Vol. 1, No. 75
Palmer, Alaska, June 22, 1948
Ten Cents
Castner Gets
June, July
Army Contract
L. V. Castner, marketing agent
for Valley Producers, Inc., last
w£ek announced that the army
produce contract for the months
of June and July has been
awarded to the Producers. Rhu
barb and radishes were first on
the Army’s want list under the
new contract.
The initial shipment of this
contract, 2,350 pounds of rhu
barb, was sent to Mr. Castner
from Palmer last Friday. It also
represented the first shipment
sent to market by members of
the Valley Producers, Inc., aside
from several small lot shipments
of green onions. Ten Valley
farmers supplied the rhubarb
needed to fill the contract.
Shipment of radishes to fill
contract orders is expected to
begin within a week, according
to Glen Woods, head of the farm
ers’ organization.
Mr. Woods said that a receiv
ing station would be set up in
Palmer within the next few
weeks, to take care of the pro
duce shipped to Mr. Castner by
members of the Valley Pro
ducers, Inc. Early orders have
not yet increased sufficiently in
volume to necessitate the estab
lishment of the receiving station.
National Auxiliary Head
To Visit Here In July
Members of the Palmer chap
ter of the American Legion Aux
iliary this week were informed
that Mrs. Ruth Hutton, president
of the national chapter, will be
the guest of the local organiza
tion on July 23.
"Plans for her entertainment
will be formulated at a special
meeting of the Auxiliary, date
for which has not yet been set.
The Auxiliary had decided, at
last week's meeting, that the
chapter would take a two
months’ meeting vacation during
July and August.
Mrs. Lou Rasmussen, head of
the Palmer VFW, will announce
the special meeting date within
the next few days.
!
Dr. Flora Is Mourned
By Many Valley Friends
Valley residents and friends
last week were saddened to learn
of the plane crash in Anchorage
Thursday which took the life of j
Dr. Leroy Flora. Dr. Flora form
erly practiced medicine in the
Valley and was known to many
local people.
Dr. Flora was en route to Big
Lake, located in the Valley, when
th^ accident occurred. He was
planning to build a summer
■cabin there. In company with his
orother-in-law, Cliff Odden, he
lad just taken off from Lake
Hood in a Stinson floatship,
when the plane crashed in a
.ailspin and burst into flames.
There were several eyewit
nesses near the scene of the
ragedy, but all effort to fight
he flames was futile. It was
seijpssary to call fire equipment
o put out the blaze, which start
ed a small fire in the surrounding
orest.
Dr. Flora is survived by his
vife and two children.
Hopeful Kenai Farmers
Flock To Land Office
Travellers are swarming over
the Alaska Highway and setting
a straight compass course for the
Anchorage branch of the District
Land Office in search of free
land, according to a land office
announcement of last week.
Fully half of those who come
are interested in settlement on
the Kenai Penisula.
Studies of settlement possi
bilities there and land classifi
cation surveys are still continu
ing in that area, according to
Lowell M. Puckett, regional ad
ministrator. Information soon is
to be made public concerning the
results of these studies.
However, to meet the need
until a regular bulletin can be
prepared for publication, Mr.
Puckett has outlined a condensed
version of information which
may be of help to the prospective
settlers. “The full story will be
told in our complete report,” he
said. “But meanwhile we want to
help those who already have
made up their minds to farm on
the Kenai. It is with that thought
in mind that we have compiled
this information”:
The western lowland of the
Kenai Peninsula is considered to
be the better agricultural land.
Most of this is still open to set
tlement except for the area north
of the Kasilof River which lies
within the moose reserve.
The lands best suited for agri
culture lie north and northeast
of Homer, north and south of
Ninilchik, south and southwest
of Kasilof and south and south
east of Kenai. Range lands lie ,
principally in the Caribou hills
in the south central portion of
the peninsula.
Climatic records still are in
complete. However those avail
able indicate that the annual
rainfall at Homer is 27 inches,
at Kasilof is 16 inches and at
Kenai is nearly 19 inches. Total
rainfall through the region aver
ages about 10 inches. Rainfall is
poorily distributed, for the early
summer is usually dry and the
late summer is wet.
Summer maximum tempera
tures range between 55 and 65
degrees, while winter days vary
from 5 to 20 degrees above zero.
The growing season averages
109 days a year at Homer, 94 at
Kasilof and 93 at Kenai. Graz
ing season lasts from seven to
eight months.
Potatoes are now the main
cash crop, but livestock is be
lieved to have the most promis
ing future in the area.
Chamber Asked
To Press For
New Rail Link
The Valley Chamber of Com
merce this week received a wire
from the Seattle Chamber, ask
ing that this area send wires and
telegrams to Congress at once,
urging immediate action on the
passage of a measure authorizing
the construction of a rail link
between Alaska and the United
States.
The Seattle Chamber’s mes
sage said the bill seemed likely
to pass Congress during the pres
ent session, if interest enough
were evinced in it.
