Teenage Trappers
Pictured displaying three of their prime beaver pelts are three 19
year-old cousins (1. to r.) Dennis Kramer, Bill Engelstader and
Ronald Jolin who tell us that “boiled beaver tail is delicious and.
beaver liver is the most.”
Three Lads Set Out To Aid Aunt Dora
Are Making Payday Trapping Beavei
Who said there is nothing for
young people to do in Kodiak?
Three teenagers who suddenly
found themselves knocked out of
jobs aboard a crab-processing ves
sel because of some stringent in
surance regulations, quickly looked
over their jobless situation, the
Kodiak scene, and promptly set out
to make their own jobs. They be
came beaver trappers on a serious
scale and with a determined intent.
The three, Dennis Kramer, Ron
ald Jolin, Bill Engelstadeter, all
cousins and 19-year-old nephews of
Dora and Dale Kramer, pooled
their resources and invested in
equipment and beaver traps.
At first they had decided they
would set up their operation near
Peranosa Bay on Afognak Island
However they learned that a cou
ple of other trappers were already
operating in that area. Their choice
of the Roslyn Creek area out on
Chiniak Peninsula was based not
only on finding ample indication
of plenty of beaver abounding
there as well as its accessibility to
a road connected with civilization
(Kodiak), but also was largely in
fluenced by the strong urging of
their aunt Dora, one of Kodiak’s
most avid and devoted Silver Sal
mon sports fishermen.
And Aunt Dora, who is Kodiak’s
well-known Public Health Nurse,
has become increasingly worried
over the future of her Silver fish
ing at her most favored spot which
is Roslyn Creek, of course. Re
ports from her eager deer-hunting
husband Dale, who often traversed
up the creek in search of his sea
son’s buck, convinced Aunt Dora
that if the eager beavers contin
ued their dam activities along the
creek, the salmon would soon De
completely blocked off from their
spawning grounds.
So, about a month ago, Nephews
Dennis, Ronald, and Bill trekked
•out to Roslyn Creek armed with
trusty traps to put a stop to tha
beaver’s dam activities.
Within three weeks and operat
ing only along a small portion of
the lower mouth of the creek, the
lads caught 32 of the commercial
fur-bearers.
Although the three strapping
youths deny they are profession:
trappers, they will admit they hav
trapped beaver before in their tim
in the lower ’43.
“We would hate to admit jus
how long it takes us to skin, fles
and stretch our catches,” said on
as he looked up from the batch o
bread he was baking in an iroi
dutch oven in a pitted bonfire.
“But anyway each pelt takes u
less time than the one before,” an
other chimed in encouragingly.
At their base camp, located jus
off the Chiniak “main drag,” thi
three have set up their tent an<
pelt cache, well protected from th<
salty breezes (and gales) tha
sweep in from the nearby ocear
beach.
“We all cook . . . sorta a serv<
yourself affair,” said Engelstade
ter, and each takes care of his owr
personal gear. Otherwise it’s prett]
much a cooperative thing.”
Besides having found sufficien
beaver, the boys have learned tha
Kodiak has weather . . . “all kind;
of weather.” ... In our first three
weeks we have had snow, rain
lots of terrific rain—way below
freezing temperatures . . . and
winds. And we had one day when
the sky was cloudless and the tem
perature hit 54 degrees.
At any rate, the boys are obvi
ously enjoying every minute of
their enterprise and it looks very
much like they will make a solid
payday while pleasing Aunt Dora.
Lyceum Program
The Lyceum announces that
Phillip Hanson, well known West
Coast Shakespearian actor and di
rector, will perform his one-man
show “Moby Dick” in Kodiak on
Sunday, March 3, at the high school
auditorium.
ENJOY POTLUCK
Forty-five members of St. Mary’s
parish enjoyed a potluck supper
held in the large schoolroom on
Monday. The tables were attrac
tively decorated by Mrs. Lana Ka
yak with a Valentine motif.
Mrs. Colleen Mehrens, past pres
ident of St. Mary’s Altar Society,
who will be leaving Kodiak next
week, was presented a gift.
I DR. E. E. BACH, Optometrist I
Will Be in Kodiak Feb. 10 Thru 1
Feb. 14 To Do Eye Examinations I
FOR APPOINTMENT CALL MRS. HUER AT N
— Kodiak Kapsules —
(By Bill Mason)
(Continued From Page 1)
I week have been Postmaster Bill
i Lanime and Mayor Merrill Coon,
and we trust that by this time
both are back at their jobs. . . .
