Vol. 1, No. 16
Palmer, Alaska, November 8, 1947
Ten Cents
Who’s ‘Government ’of Palmer? No One Knows
Just who is the town of Palm
er was the question on which
the Chamber of Commerce stub
bed its toe for an hour lact
Wednesday.
•-The question arose from n
very humble beginning. It all
started when Jack Maze sug
gested that the Chamber of
Commerce send a letter of
thanks to Col. John P. John
son, general manager of The
Alaska Railroad, for the prom
ised fire station and new fire
equipment.
And that’s the point where the
membership started thinking.
Colonel Johnson made his of
fer of a fire station and new
equipment to the town of Palm
er at a special Chamber of Com
merce meeting, called at the
colonel’s request. Chamber
members were unanimous in the
belief that the colonel should
be thanked, and that the offer
should be accepted. But it took
time to decide just who should
do the thanking and take the of
fer, which entailed responsibil
ity for the salary of a station
employe.
Rev. W. A. Zeile said he felt
the Fire Association should do
the thanking, since the offer had
been made to them. A1 Hagen,
head of the Fire Association, re
plied that the offer had been
made informally through the
Fire Association to the town of
Palmer.
So.me local-businessmen, who
were members of the association
board of directors, but who were
members of the Chamber of
Commerce as wel, heard the sug
gestion at an impromptu meet
ing. They gathered several
more business representatives
together, and unofficially agreed
that the matter should be con
sidered at the special Chamber
of Commerce meeting, for which
Col. Johnson had asked.
Mr. Hagen said, since the sug
gested construction was of in
terest to industry and business
as well, he thought the Chamber
of Commerce might accept the
fire station gift.
W. C. Mau, Chamber head,
said he thought it “fitting and
proper” that the Chamber ac
cept the railroad offer, but cau
tioned that thought must be
given to accepting the responsi
bility for the salary of a main
tenance man.
A number of members voiced
opinion on the advisability of
the Chamber’s assuming that re
sponsibility.
Harry Wimmei, representa
tive of the North Palmer Im
provement club, told the
Chamber that the discussion
only em phasized Palmer's
greatest need—that of "some
type of central organization.
Until we have that, we can
point to no one group and say,
that is the government of
Palmer," he said.
Dr. R. E. Garret urged the
need for some type of immedi
ate fire protection in Palmer.
He said it was improbable that
planned railroad construction
would be of help for another
year, and that there was urgent
need for fire protection in
Palmer now.
! Dr. Garret characterized the
Valley hospital a “veritable fire
trap,” and said many other
Palmer buildings, also were in
that category. He called for ac
tion now, and made the mo
tion that the Chamber of Com
merce accept the responsibility
of a fire chief’s salary, until
such time as a corporate organi
zation is formed. Under the mo
tion, the Fire Association would
handle the matter of payment,
and would assist in raising
funds. The motion carried un
animously.
Mr. Hagen said immediate
shelter was needed for a pump
er unit. He also urged the need
for some planning for present
protction, and possibly for the
purchase of a fire truck. He said
a Fire Association meeting next
Tuesday evening would further
consider plans.
Mr. Maze, head of the com
mittee for incorporation studies,
announced that Mr. Wimmer
had been added to committee
membership. He further report
ed that no actual planning could
be completed until the commit
tee has an accurate map of the
area.
Richard Demming, partner
with George Sears in a newly
former surveying firm here,
said such a map could be com
piled for $500, if existing trac
ings made by A. H. Curtis could
be used. He agreed to request
that permission of Mr. Curtis,
now in Texas.
Other problems, Mr. Maze
continued, evolved around the
need for a census of the area,
legal advice, and what size city
the planning should consider.
He then broke down aspects of
the study into sub-divisions and
named these committee heads:
Hospital—W. A. Zeile; police
—Walter E. Huntley; water and
sewers—Marvin Allyn; fire pro
tection—A1 Hagen; sanitation—
Dr. R. E. Garret; airport—M. D.