It was emphasized that no ac
tion can be taken on the railroad
until agreements with Canada
can be completed by the foreign
affairs committee. As planned,
the railroad building job would
be a cooperative enterprise be
tween Canada and the United
States. It would link Prince
George, B.C., end of the present
northernmost rail line, with
Fairbanks, northern terminus of
The Alaska Railroad.
Since Congress has been re
cessed during the Republican
convention, local Chamber heads
took no immediate action. The
matter will be discussed at the
next Chamber meeting, and ap
propriate action will follow.
FWS Tells How,
Where To Fish
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f
t
There are still 267 days in
which Valley fishermen can try
their luck in the waters of Cot- j
tonwood, Fish, Fire and Wolver-!
ine Creeks, according to the
1948-49 regulations which were j
released by the Anchorage of- ■
fice of the Fish and Wildlife i
Service this week.
These regulations place the
open season on rainbow, steel- j
head, cutthroat, brook, Dolly I
Varden, lake trout and grayling
from June 1, 1948 to March 15,
1949.
Fish may be taken on a line,
which shall at no time have
more than two flies or hooks at
tached to it, nor more than one
plug, spoon or spinner.
Lake trout and Dolly Vardens
may be caught with a net, trap or j
seine in the waters of Trail, I
Kenai, Skilak and Tustumena
Lakes on the Kenai peninsula.
They may also be taken in this
manner in any other area in the
territory where there is no limit
imposed as to numbers nor any
restriction against the sale, pur
chase or shipment of these trout.
There is no limit on Dolly Var
den trout taken in salt water
throughout the territory.
Limits in the Kenai River,
Lake Creek, Willow Creek drain
ages, including all lakes and
tributaries thereof, have been
set at “10 fishes singly or in the
aggregate, but not to exceed 10
pounds and one fish daily, two
daily bag limits in possession.”
Throughout the rest of the ter
ritory the limit is to be “20
fishes, singly or in the aggregate,
but not to exceed 15 pounds and
one fish daily, two daily bag
limits in possession.”
Clearwater Creek drainage,
south of the Tanana River and
between the Richardson High
way and the Big Gerstle River, is
closed to fishing this year.
The outlet to Skilak Lake and
from Lower Kenai River to
Moose River has been closed to
fishermen from July 15 to
August 15 of this year. Rainbow
trout may not be taken from the
waters of the outlet of Skilak
Lake and the waters of the
Kenai River from the outlet of
Skilak Lake to the mouth of
Moose River before July 15 of
this year.
These same waters are closed
to the taking of all game fish be
tween July 1 and July 15, thi»
year.
Miner Shot
By Friend
In Quarrel
Louis Poluck of Jonesville
was described as in a “critical
and serious condition” by doctors
at the 183rd General Hospital
late yesterday afternoon. Poluck
was the victim of a shooting
which occurred at the Jonesville
Mine early Monday morning.
Four “or possibly five” bul
lets, according to physicians,
were fired into the man’s head
and neck. James Vernon, a
close friend of many years stand
ing, is supposed to have fired
the shots from a .38 revolver.
The story, as reconstructed by
Vernon, reports that Poluck first
shot at him, following a quarrel.
The bullet inflicted powder
burns on his shoulder, but no
wound. Vernon then kicked the
gun from his hand, and fired
several shots at Poluck. He re
ports that he has no actual mem
ory of how many times he fired.
Vernon has been charged with
assault with a dangerous weapon.
No hearing date has been set yet.
A bond of $1,000 has been posted.
The injured man was brought
to the Valley Hospital early Mon
day morning. He remained there
until 8 o’clock, when the rescue
helicopter of the Tenth Rescue
Squadron removed him to the
183rd General Hospital.
Both the miners are veterans.
They have been working at the
mine for the past year, and both
are well known in Palmer.
Chamber Works
On New Booklet
A new Chamber of Commerce
booklet is in the process of pre
paration for printing today. It
will replace last year’s leaflets,
most of which are already dis
tributed. The new booklet is to
be of the same size, a three-fold
leaflet, 4x9 in size.
Work is being rushed, in order
that copies of the leaflet will be
available for distribution at the
railroad world fair in Chicago
next month. It is planned to or
der 15,000 of the leaflets and to
send 10,000 of them with the
Valley display to the Chicago
fair.
Jack Maze, Mrs. Matt Perkins,
Mrs. Betty Mears and Viola
Daniels are revising the booklet.
Drug Store Is
Open Again
Bert’s Drug Store resumed
business in temporary quarters
in Palmer last Thursday. Al
though shelves still are only par
tially stocked, new shipments are
arriving daily and clerks Ruth
Peterson and Delbert Anderson
expect it to be only a short time
until the store is equipped to
handle all of Palmer’s more com
mon needs.
Drugs have been restocked,
and a druggist, Paul Stockman,
is on duty to take care of all
prescription needs.
Magazines and
have mov<^ '