Vol. 1, No. 29
Palmer, Alaska, December 31,1947
len L-ents
Gifts To Greet
First Valley
Baby Of 1948
The first Valley ba'oy of 1948
is going to start life well com
pletely equipped with all the
essential needs of babyhood.
Valley merchants have antici
pated those needs with gifts
which range from a $5 bank ac
count to a free ride home from
the hospital.
A1 King of Palmer Automotive
Service and King’s Taxi started
the ball rolling with the an
nouncement of his annual offer
,of a $25 bond and a free ride
■ home from the hospital to the
Valley’s first baby of the New
Year.
Other merchants have added
these contributions:
Koslosky's store — baby
blanket; Palmer Photo
graphic Center — first baby
picture; Valley Theatre — $5
bank account; Palmer Cold
I Storage—six cans evaporated
milk; Lou and Dorothy Henke
—postal savings account; Val
. ley Frontiersman—baby boot
i ees.
‘ cJther merchants also may con
tribute to the baby fund, if they
wish, by calling the office of the
Valley Frontiersman,
j Babies must be born at the
jValley hospital of Valley par
ents, to qualify in the baby der
by. For purposes of this contest,
ihe Valley is considered to ex
pend to Sheep Mountain. The
‘contest winner will be the first
baby born in 1948, who com
plies with these rules.
Last year’s winner, David
Bryant, was born Jan. 17. Mickey
yJeaij, Henke missed the prize by
a matter of 12 hours, when she
arrived on the last day of the
old year. David was the first boy
“winner of the contest in several
years.
Arizona Homesteaders
Choose Lake Lucille
The lure of free land in the
north brought a caravan of
homesteaders, 13 strong,
through the Valley last week.
Their long trek originated at
Phoenix. Ariz., and was des
tined to end on the new home
stead lands opened in the Lake
Lucille area.
However some of the party,
which travelled the distance by
truck and trailer, found the
Anchorage wage scale more to
their liking. Three, of the orig
inal party, Leo Nunley, C. E.
Mason and A. E. Combs con
tinued with their original
homesteading plans, however.
They passed through Palmer,
just before Christmas, on their
way to choose their new farm
homes.
* __________
VISITS IN VALLEY
Mrs. Lloyd Mattingly and
hree children of Anchorage
visited Mr. and Mrs. Walter
Cooper of Palmer over the week
2nd. Mr. Mattingly, Mrs. Coop
ar’s brother, is a partner in Mat
intis'lA. Bu? Lir>f»s.
Happy New Year
I
Tonight we turn our back on another finished year. With
hope in our hearts we face the future with new courage, certain
taht the mistakes of the past months have taught us much with
which to weave a new pattern of living in the New Year.
To each of us there comes, at the turn of the year, the con
viction that the year ahead will be a better year than the one
we leave behind. With that conviction, may each of us carry
the knowledge that the year ahead is ours—it will be a better
year if we choose to make it so.
May it be a better year for the Valley and for all the people
in it. May this be the year that we make our year for better
living and working together. If each of us looks toward 1948
with the thought in our heart—the thought that he will do what
he can o make the Valley a better, happier place in which to
live—then there is nothing impossible in Palmer in the 12
months ahead.
That single resolution to help—to work with one another
for common good, can give us anything we need. 1948 can give
the Valley a new hospital, an efficient fire department, an organ
ized civic government. That single resolution from all of us is
all it will take to make 1948 a year of accomplishment for
Palmer and the Valley.
Therefore, it is the Frontiersman's promise that everything
a newspaper can do to accomplish that wish will be done in the
next 12 months.
Meeting Called
To Discuss Plans
For ANS Hospital
A special meeting of all Val
ley residents has been called by
the Chamber of Commerce for
8 p.m. Jan. 5, it was announced
this week by president Jack
Maze. The meeting will be held
in the basement of the Mata
: nuska hotel.
I The purpose of the meeting is
; to hear presentation of a plan
through which it is hoped a 400
bed hospital for the Alaska Na
tive Service can be obtained for
the Matanuska Valley.
All Valley residents are urged
to attend. Immediate action is
necessary if this hospital is to
be located here.
New Year's Mass At 10
A New Year’s mass will be
held in St. Michael’s church at
10 o’clock on New Year’s day.
Father James Snead announced
this week.
Up, Around, Merchants Go
Familiar faces will be greet
ing customers from unexpected
doorways, when 1948 officially
makes its entrance into the bus
iness section of Palmer. Offices
are being swapped, bartered and
traded, as local businessmen en
deavor to find quarters more fit
ted to their growing needs.
First to move will be owners
Irwin Plitt and Bill Rempel of
the Palmer Photographic Cen
ter. They’re transferring next
door into quarters formerly oc
cupied by the Frontier Bar.
The photographers report that
their new quarters will give
them enlarged office space at
the front, an exceptionally large
portrait studio at the rear, a sep
arate office for sign and show
card work and a greatly en
larged darkroom.
That office switch is in pro
now. ?nd Messrs.
Plitt and Rempel will be wield
ing a saw and hammer all this
week, they’ve declared a mora
torium on any film assignments,
just for the week. They’ll con
tinue to make appointments for
future work, and can take care
of any special assignments, but
they request that orders for film
developing be held until after
Jan. 1.
Hot on the heels of the photog
raphy equipment outward bound,
will be movers hired to set up
the equipment of the Valley bar
ber shop. Daryl Meeks expects
to be stropping razors in the
former photography shop by the
end of the week.
