Thought of the Week:
A sufficient amount of po
litical bunk can usually be
transformed into a political
berth.
JUNEAU AL•- '
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
WASILLA VOLUNTEER
FIRE DEPT. BENEFIT
AUCTION
Saturday. June 23, 11 a.m.
VOLUME 14. NUMBER 39
PALMER, ALASKA. THURSDAY. JUNE 21. 1962
EIGHT PAGES
FRICE IS CENTS
I Reporters—
Noteboah
John Mears is home for a
week from Cal Poly at Pomo
na. California, where he was
recently graduated. He will re
turn to Los Angeles this week
to be employed as field engin
eer for North American Avia
tion.
* * *
Phil R. Holdsworth. com
missioner of the state Depart
ment of Natural Resources,
was in Palmer on business
Wednesday.
* * *
Richard D. Braught. son of
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth B. Brau
ght of Sutton, was recently
advanced to aviation electron
ics technician third class, USN.
He is serving with a detach
ment ol' Tactical Air Support
Squadron 21, stationed at the
Naval Air Station, Alameda,
California.
* » «
Donald E. Harris, sonarman
third class, USN, son of Mr.
and Mrs. John D. Harris of Pal
mer, is serving aboard the guid
ed missile frigate USS Coontz
which arrived at Portland,
Ore., June 13 for a visit dur
ing the Rose Festival.
* * *
In case anyone, besides the
reporter, gets confused by all
the committees, agencies, acts
and administrations, and the
abbreviations for the same, in
regard to the Area Develop
ment Plan, here is the headline
that was not used for the story
on page 1 of this issue: ADC's
OEDP Finalized For Gov’s
ACED under ARA. That should
clarify everything.
* * *
Byron Johnson left Monday
for Kotzebue where he will be
employed for several weeks
with RCA.
W. B. Oliver, State Conser
vationist at Palmer, recently
attended ASC meetings in New
York and Washington. While in
the capital he called on Sena
tors Bob Bartlett and Ernest
Gruening.
* * *
The Paul Moyers are spend
ing a few days in Seattle be
fore going to Spokane where
Mr. Moyer will attend the
meeting of the Washington-Al
aska synod.
Erika Kalwies, Miss Matan
uska Valley of 1962, returned
home this week from the East
Coast where she attended
school during the winter. She
will be the Matanuska Valley’s
candidate in the Miss Alaska
contest July 12.
* * *
Frank Sorensen of Wasilla is
believed to be one of the first
in this area to offer land for an
oil and gas lease. Most lease of
fers originate with the federal
or state governments. Mr.
Sorensen, whose advertisement
appear in the classified section j
of the Frontiersman is offering
147 acres in sections 24 and 25,
T 18N, R. 1W SW. The State
also has land in this area for
lease next month.
ARA Plan Readied for State Approval
Highway Curve At
Matanuska Bridge
To Be Widened
Construction was started
last weekend by the Alaska
Highway engineers on the pro
ject east of Palmer to broaden
the Glenn highway approach
to the Matanuska river bridge
and to realign the intersection
of the Lazy mountain road
with the new Glenn highway
section.
About one and a quarter
miles of the two-mile project
will be new construction. The
point of take-off from the
Glenn highway into the Clark
Huntley-Wolverine road sys
tem on Lazy mountain will be
moved southeast, a little south
of the present L. D. Bush road.
It will run north to intersect
with Huntley road. Some of
the steep pitch of the present
Lazy mountain road will be
eliminated.
The southeastern approach
to the Matanuska river bridge,
about one-fourth mile of the
project, will be altered to make
the curve less sharp and the
highway wider.
The work will be completed
by this fall.
Homemakers Club
Backs Park Plan
Cheechako Homemaker club
voted $50 for the Kiwanis City
Park improvement fund at the
last meeting of the club and
made plans for the annual
club dinner July 10.
A bake sale was scheduled
for July 28 and plans for par
ticipation in the Fair were dis
cussed, with Karen Tye ap
pointed as chairman of the
booth committee.
The July meeting, which
would normally be July 3,
was cancelled as the dinner
meeting will be the next Tues
day at Don's Green Apple res
taurant in Anchorage. Depart
ure time from Palmer was set
at 5:00 p.m., July 10. Din
ner will be served at 7:00. For
mer Cheechako members are
invited to attend and should
make reservations with Ber
nice Linn.
The Homemakers enjoyed a
rewarding and enlightening
discussion by Rev. Paul Moyer
on “How to help our children
come to maturity.”
