
Aniashak, and was raised on Cheri
kof Island. Her dad was Frank
Lowell. He was an oldtimer from
Copper River. Lowell Creek in
Seward is named for him. Andy
Simons in Seward married one of
his daughters—Eli Metrokin knows
him; he was a guide. No, my step
mother is still alive, but I haven’t
seen her in years. She could really
tedl you some stories.’’
There are more stories Ben told
us, but we are afraid our good
editor, friend though he is, might
take exception to our further gen
erous use of space. One footnote
we would like to add is that Alas
kan flags, made and signed by
Benny Benson himself, are avail
able at the Frontier Shop. We plan
to own one before we leave the
island.
Kodiak Rotary
Wins District
Attendance Trophy
A report on the Rotary District
Conference held recently at Har
rison Hot Springs, was given by
Archie Zehe at the luncheon meet
ing of the club Tuesday noon at
the 49 Room. He said Dr. A.
Holmes Johnson attended the con
ference.
On display was a trophy, an at
tendance cup brought back from
the conference, which was won by
the local club for having the high
est attendance of any club in the
district. The district is comprised
of part of Washington state, Brit
ish Columbia and Alaska. Attend
ance figure for the year was 96.40.
The members were assigned
hours diming which they will op
erate the Rotary kiddies train dur
ing the Festival, booth assignments
and other work connected with the
Club’s part in the weekend celebra
tion.
Read the classifieds for profit;
use them for results.
COUNT ’EM—Giant’s star outfielder Willie Mays proudly dis
plays four baseballs representing the four homers he hit in game
April 30 with Milwaukee Braves. The four homers tied the record
for homers in a single game held by eight other Major League play
ers. The San Francisco Giants won, 14-4, with Willie’s homers ac
counting for eight runs batted in. (AP Wirephoto)
KNUDSEN’S
irinniriniifiTiwntiMniririinriiwir-'T-i-1-rirrrrr'"'iii iiir fT TTlHrirTT"1 i s
NEW ESKIMO DOLLS
HAND CARVED FACES
of IVORY and WOOD.
HAIR SEAL SLIPPERS.
Chickie for Queen
Gins FOR MOTHER
New Jade and Hematite Jewelry
Hand Carved Ivory Figures
By Houston
KHUDSEN’S — Where All Kodiak Shops