Snodgrass; roads—Clyde King;
building code—Don Irwin; pow
er and telephone systems—W. C.
Mau and H. G. Bryan; school—
Bill Rempel and Irwin Plitt.
Dance, Basketball
Bake Sale Scheduled
A local orchestra has been en
gaged, and 200 tickets have been
issued for advance sales for the
Saturday benefit barn dance,
sponsored by members of
Wright’s Girls’ basketball squad
The dance will be held at Butte
hall, and will begin at 9 o’clock.
Team members plans to prove
they’re equally proficient at
kitchen stove or basketball court
that night. They expect to hold
a food sale in connection with the
dance. Cakes, sandwiches and
other goodies will be displayed
on a counter. They will be
wrapped and can be carried
home for Sunday lunches or can
be disposed of on the spot.
It also is planned to serve cof
fee in a stand at the hall. It is
the hope of team members that
the food sales will gross enough
to pay all expenses, leaving pro
ceeds from ticket sales for a
team fund. All food sold at the
dance will be donated.
The hall will be decorated in
keeping with the barn-dance
th€me. Tickets will be sold at
the door, in addition to advance
sales.
Trucking Line
Changes Hands
The D & M came off of the
freight lines office window in
the Valley Theatre building this
week, and Dow Freight Lines
went up in its stead. “Rusty”
Dow now has assumed complete
management of the business, in
which she was formerly an as
sociate.
Mrs. Dow said she would con
tinue the business alone for a
time, but she hopes to be joined
by’ her husband later. Mr. Dow
is at present employed in An
chorage.
Milkman Harrington
There’s a new milkman mak
ing the rounds of Valley farms
these mornings. Ernest Harring
ton-assumed two new chores on
Nov. 1, when he took over the
milk routes of both Frank Lynn
and Chet Liebing.
“Our suits haven’t come, but
we’ll play without ’em.”
That was the unanimous de
cision of the competition-hungry
basketball squad of Wright’s
Girls, when asked for a playing
date with a Palmer high school
team next Friday evening. So the
suit-less Wright’s Girls will swing
into action at 7 o’clock that eve
ning, against the best of the high
school court stars.
Originally planned for Satur
day evening, the game was
switched to Friday at the request
of the Wright squad. The team is
planning a benefit dance on Sat
| urday night, and they felt an eve
Ining of basketball first would be
over doing.
The women’s game Friday is a
curtain-raiser. The Shamrocks,
town men’s squad, will play an
unnamed opponent at 8 o’clock
that evening.
“We’re not sure who we’ll get
to oppose us, and we may have
to lend them three or four of
our own players to make a team,
but we’ll play somebody next
Friday evening,” Art Stacey,
manager, said today.
The games are to be played in
the gymnasium. There will be
a 50-cent admission charge for
adults.
Health Nurse
Resigns Post
Mrs. W. A. Zeile, who has
been acting as public health
nurse here for the past few
weeks, has submitted her resign
ation. The resignation will take
effect this weekend.
A new nurse has been appoint
ed, Mrs. Zeile said. However,
she will not arrive in Palmer un
til after the first of the year.
Plans for interim health nursing
service will be discussed at a
meeting of the Health Council
next Nov. 20th. ’
Valley Visitor
I. M. C. Anderson, territorial
representative of the Farm Home
Administration, was a Palmer
visitor Tuesday and Wednesday.
Woman ‘Miner’
Attends Class
There were 28 students regis
tered in the mining extension
course at the end of the third
lecture, H. G. Wilcox, instructor,
announced Wednesday. Mr. Wil
cox said interested class mem
bers were continuing to come,
and would be registered for a1
short time yet.
Several men who attended
classes last week were ben upon
| gaining academic background in
| their everyday work. The men
| have been prospecting and have
staked claims in the Chistochina
area.
One woman has attended all
cdasses regularly, and one or two
others have been in attendance
for at least one lecture, Mr. Wil
cox said.
Laboratory work? will start
next week.