LITTLE SUSITNA
WASHES OUT PART
OF FISHHOOK ROAD
High water in the Little
Susitna River has washed out
some of the road bank of the
Fishhook road in the narrows
of the canyon. The Highway
Maintenance crew here haul
ed up a few loads of gravel
for fill and the road has been
kept open for one-way traffic.
DAIRY INDUSTRY
IS SALUTED
A hearty salute to the dairy
industry was given by Stew
art A. Durrant, general man
ager of the Matanuska Valley
Cooperating Assn., and the Ma
tanuska Valley Chamber of
Commerce at C. of C. meeting
Wednesday noon.
Speaking on “What the dairy
industry means to the Palmer
Anchorage area,” Durrant built
facts, statistics and compari
sons into a clear picture of the
importance of dairying in the
’ economy of this area and of the
individual farm family.
Citing the Matanuska area’s
1961 production figures—al
most 19 million pounds (9.5
million quarts! of milk sold for
almost $2 million, Durrant
pointed out that, though less
than 70 dairy farms were di
rectly involved in the 1961
milk production, aoproximate
lv 300 families of this area are
either directly or indirectly
connected with the dairy in
dustry.
Reviewing some of the mar
keting trends since 1959, Dur
rant used a graph to clarifv
the increasing importance of
the military market for local
milk production. Much of the
Anchorage market has gone to
comr etitive milk from the
Northwest states, he said, as
modern technology brings
Seattle “closer” to Anchorage
distributors. The former Fair
banks market now is adequate
lv supplied by its own produc
tion.
The present good condition
of the local balance between
supply and demand is largely
dependent on the military
needs but has also been helped
along by a small processing
WASILLA VFD
AUCTION WILL
BE SATURDAY
The Wasilla Volunteer Fire
department Auction will be
this Saturday, June 23. start
ing at 11 a.m. at the Fire de
oartment quonset hut in Was
illa.
Benny Cottle will be auc
tioneer for the annual fund
raising event. He will be dis
posing merchandise consigned
to the W.V.F.D. as well as the
donated materials.
The VFW Auxiliary will
have a cotton candy machine
in addition to the customary
sale of baked goods. Other re
freshments will also be avail
able.
factor (butter, cheese, ice
cream, etc.) and bv a pooling
agreement between Matanuska
Maid and North Star dairies to
insure complete utilization of
Alaskan' production before go
ing “outside" to fill demand.
Durrant predicted that a
drop in gross income must ul
timately come as local prices
must continue to be competi
tive. The dairy industry, and
allied businesses sucn as the
farmers’ cooperatives are
working now for solutions of
problems in production costs
to keep local milk on a good
competitive basis.
“I salute these dairy people,”
Durrant said. “They have a
hard job and face many pro
blems that non-dairy people
do not realize.”
Pointing out that local dairy
herds are of unusually good
stock, bred up to the highest
per-cow production in the na
tion. and that the dairy indus
try here, after years of strug
gle, is now on a sound basis of
well - financed, well - managed
! dairy' farms, Durrant summar
ized: » • • \
I
I’m sure the dairy industry
will continue to grow and to
he a major factor in the econ
omy of the district."
Bill Hermann, substituting
for President Barney Fish, in
troduced the speaker. He led
a final round of applause by
the large attendance as the
Chamber of Commerce salute
to the Matanuska dairy indus
try. Also the entile meal from
place mats to dessert was plan
ned by the Frontier cafe to
feature the Junt Dairy Month
theme.
The next regular meeting of
the Chamber of Commerce will
be July 11 rather than the us
ual first Wednesday, July 4.
The Chamber hopes to have a
speaker from the Anchorage
Chamber of Commerce.
Pioneers Picnic
Will Be Sunday
The Pioneers of Alaska will
picnic at "Heinie” Snider’s
home on Lake Lucille next
Sunday, June 24.
Matanuska Igloo No. 21 “ ill
join with Anchorage Igloo No
15 for the day of fun.
Anyone needing transporta-\
tion is asked to be at Bert’s
Drug store in Palmer no later
than 11:00 a.m.
Brome Reseeding Underway
Applications for emergency
ASC cost-sharing funds to re
store winter killed brome grass
poured into the Agricultural
Conservation office during the
past week with 70 applications
approved for a total of slight
ly less than 3,000 acres.
John Nash, Palmer County
ASC office manager, said about
a third of the work had been
completed during the past
week. By mid-July the job
should be 75 per cent complete,
aiming for the August 1 dead
line.
