Sea of Mud and Booted Pedestrians
Didn’t Empress Newcomer Here In 1946
By Miriam J. Angell
Numbers of people have come
to Kodiak to work in Civil Service
oh the Naval Station, have loved
the island and stayed on after re
tirement to settle in town with
other jobs and contribute substan
tially to the life of the community.
No one has been happier here, or
added more life to the community,
than Mrs. Ed Rockney with whom
we talked this week at the Frontier
Gift and Flower Shop.
Mrs. Rockney took us into the
comfortable sitting room in the
back of her store, plugged in a
pot of coffee and told us that her
hauled school children too and we
had as many as 26 children and a
dog in the station wagon at one
time. My insurance man used to
stand at the school corner every
day to watch us unload. He said it
reminded him of an old cartoon
that showed an endless stream of
little people coming out of the
woodwork.
“Later on, with the greater de
mand for transportation, we got a
little blue bus and our son went
into partnership with us so we
could provide night service. I often
drove the late shift until 11, all
alone. No, nothing dangerous ever
MRS. TENORA ROCKNEY
first name, Tenora, is an Indian
name her mother discovered in
Minnesota where she was born,
that her husband is visiting in
their home state now, and that
they first came to Kodiak in 1946
when Ed Rockney was employed
in Public Works for the Navy.
“I arrived in August aboard the
Lakina, a small combination freight
and passenger ship. We came
straight across the gulf and it was
rough all the way and I was sick
all the way. Ed had been here for
two months and had a house ready
for me, but looking the town over,
it certainly didn’t impress me. The
streets were a sea of mud and
everyone wore boots; there were
wooden sidewalks scattered here
and there, but lots of gaps in be
tween. Besides that, it was the end
of fishing season and I had never
seen anything like it. I packed my
suitcases three times, changed my
mind each time and stayed on.
"To have something to do, I
took over the station wagon we
called the Shopper and drove it on
a 30-minute schedule on Mission
Road. There were no telephones
out there then and almost no cars
anywhere, so I did shopping for
people and carried passengers. I
happened. Twice I was called on
to take badly injured people to the
hospital, but if anything happened
to the bus there were always
enough men or big boys to help me.
“Actually, there were very few
unpleasant experiences; people
were friendly and I enjoyed driv
ing them. Color photography be
came my hobby and if I saw a
particularly beautiful sunset, or
cloud formation, or some interest
ng scene I wanted to take, I stop
ped the bus and the passengers
waited until I got the picture. They
gave me lots of news and I wrote
a weekly column for the paper
about people and local happenings.
Everyone seemed to enjoy my
‘Chit Chat’.
“The people of Kodiak voted me
a 20-year franchise for bus service
in town but when my son left to
go into business with his brother
in Portland, I found driving night
and day was more responsibility
and work than I wanted, and I sold
the line in 1953.”
Mrs. Rockney took a brief vaca
tion outside, returned, and work
ed for 18 months in the drygoods
department of O. Kraft and Sons.
"I gave up the job to take another
vacation and when I came back in
"pKMtien. “Second 'Jtetuex
an d Skofc
We have a nice selection of
Gift Wrappings & Ribbon
Also All Occasion Cards
Phone 2631
9-6 Weekdays
10 8 Friday
1955, I bought this shop which was
then only one room. Two years
later I purchased the Shoe Box
and combined the two businesses.
My husband retired the same year
and came in with me ”
Nora Rockney left us momentar
ily to wait on customers, and two
friends from Woody Island, on an
infrequent trip to town, stopped
in for a chat and a cup of coffee.
Jessie Smith, who had been Nora’s
neighbor a few years ago, remind
ed her of some of the differences
of town living at the time.
Mrs. Rockney continued, “Oh
yes, it was different. Even in the
late forties cows still went loose
in the streets. The herd from the
Mission sometimes wandered in
and stood in our yard. A lot of
things were pretty primitive but
we had a lot of fun.
“We still live in the same place.
We call it Cliff House. It’s a small
home with a view of the channel
and Woody Island from one win
dow; from another window we
overlook Potato Patch Lake. Sev
eral years ago I was looking out
one window on crowds of people
in bright winter clothing, skating
on the lake; I turned and looked
out the other side and saw blue
water, a plane landing and fishing
boats going through the channel.
It was the most impressive view
I’ve seen here, like Hawaii on the
one hand, the far north on the
other, and I thought, how wonder
ful; where else in the world could
you find such a scene?”