Also scheduled to swap old
quarters for new this week, is
Mrs. E. C. DeLand, local agent
for Mt. McKinley Airfreight and
Dow Freight Lines and agent for
Fawleigh products. Mrs. Do
Land will occupy space in the
Palmer Aut o m o t i v e Service
building. She expects to be open
for business there after Jan. 1.
The Palmer Surplus and Sec
ondhand Store will be greeting
customers in the Quonset hut
now used by electrician Ken Fos
ter after Jan. 1. Mr. Foster will
share his Quonset with the Sur
plus store.
A1 Hagen, owner of the '/al
ley Theatre and Theatre Annex
building, from which Mrs. De
Land and the Surplus store are
moving, said he had plans for
both vacancies, not to be an
nounced at this time.
Don Irwin, head of Alaska’s
experiment stations, completed
his transfer of quarters early
this week. Mr. Irwin’s perman
ent office is located in the Ward
buildiriq.
Miss Mollie Klem
Marries Soldier
By EVON DELAND
Miss Mollie Klem became the
bride of Pvt. Alvin Buswell Sun
day in the Presbyterian church
with Rev. Victor Alfsen per
forming the ceremony.
Miss Klem looked her loveliest
in a white satin and lace gown
with a veil and train. She was
attended by three bridesmaids,
Evelyn Foster, Gail Eckert, and
Mrs. Robert Klem.
Bob Meilke, who wore pink
and blue formals, was best man.
Her brother, Bob Klem, gave
the bride away. Mrs. Hennessy,
accompanied by Mrs. Victor Alf
sen on the organ, sang two num
bers, “Oh Promise Me," and “I
Love You Truly.”
A reception was held in the
church following the ceremony.
Coffee and wedding cake were
served. The cake, made by Mol
continuous show between the
hours of 7:15 and midnight on
New Year’s eve, but has no spec
ial celebration in mind.
The Senior Ball, earlier an
nounced for New Year’s eve,
has been cancelled, members of
the senior class of Palmer high
school stated. The class was un
able to secure music for the eve
ning, but will hold the ball early
next month.
' lie’s mother, was three layers
! high.
Many lovely gifts were re
ceived by the bride and bride
groom, who opened them just
before the cutting of the cake.
The couple boarded the 5
o’clock bus for Anchorage
where they will spend their
honeymoon. Upon their return,
Mollie will resume her studies
and Private Buswell will return
to Fort Richardson. They will
make their home in a small
cabin near Mollie’s home until
Private Buswell receives his dis
charge. They plan to go to the
, states then where he will go to
1 college.
New Year’s Eve
To Tip-Toe In 1
New Year’s Eve in Palmer
j promises to be a quiet at-home
affair for most Valley folks, ac
cording to a last-minute check
yesterday. Although several of
the bars are planning a festive
evening, there is no central plan
for welcoming the New Year to
the Valley. !
Members of Northland Pioneer
Grange will go to the Butte
hall for a dance which begins at
9 o’clock. Dress for the evening
wil be either formal or informal, i
| Informal wear will be the rule I
at the parties and dances planned
at the Wasilla lounge and the
Shamrock lounge. Jukebox mus
ic will supply tunes for Wasilla
dancers, but the Shamrock has
plans for an orchestra on New
Year’s.
Another hard-times dance is
planned for the hall in the Steve
-Ward building, as part of the cel
I ebration at the Frontier bar.
. Thp Vallpv Theatre nlans a
Undiagnosed
Illness Hits
Valley Folk
An epidemic, akin to flu in
one respects but unlike it in
.;eis, is striking the Valley,
ue malady, caused by a virus
fection, hits young and old
I .e and is followed by many
j. . lications which do not re
sult from flu.
Dr. R. E. Garret, Valley phy
ician, said he had been unable
o determine what the disease is
for it is unlike anything he has
known. He said he was not pre
pared to say whether it is the
same type of virus infection
which is sweeping through Los
Angeles, where one out of every
four residents has been ill.
"It is possibly the same
thing," he stated. "However. I
am not prepared to say that it
is. at this time. Even if it is,
the epidemic need not be fear
ed here, for Alaska's sparse
population will prevent its
wholesale spread."
ill for several days and then ap
parently recover only to suffer
a relapse during convalescence.
Dr. Garret cautioned that it is
most important to avoid over
exertion during the recovery per
iod. One patient now confined
to the Valley hospital has suffer
ed four relapses, according to the
physician.
The disease may leave ear and
throat infections as an after ef
fect, or it may settle in the chest
causing a type of bronchopneu
monia.
Dr. Garret said the incidence
of the disease is high, although
the exact number of cases is
not known, since many who
were ill were treated at home.
The doctor was ill himself and
confined to the hospital during
the Christmas holiday. During
his illness, he cared for at least
a dozen patients daily, who
came to the hospital seeking
treatment.
It is urged that all cases be
reported to a physician immedi
ately. Early symptoms are a vio
lent sore throat, headache, body
aches and pains rise in tempera
ture and sometimes diarrhea and
vomiting.
Penicillin and sulfa drugs are
used in treatment, augmented by
hot footbaths, salt water gargles,
inhalations and hot compresses.
Patients should be particularly
cautious about sleeping directly
in drafts of cold air.
Dr. Garret said he believed
that the lack of sr.o- ’•o ul in"
in dust storms du in ue o
| few weeks, was .oil
■ factor in bringing on the disease
He concluded with the final
warning that "this is not to
be taken light'y. Ii s not some
thing to be recovered from in
a day or two It is most i -.po-t
ant to s'p.y 'vr' "e ’ o e~
un.il co_... r sly sco-e ei
Undue exer ion seems to have
Kron-ht on al -os* "11 rf *be
i relapses."