“Anyone wishing cost-shar
ing assistance for restoration
of winter-killed grass should
aoply as soon as possible,”
Nash said. “The ASC commit
tee’s requests that alternate
acres be allowed for cost shar
ing were not approved. To be
eligible for the ACP, planting
must be done on the actual
acres that were winter killed.”
The Matanuska valley was
designated a disaster area last
week by Secretary of Agricul
ture Orville Freeman and the
Alaska Agriculture Stabiliza
tion and Conservation commit
tee set up a program to share
with local farmers the cost of
the emergency restoration.
ASC estimates over 50 per
cent of brome grass acreage
was winter-killed. The Matan
uska valley is the first area
in the state to be desig
nated for emergency measures
under the 1962 Agricultural
Conservation program.
Darrell L. Baird, chairman,
Alaska State ASC Committee,
has been in Palmer working
with the Palmer County ASC
committee and other agricul
tural agencies in setting up the
emergency conservation prac
tice. Nash estimates that cost
sharing will be at a rate of
about $25 an acre.
In addition to the ASC’s
cost sharing program, the
Farmers Home administration
has announced that emergency
loans will be approved to eli
gible farmers for farm operat
ing expense in connection with
restoration of the permanent
grass.
Some brome grass stands are
showing some improvement in
fields that had been thinned
or appeared dead from winter
killing, the Alaska Coopera
tive Crop Reporting Service
said. New growth has started
from the rhizomes but it is still
quite small. Increased growth
of weeds in some fields is a
serious problem.
Some of the fields of dead
brome are being reseeded to
brome or rye grass, the Report
ing service noted, but in some
cases farmers are plowing or
discing up the old brome and
planting to grain mixtures for
hay or silage to supply essen
tial feed for the dairy herd this
year.
Development of brome grass
is later even than last year,
due to above normal rain and
below normal temperatures
during May. Last year hay har
vest started around June 15,
and two years ago haying w-as
well underway by the middle
of June. On a few well devel
oped fields, however, the crop
report said, hay harvest start
ed this week after several days
of clear weather with tempera
tures as high as 80 degrees.
MUSEUM WILL
OPEN TO PUBLIC
3Y FAIR TIME
Tlie Matanuska Valley’s his
torical lore was vividly por
trayed by contrasts this week
when Ed Ueeck and Don Ir
win loaded the dog sleds and
an old double-ender freight >
sled onto a shiny new pickup!
to haul them to the Historical !
society’s new museum in the |
basement of the Frontier cafe.
Open to the public by Fair
time is the goal of the Matan
uska Valley Historical society,
but much work remains to be!
done. Laura Barnes, Society j
secretary, asked anyone will
ing to help with the labeling
and display work contact her
as soon as possible. Many arti
facts have been assembled for
the museum and each item
must be properly labeled and
attractively arranged in the ex
hibit.
The MVH society is the suc
cessor to the Matanuska Val
ley Fair museum, founded by
the late T. A. Moyer in 1956.
A feature of the Fair for a few
years, the collection of arti
facts has been limited by lack
of a permanent, fireproof mu
seum display building.
With the support of the
Chamber of Commerce $850
was cleared from an auction
last February, with merchan
dise donated by local business
men. In addition to the large
basement room donated rent
I free by Howard and Eva
Campbell, Ketchikan Spruce
Mills. Matanuska Electric
Assn. and several local crafts
men donated labor and mater
| ials to ready the museum for
the society’s use. State match
ing funds, up to $1000, are now
available from the Department
of Tourism.
About $3800, it is estimated,
has been invested in the mu
seum to date. About 30.000 vis
itors per year is the anticipat
ed potential of such an auth
entic and well-organized mu
seum conveniently located in
i the center of the city. The
i Chamber of Commerce, in
giving the museum the spon
sorship required to be eligible
for state Tourism funds, noted
that "the increase in tourist
traffic will be reflected thro
ughout the valley area by in
creased business.”
Final Drail to Be
Presented Tuesday
The Preliminary Overall Ec
onomic Development Plan for
Election District 7 will he dis
cussed at a public meeting
Tuesday. June 26. 8:00 p.m .
at the Agricultural Extension
Service office. Palmer.
The plan, given tentative ap
proval at the meeting last
month of the committee head
ed by Mason LaZelle, is the
necessary first step required
under the Area Redevelopment
Act before state and federal
assistance can be obtained for
furthering the proposed area
development.
The committee hopes the
meeting next Tuesday will re
sult in final approval of the
preliminary OEDP so that it
may be submitted to the state
ARA committee. No assistance
from ARA is possible until the
preliminary plan has secured
state approval.
