Valley mntlemtan
VOL. III.
PALMER, ALASKA, OCT. 27, 1949
NUMBER 7
Five Escape Injury In Highway Mishap
Five Dairymen
Market Valley Milk
Through Alaska Dairy
A second retail outlet for Mat
anuska Valley milk was opened in
Anchorage early this month, when
five local dairymen switched from
the Matanuska Valley Farmers' Co
-operating Association to Alaska
Dairy, Inc., as their marketing
agent. The latter organization is
now purchasing 2.000 pounds of
milk daily from the five according
to George Jackson, manager. ,
Valley dairymen who are utiliz
ing the new market include:
Arthur Holbrook, Victor Falk,
A. Rempel, Ernest Harrington
and Frank McAllister.
A spokesman for the group said
they had made the changes be
cause of increased financial return
to themselves. “It means a differ
ence of S4.000 a year to me,” he
said. “I just can't afford not to take
advantage of an opportunity like
that.”
Mr. Jackson said his firm was
sending a truck to the Valley daily,
to take delivery of milk at the
farm. The milk is then hauled to
Anchorage for processing in ‘the
plant of Alaska Dairy, Inc., which
Mr. Jackson termed the “most
modern in Anchorage.”
The present delivery is estimated
at 30 percent of the total milk pro
duction of the Valley. Mr. Jackson
feels that by mid-February Alaska
Dairy, Inc., will be handling 50 per
cent of all the milk produced here.
He said he had no plans for pro
cessing the milk other than for sale
as whole milk. “When it sells at 40
cents a quart in Anchorage, “I
can't afford to make butter or
cheese,” he stated.
Neither does Alaska Dairy have
any plans for handling milk other
than on a contract basis with indi
vidual dairymen, Mr. Jackson
asserted.
Peterkin Charged
As Reckless Driver
John Peterkin of .Anchorage
driver of the automobile in which
Miss Tessie Meehan of Anchorage
was fatally injured in a recent
highway accident, has been charg
ed with reckless driving, it was
learned today. No time had been
fixed, at press-time, for the hear
ing in the court of U. S. Commis
sioner Dorothy Saxton, since Pe
terkin’s lawyer, William Renfrew
of Anchorage, is tied up with court
proceedings there.
Mrs. Saxton said she did not ex
pect the case to come up here be
fore early next week.
Polio Fund Benefit Bingo at the
Moose Hut at 8 p. m. Wed., Nov. 9..
Give Enough—
for your Valley Health Council
New Garage, Station
Opens For Business
Next Saturday
Although Kirk’s Sales and Ser
vice, Chevrolet and Oldsmobile
dealers for the Valley, and the Al
aska Sales and Service, Union Oil
consignee here, will begin doing
business at the new building on
the corner of Valley Street and
Glenn Highway on Saturday, they
will postpone their formal opening
and open house for just a little
longer yet.
Some odds and ends of interior
paint work and other tidying up
remain to be completed, before
completed, before company can be
invited in, Palmer Ickes, firm
manager, explained. Announce
ment of this formal opening is to
be reported in the Valley Frontiers
man.
Construction on the building, one
of Palmer’s newest, began early in
the spring. The structure is of
steel and concrete, approximately
80xG0 in size. It features radiant
and unit heaters.
Kirk's Sales and Service will op
erate a general automotive repair
service, and will maintain a large
stock of automotive parts for the
vehicles they handle. There also
will be complete filling station
service.
Home and business heating oil
service will be conducted through
the facilities of the new bulk plant,
which makes use of the latest
equipment of its type, according to
Mr. Ickes.
Mr. Ickes has been a Valley resi
dent for the past six months and
has been in Alaska for over two
years. His background includes
more than 20 years in the automo
tive parts and repair business.
NO CHEST GOAL
FIXED YET
Still no goal has been set for the
1949 Community Chest drive in
the Matanuska Valley, Miss Louise
Kellog. drive chairman, announced
today. Finance and budgets were
discussed at last week's board
meeting, but members felt more
information was required before
the goal figures could be set.
Board members are to meet
again tonight at the Neil Miller
home to discuss the budget. Miss
Kellogg said she expected to be
able to name the goal figure at con
clusion of this meeting. The drive
continues here through Nov. 15.
PAIR WED HERE
Raymond Choin of Tunnel. Alas
ka and Mrs. Myrile Parsons of Pue
blo, Colo., were married by U. S.
Commissioner Dorothy Saxton last
Monday afternoon. The Choins
plan to make their home at Tun
nel.
Independence Man
Critically Hurt
James Keeler, employed at Inde
pendence Mine, was reported “im
proving daily" today, following an
accident at the mine last Friday.
