Valley Goes Begging
For 200 Years
(Continued from Fag« 1)
lil the agricultural colonists
came in 1935, that the village
of Palmer sprang into promin
ence.
The succession of settlers in
and through the area is traced in
the following manner: First came
the hunters and trappers, fol
lowed in turn by gold miners,
coal miners, railroad construc
tion men, homesteaders and col
onists.
It was not until the colonists
arrived that there was any
planned settlement in the Val
ley. However with their com
ing, the Valley began to ac
quire a look of permanency.
Today the Matanuska farmer
may damn the weather and the
Valley in general, but usual
ly, for better or worse, he's
here to stay. He might as well
Local Girl Returns
Miss Peggy Hansen, a gradu
ate of Palmer High School last
year, is spending a few days at
home in the Valley this week.
She has been employed in Anch
orage for the past year. Miss
Hansen is soon to start Outside,
where she plans to enroll at
Austin College in Texas.
make up his mind to it. for he
couldn't give the land back to
either the Indians or the Rus
sians. Neither of them ever
wanted it very badly.
(The material for this very
sketchy outline of early Valley
history was received from Kirk
Stone, geographer. Mr. Stone is
compiling the history of the Val
ley’s people, from unplanned
through planned settlement, the
subject of the thesis upon which
he is at work this summer. The
complete dissertation will appear
in published form when he com
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CO-OP GARAGE
ANCHORAGE FAIR IS ?
STYMIED BY RAIN
Community
Calendar
Wednesday
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
luncheon at Lutheran Church at
noon.
Thursday
WASILLA COMMUNITY CLUB
meets in Community Hall at
8 p.m.
Friday
YOUNG LIFE meeting in United
Protestant Church at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
LEGION-SPONSORED Michael
Cain show in Palmer Gym at
8 p.m.
Monday
MATANUSKA VALLEY
DAIRYMEN meet in Extension
Office at 8 p.m.
LUTHERAN BIBLE SCHOOL
begins at Lutheran Church at
9 a.m.
Wednesday
HOME BEAUTIFICATION con
test sponsored by Northland
Pioneer Grange ends.
FARM FIELD day at Experi
ment Station.
CARPENTER’S UNION meets in
Carpenter Hall at 8 p.m.
Field Day Is
Planned At Station
(Contnued from Page 1)
Irwin, head of Alaskan experi
ment stations.
The agricultural committee
discussed plans for a grading
school, proposed earlier this
year, and it was agreed that the
matter probably should be tabled
for another year.
Need for improved knowledge
of scientific marketing practices
was discussed at length by the
group. It was pointed out that
the Valley farmer’s insufficient
knowledge of correct preparation
of produce for market often
works against him in securing
best prices for his vegetables.
Teacher Returns
Miss Jean Dickson, former Pal
mer high school teacher, has re
turned from Cordova for a few
weeks’ visit in the Valley. Miss
Dickson was employed in a Cor
dova cannery during the fishing
season.
She has been joined here by
her mother, Mrs. Ella B. Dickson
of Missoula, Mont. They plan to
be in this area for about eight
weeks, after which time both
Miss Dickson and her mother
will return to Missoula.
CAR IS STOLEN
Joyriders stole a car belong
ing to Vernon France on Thurs
day of this week. Mr. France
recovered the pilfered vehicle at
Chickaloon, where it had been
abandoned with a burned-out
clutch.
Weeping skies put a damper
on the enthusiasm of Anchorage
fair-goers during the three-day
session of the Western Alaska
Fair, held in Anchorage on Aug.
13, 14, and 15. The fair’s man
agement labored desperately to
offer attractions that would coun
teract the black mark chalked up
by the elements, but it appeared
likely by Saturday evening that
this year’s fair would be finan
cially unsuccessful.
Exhibits included a home eco
nomics section, displays of agri
cultural products. Army and in
dustrial exhibits of the latest de
velopments in mechanical equip
ment, a block-long midway and
a flower show.
The flower show was easily
the highlight of the three-day
fair. Opening at 7 o’clock Satur
day evening, crowds already
were ohh-ing and aah-ing over
the size and perfection of Alas
kan pansies, gladioli and roses a
half-hour after the doors were
unlocked. The exhibits had been
judged and prizes awarded be
fore the show was opened to the
public.