Since it was formed last
January, the committee has
been enlarged to include repre
sentatives of most of the geo
graphic, social and economic
areas of the Seventh Election
district. At present the commit
tee members and the areas
each represents are: Mason La
elle, Palmer. Matanuska Elec
tric Assn.; James Hurley, But
te. timber and agriculture; Ray
Johnson, Willow, homesteader;
Phil O'Neill. Sutton, mining;
Harold Newcomb, Wasilla, Ma
tanuska Valley Farmers Coop
1 erative Assn.: Rose Palmquist.
I Houston, homesteader; Roland
' Snodgrass, Paimer, farmer:
I Walter Spurlin, Montana.
I farmer; Don Irwin, Palmer,
agriculture; Paul Pownall. Pal
mer. U. S. Department of Agri
culture; Bill Hermann, Palmer.
City of Palmer.
The ADC. formed on recom
mendation of the Matanuska
Valley Chamber of Commerce,
has been assisted in the initial
organization and planning by
the Governor’s Advisory Com
mittee on Economic Develop
ment and by Tom Bischel, state
director for ARA.
The study of an area’s re
sources and the development
of an OEDP will be the most
valuable contributions to local
and national progress as en
visioned by supporters of the
ARA act passed May 1, 1961,
hut more immediate assistance
to each is available, once the
OEDP has been drafted, in the
form of loans and technical as
sistance for industrial and
commercial projects, public
facilities and occupational
training.
The preliminary OEDP, up
for approval at the meeting
next Tuesday evening, includ
es a brief outline of the follow
ing “'Plans and Goals:"
Agriculture — establishment
of vegetable processing such as
freeing, canning, dehydrating;
expansion of dairying; de
velopment of feed production.
Timber — development of
hardwood stands; retraining
labor market for hardwood
cutting, transportation, saw
ing; development of a pulp in
dustry.
Minerals — determination of
extent of coking coal deposits;
(Continued on page 8)
Joe Gallant
Burned Fighting
Brush Fire
Joseph H. “Joe” Gallant, ser
iously burned while fighting a
1 'ush fire n^ar Hope, was
flown to Providence hospital in
Anchorage Wednesday after
noon.
In spite of first, second and
third degree burns about
face and arms, he is reported
in good condition.
Gallant, a resident of Palm
er, is employed by McLaughlin
Construction Co. near Hope.
He is the husband of former
Frontiersman editor Virginia
Gallant and father of Joseph
H. Gallant presently at sea
with the Navy.
International Air Taxi rush
ed Gallant to the Anchorage
hospital.
AREA HAS EARTHUAKE
A slight earthquake, was felt
in Palmer about 10:00 p.m.
Wednesday. Anchorage resi
dents also noticed the mild,
brief tremor.
The Kiwanis Club, hoping
to have the gracious new Pal
mer Park about one-fourth
completed this year, reminds
everyone interested in push
ing the project that this year's
working time ends in three oi
four months.
Emphasizing that contribu
tions of money, always greatly
needed, are not the only goal
of the Park committee, the Ki
wanis this week asked every
organization of the community
to “get on the bandwagon"
with contributions of labor,
equipment, materials and ideas.
“If every fraternal, business,
church and social organization
of the town can secure one in
terested volunteer to represent
his or her organization, Pal
mer Park will be a beautiful
reality in a few years,” said a
Kiwanis spokesman. “It will be
a monument to the efforts—
and fill the needs—of the
whole town and countryside,
rather than of just a few who
might be criticized later for
missing out on some good ideas
or for proceeding too slowly."
The representative of each
organization—and the Kiwan
is hope every organization will
have a really interested volun
teer for its representative—will
serve on the Park committee to
coordinate the work and see
that it proceeds in an orderly
fashion.
Time is the critical factor.
The plan, as submitted for ap
proval to the City Council and
the Planning Commission,
mapped out a three-year con
struction program, but the
club, noting that a year means
only four or five construction
months, cautiously aims for
completion in “three to five
years.”
"Since tune is so important.”
said the Kiwanian, "We will
not have time to personally
contact each group. We will
<
i therefore assume, if we are not
; contacted by a representative,
that they are content not to be
: included.”
Work has already been be
) gun. If one were to drive to
the park area north of Valley
Presbyterian hospital and east
of Walker street, see what is
happening, take along the park
plan as printed in the May 17
Frontiersman, and visualize
how Palmer Park should look
in 1965. one might be inspired
to stop the car, get out and
help.
NEW YORK
%
Steak Dinner
With all the Trimmings
SATURDAY
\
6:30 P.M. - Elks Hall
ELKS and GUESTS
Moose Picnic Haliea Lodge
,i