Well, the Republicans won one
victory recently (they captured
the speakership of the House of
Representatives) such as Pete
Deveau said they would. . . . For
a while last week we thought we
were on the Juneau telephone
line with first Gov. Bill Egan
giving us a buzz followed short
ly by one from Gil Jarvela. . . .
And if you haven’t heard A1
Hochberger sing in German and
Father Targonsky in Russian,
you’re just as well off. . . .
Think it has been cold here the
a last few days? Our old home
y stomping grounds got down to
34 below the latter part of Janu
f ary, a record low for that area.
... And a personal thanks to
Ensign Gubler of FWC for draw
B ing up the letterhead design for
" Lyceum.
* * * *
* Do you think February is going
1 to be dull? Think again, according
' to the Publishers Auxiliary this
1 stirring events lie ahead for us in
1 the next 28 days:
Add a Glass of Milk, National
Sickroom Needs Month, Frozen Po
tato Month, Good Breakfast Montn,
t Take Tea and Sea Week, Raisin
bread Toast-to-Travel Sweepstakes,
j National Pimento Week, Pickla
Ways for Lenten Days and Pencil
; Week.
Gee, we can hardly wait.
1 * * * *
We are called to task for com
menting that there isn’t an Air
Force installation here—there is
| Alaska Communications, and the
relations with town are superb.
And now the Defense Depart
ment is trying to sell it.
• * * m
Suppose you have heard about
the woman named Kennedy on the
mainland of this great state who
leaves a message for someone to
call her and then adds:
“If you forget the name, just
think of the name of the Presi
dent.”
Then one night her husband an
swered the telephone and a voice
asked:
“May I speak with Mrs. Roose
velt?”
• • • •
Have you noticed that one of
the toughest shopping jobs is to
find a wedding present that looks
like it cost as much as it does.”
Seeking Letters
To Boost Savings
And Loan Firm
Any letters expressing the need
for the establishment of a Savings
and Loan organization in Kodiak
will be welcome and an assist in
getting permission to establish a
branch, Howard Fremlin said this
week.
Fremlin was in Kodiak this past
week compiling information about
the community and seeking a loca
tion for a branch of the First Fed
eral Savings and Loan Association,
but it is necessary to have a char
ter granted and construction men
and builders writing such letters
could be a great asset towards this
end.
Fremlin will arrive in Kodiak
this weekend and anyone wishing
to write such a letter should ad
dress it to him in care of the Ko
diak Hotel.
* ’* * *
These electronic phone answer
ing devices are all right, we guess,
but sometimes they make a darned
fool out of you.
We have called Bill Damery and
Chuck Powell on occasion to hear
a voice announce that “Your mes
sage is being recorded” and like
an idiot we never fail to tell the
recorded voice, “Thank You.”
* * * *
We sincerely trust this ARA
program moves ahead in Kodiak.
It could prove to be of immeas
urable help in finnacing busi
urable help in financing busi
ly need is a slaughter house for
our cattlemen.
Kodiactors Elect
And Study Plans
The Kodiactors held a meeting
Sunday. Feb. 3. Capt. T. E. McCor
mick, chairman of the board, pre
sided. Members of the group ex
pressed their appreciation for the
assistance he has given the Kodi
actors.
An election of officers was held.
Board members are Capt. M. W.
Munk, Iris Arnold, Ralph Pelletier.
Nancy Gross, and Lyle Gubler.
House manager is Ralph Pelletier
and secretary-treasurer Iris Arn
old. Elected to the house improve
ment committee were Capt. Munk,
Betty Gianascol and Pat Hammond.
ALTAR SOCIETY
St. Mary’s Altar Society will hold
its regular meeting at 8 p.m. on
Tuesday, Feb. 12, at the school.
This Is Life In Kodiak
Mike Holton, left, shows album of “Life in Kodiak” which will be
sent to the Bennie School, Allen Park, Michigan. Mike is showing
the album to Ande Ward, president of the Kodiak Naval Station
Junior Red Cross. Others present, left to right, include Barbara
Fulp, Sid Morris, Mel J. Jewell, Red Cross Field Director and Pat
Morris.
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