Mr. Keeler, a dozer operator, mis
judged the distance to the edge of
a ramp on which he was working,
and drove over the edge.
The injured man was rushed to
the Valley Hospital by mine ambu
lance, where attending physician
Dr. C. C. Bailey found he had suf
fered a dislocated shoulder, with
fracture, a skull fracture, and la
cerations about the face and skull.
Keeler’s condition remained cri
tical for several days, but he was
steadily improving at press-time.
Mrs. Keeler was with her husband
until mid-week. The family home
is at the mine.
POLIO BENEFIT
TO BE NOV. 9
Nov. 9 has been fixed for the
date of the polio fund benefit
Bingo game planned by Palmer’s
Moose Lodge, it was announced to
day by Don Ingalls. The game will
be held at the Moose Hut, where
play will begin at 8 o’clock. This
will be the first game of a series
oi winter oingu games.
Prizes for this benefit are donat
ed jointly by Valley merchants and
the Moose Lodge. With the solici
tations of merchants still incom
plete at press-time, Mr. Ingalls
said a wide range of valuable priz
es was already promised. "We have
articles that range from an auto
matic coffee-maker to a barrel of
fuel oil,” Mr. Ingalls stated.
Business establishments which
have promised a contribution for
the occasion include:
Grasser’s Hardware, Palmer Au
tomotive Service, Koslosky’s, Val
ley Grocery, Con Pearski, Sham
rock Lounge, Alaska Rural Rehab
ilitation Corporation. Matanuska
Valley Bank, Matanuska Valley
Hotel, Bert’s Drug, Dave and Joe’s
Shirt Shop.
Palmer Cold Storage. Wirtan
en’s Tanker Service, Graham's Ser
vice. North Palmer Store, Valley
Frontiersman, Matanuska Electric
Association, West Side Service.
Frontier Bar. Palmer Independent
Cab Co., Matanuska Valley Gar
dens, Sourdough Club.
Palmer Photo Art, Radio Cab.
Bar-B-Q, Ron-Da-Voo Cafe, Kut'N
Kurl Beauty Shop, Loberg’s Va
riety. Palmer Bar and Lucas Guid
ing Service.
Elsie Lowe, who has been cook
ing for an Alaska Road Commis
sion crew during the summer
months, returned to her home in
Palmer last week. .
STATION WAGON
OVERTURNS WITH
G OF C DELEGATES
Palmer Day at the Anchorage
Chamber of Commerce last Mon
day came very near to eliminating
several of the Valley’s staunchest
supporters. An almost invisible
film of ice on the newly-paved
highway just beyond Palmer caus
ed one station wagon, carrying
four passengers, to overturn. Two
other automobiles skidded danger
ously in the ice area, but both were
controlled before accidents result
ed.
No one was injured in the sta
tion wagon, which was driven by
Clayton Esslinger, president of the
Valley Chamber. Mr. Esslinger’s
passengers included Mrs. Esslinger,
Carl Rasmussen. James Hurley and
James Wilso.n
Fellow passengers are reported
to have used Mr. Rasmussen as a
doormat in making their escape
from the overturned vehicle, but
even he escaped with only super
ficial hurts.
The accident occurred on the
straight stretch of highway be
tween King's and Knik Bridge. An
estimated $500 in damages result
ed. The body of the station wagon
was undamaged, but fenders, bump
ers and one wheel will need re
placement or repair. The vehicle
was righted and the group con
tinued to Anchorage, where they
arrived late for lunch, but in time
for President Esslinger to make
his scheduled address.
.Miss Louise Kellogg's automobile
skidded in almost the same area,
turned around twice, but did not
not leave the highway. She also
continued to Anchorage. The ve
hicle driven by Mrs. Walter Hunt
ley struck the oiled area and slid,
and she elected to return to Palm
er.
Valley residents who attended
the Palmer Dc y luncheon at Anch
orage were:
Mr. Esslinger. Bob Peterson, Don
Irwin. Jack Maze. James Wilson,
James Hurley*, Carl Rasmussen,
Mrs. Esslinger? Mr. and Mrs. Jack
Scott, M. D. Snodgrass, Miss Louise
Kellogg Mary Witt and Betty
Mears.
Mr. Maze, Mr. Erwin, Mr. Esslin
ger, and Mr. James Wilson address
ed the Anchoragites. Pledges of
mutual co-operation between the
two Chambers were renewed. It
was planned to make the exchange
of visits an annual event.
CATES HAVE DAUGHTER
A daughter was born last week
to Dr. and Mrs. Vernon Cates in
Providence Hospital at Anchorage.
Dr. Cates is physician in charge
of the Valley branch of Doctors’
Clinic.