JNora Hockney is a sportswoman
of renown on Kodiak and we sug
gested that she probably knows
more choice fishing spots than
most people in the area. “Yes, I
know all the holes, but when I fish
I prefer to be just about alone.
Usually my husband and I go out
together. I love to fish; I don’t
think there is any sport you can
get a bigger thrill out of than
hooking into an eight of ten pound
silver on an eight pound test line.
I’ve played silvers for as long as
35 minutes to bring them to shore.
It’s one thing women can get as
excited about as men. The other
outdoor things I like are boating,
horseback riding and hunting,
though I don’t care to hunt bear,
just rabbits and small game.
‘When we retire we’re going to
find a place way out in the country
on the West Coast where we can
enjoy our four children, 16 grand
children and fishing, swimming,
boating and horseback riding. I
love Kodiak but we are so far from
our family; they want us close to
them.”
Mrs. Rockney is also an enthusi
astic bowler, a member of the
Kodiak Chamber of Commerce,
and is active in the Business and
Professional Women’s Club.
“Ed and I like to hike and beach
comb too and I’ll tell you the story
you asked about in connection with
that, although I’m not too proud
of it. I should have known better.
“My husband and I went ptarmi
gan hunting out at Narrow Cape
last February. After we’d hunted
for a while I suggested we go down
to the beach and hunt for glass
balls. It was steep there but we
found a place to slide down, and
two small glass balls on the beach.
I got excited and wanted to walk
the length of the beach around
the point to find some more.
(Note: the point is a steep cliff
which juts out into Ugak Bay; the
beach and large boulders at the
base of the cliff are exposed only
at low tide.) There was a nine foot
high tide that day — I hadn’t,
checked — and it was stormy and
rough. My husband said he would
go back the way we had come,
collect the guns and meet me at
the car. I walked to the point,
climbed up on the cliff rocks and
worked my way out. I didn’t
realize the tide was coming in
very rapidly and cutting me off.
All at once 1 couldn’t see any toe
holes, just sheer cliff. I stood there
wondering how I was going to
make it back without sliding into
the ocean, and before I could make
up my mind a big wave washed
me out into the ocean. I found
myself astraddle a rock. I told
myself, ‘don’t panic if you want to
get out of this.’ With the next
wave I swam in toward the cliff
and found myself in water up to
my neck, facing the cliff and
nothing to hang onto. I suppose
I treaded water for a minute or so.
I went out again with the next
wave and again landed on a rock.
From there I managed to swim
away from the point, and the short
distance to the beach.
“I walked back to the car; it was
locked and Ed had not returned
so I walked around and around in
the rain and snow until he got
back. He gave me his long under
wear and we went through both
station gates with the Marine
guards looking at me in Ed’s
lonigies. I have always wondered
what they thought.
“I’m not afraid of the water now,
but I have a greater respect for
it and I always carry a tide book
with me. I didn’t want to tell this
because it was so stupid of me,
but I hope it will be a lesson to
others.”
Te n o r a Rockney concluded,
Barbarann Read
Becomes Bride
In California City
The marriage of their daughter,
Barbarann, was announced this
week by Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Read
of Kodiak.
According to a letter received,
she was married recently to Tim
othy Metrokin, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Walter Metrokin of Kodiak. The
couple were married in the St.
John’s Russian Orthodox Church,
Berkeley, Calif., with Father Nick
olas presiding.
Both bride and groom are gradu
ates of Kodiak high school, Timmy
having graduated in 1958, and
Barbarann in 1960.
The young couple are living at
544—23rd Street, Oakland, Calif.
The bridegroom is in the U. S.
Navy stationed aboard the U. S. S.
Midway.
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
Dents made in carpets by heavy
furniture can be removed by fill
ing the dents with cold water.
Eight-hour soaking usually makes
nap snap back.
“Somewhere I’d like you to get
this in: how much I have loved
Kodiak. It is an interesting and
challenging place and life has been
rich, full and exciting.”
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing
will be held at City Hall on September 22nd, 1960
at 8:00 p.m.
This hearing is on the exclusion from the Kodiak
City limits of Holiday, Crooked and Popof Islands,
petition for such exclusion having been filed by the
owners and the lessee of these islands.
Douglas G. Preston
City Clerk-Treasurer
Publish Sept. 3, 10, 17, 1960.
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