The show occupied two large
classrooms in quonset-hut quar
ters on the school grounds. In
addition to all types of class dis
plays for flowers and plants,
there were classes of exhibits in
flower arrangements, miniature
displays, stylized oriental dis
plays, experiments in color and
design and bouquets made up of
common Alaskan weeds and
grasses.
Crowds found one exhibit of
pussy-willows, the boughs of
which were tied with dozens of
tiny yarn bowknots in pastel col
ors, an amusing sidelight.
Of particular interest in the
home economics display was an
arrangement of Alaskan berries
native to this area. Plant
branches, complete with ripen
ing fruits, had been potted and
labelled. Both poisonous and edi
ble berries were on display.
The needlework and arts and
crafts sections were crowded
with all types of fancy work, but
baking and preserving exhibits
were sparse.
The Extension Service, which
sponsored a home-freezing dem
onstration by Miss Marilyn John
son and an Alaskan wild-food
products demonstration by Mrs.
Lydia Fohn-Hansen, also pre
pared a display of pamphlets and
bulletins. The Alaska Crippled
Children’s Association and the
American Red Cross were rep
resented by special displays.
Churches Camp At Lake
The Palmer Church of God this
week is joining with the sister
church from Anchorage in a
camp meeting now in progress at
King’s Lake. The meeting will
extend through next Saturday.
The camp program includes
planned recreation, study groups
and campfire services.
Coffey Insure* Everything—
KoinoaxborT —JLdv.
VALLEY CLEANERS
Par Pick-Up and Delivery Service
Call 6Y3
_Open Monday to Friday ONLY
CONE AND SEE
Our New Coleman Automatic Heaters and Floor Furnaces
Flamo Hot Water Heaters ' f Zenith Washers
Grasser’s Hardware & Sporting Goods
Grange-Sponsored
Farm Contest .
Ends Next Week ’
The home beautification con
test sponsored by Northland Fio
neer Grange has little more than
a week to run, contest chairman
Nina Stock reminded Valley
farmers today. Deadline for re
ceiving the “after” pictures and
the second contest entry blank
is Aug. 25.
Mrs. Stock explained that this
second entry blank must be com
pleted in order to have the farm
home qualify in the contest. The
first blank enumerated shrubs
and garden flowers and improve
ments then in effect. This second
blank is to list the improvements
added since the contest began.
Judges for the contest have
not yet been named. The winning
farms will be selected and prizes
awarded before the opening1* of
the fair. Winners will be fea
tured in a fair display sponsored
by the Grange.
Contest blanks must be ad
dressed to Mrs. Stock. Questions
concerning contest rules also
should be referred to her.
Sanitarian Makes
Inspection Tour
Lowell Lambert, territorial
sanitarian, is making an inspec
tion tour of the Valley. Mr. Lam
bert spent the past week in
checking Palmer restaurants,
bars, beauty shops and stores.
He expects to visit all of the
Valley's dairy farms before his
work here is finished.
Mr. Lambert has not visited
the Valley since he assumed his
territorial duties, prior to this
trip. However he promised that
hereafter inspections will be
much more frequent.
Visit Sutton Relatives
Mr. and Mrs. Victor Worth and
family of Clovordalo, Ore., aro
visiting with the Rodney John
sons at Sutton. The Worths drove
first to Niagara Falls, and then
turned north toward the Alaska
Highway. They are greatly er.»
joying their stay in Alaska, and
plan to extend their visit “as long
as possible,” they say,
notice.
Wasilla Community Club will J
meet Aug. 19 to consider the ■
offer of Wasilla Grange to J
lease the Wasilla Community i
Hall. •
DON McKECHNIE
For all digging and
back-filling jobs
Write or phone him your
excavating orders
P.O. Box 796 Palmer
Matanuska Electric
Association, Inc.
For Power Distr
i
M. D. Snodgrass
REAL ESTATE
Dairy and Vegetable farms
City Lots Acre<^>:
Wertanen’s Tanker
Service
METERED DELIVERY
i Gasoline, Diesel and Store C
| Ph. 0-23Y-11 Eino Wert;
GREEN'S FLYING SERVIC
(at Palmer Airport)
Student Instjv'sf* "
Charter FI
GI Traini
VALLEY