Brothers Die
In Plane Crash
Lloyd and Merle Edmundson,
former Valley residents who
were killed in a plane crash near
Fairbanks recently, are to be
buried in Anchorage Sunday, it
was learned here this week. Serv
ices will be conducted at the
! Phillips and Mapleton funeral
parlors in Anchorage at 2 o’clock
Sunday afternoon.
The men are veterans, and are
to be buried in the American
Legion plot of the Anchorage
cemetery.
Merle joined the Army and
was stationed first at Adak and
later on Okinawa. Lloyd, who
was Outside just before the war,
entered the Navy at Portland.
The pair are survived by their
; father, now living in Fairbanks.
I Their mother died at Matanuska
'in 1932.
The Edmundsons were two of
four passengers who died in the
plane wreck. They were riding
in a small craft which crashed
and burned.
Buy The Frontiersman
4-H ACHIEVEMENT DAY
PLANNED SATURDAY
Toy land Opens
At Koslosky’s
Toys to ride on, toys to pound,
toys to take apart and put to
gether, toys for fun and toys for
building knowledge—they’re all
stacked on counters, piled on the
floor and suspended from the
ceiling in the new furniture de
partment of Koslosky’s store
here. The department opens
Saturday in the basement of the
store building.
One of the most complete se
lections of Christmas gifts for
kids since pre-war days is jam
ming the basement floor.
Toys on display include
complete miniature kitchen
equipment for the domestic
young miss. There is a tiny
electric stove, complete with
oven indicator, that is an
exact replica of mother's, and
it actually works.
There are tiny electrically-op
erated sewing machines, and
complete assortments of midget
cake-baking and pie-making sets
in heat-proof ovenware.
There are cioll buggies, some
big enough to hold a real baby,
and dolls and stuffed animals.
There is one baby crib, in the
furniture section next-door to
the toys, which is heaped with
every type of soft cuddly doll
and woolly animals.
For the masculine young
fry, there are tricycles, bicy
cles, sturdy ride-on autos and
construction equipment, skis
and electric trains.
And for parents, there is a
complete assortment of Christ
mas tree ornaments, including
strings of both indoor and out
door tree lights.
For holiday decoration or din
ner table centerpieces, there are
many, many types of old-fash
ioned Christmas candles—thick,
jolly Santas, spangled Christ
mas trees, tiny angels and choir
boys, or Disney-created baby
animals.
The 4-H Achievement Day,
>for all Valley members of the
4-H clubs, will be held at Was
illa Saturday, with Mrs. Hubert
Saeger, Wasilla Homemakers
president, presiding. The meet
ing will be held at the Wasilla
school, and is to be called to or
der at 7:30 p.m.
Lorin T. Oldroyd, director of
Extension Service, will be a
guest at the program. Mr. Old
royd is expected to talk to club
members about national 4-H
awards.
In addition to Mr. Oldroyd’s
talk, there will be demonstra
tions of 4-H work, speakers, mu
sic and special ceremonials. The
planned program, in its entirety,
has been announced as follows:
Meeting opens with com
munity singing.
Members of Mrs. Harold
Dinkel's 4-H Club present
ceremony on the meaning of
the 4-H emblem.
A demonstration of culin
ary measurements and ab
breviations by Mrs. Lou Sand
vik's 4-H group.
A fashion parade of gar
ments sewed by 4-H club
members.
A report by Lynn Sandvik
of his recent trip to Portland,
given as a prize for his garden
exhibit at the fair.
An address by James Pen
dleton, superintendent of Wa
silla schools.
A report by Mrs. Harold
Dinkel on "Eight Years as a
4-H Leader."
A musical number by the
Savchenko family.
Ceremonial awarding of
pins to 4-H leaders, who will,
in turn, award pins to 4-H
members who have completed
their work.
Mr. Oldroyd's address con
cerning the national awards.
A candle-lighting ceremony
led by Mrs. Walter Mau and
her group of 4-H club mem
bers.
The meeting will conclude
with the serving of refreshments
by the Wasilla Homemaker’s
Club.
(Continued on page 3)