valley Frontiersman
VOL. II
PALMER, ALASKA JULY 74. 1949
No. 32
Fair Board Gets Quonset Hut Loan
Sportsmen Plan
Alaska Convention
At Fair-Time
Next week’s mail will carry in
vitations to delegates from
sportsmen’s clubs and organiza
tions throughout Alaska to at
tend a meeting in Palmer on
Sept. 3, 4 and 5 for the purpose
of forming a territorial sports
men’s organization. This was the
decision of the board of direc
tors of the Matanuska Valley
Sportsmen at last Monday’s
regular meeting.
The plan, as suggested by Club
President L. C. Stock, would call
for an annual convention in the
territory. Mr. Stock said he felt
such an organization would fur
ther the aims of sportsmen
everywhere, and would be of
great help in enforcing a pro
gram of wild life conservation.
The board also discussed rules
for the coming territorial small
bore match to be held under club
sponsorship during the fair dates
of Sept. 3, 4 and 5. It was decided
NRA rules would prevail. An en
try fee of $10 for a five-man
team or $2 for an individual will
be charged. Further match de
tails will be arranged by the
committee, which is headed by
Claude Carroll.
It was suggested that a pro
gram committee be made a part
of the club’s formal organization,
in order to plan for the year’s
entertainment for meetings, as
well as special social events. No
actin was taken on this sugges
tion.
Oregon Womon Will
Manage VaJley Hospital
Miss Janet Mills of Florence,
Ore., has accepted the position
of manager of the Valley Hospi
tal, it was announced this week
by James Wilson, president of
the hospital’s board of directors.
Miss Mills is expected to arrive
about July 21.
The new manager is both an
X-ray and laboratory technician.
She is no stranger to Alaska, for
she was an employe of Mont
gomery Ward & Co., at Juneau
and later at Fairbanks, for a
year. Miss Mills was credit man
ager for the mail-order firm.
During the war, the new hos
pital manager was a civil service
assistant personnel manager at
Fairbanks. She also has had a
background of catering experi
ence, she writes.
New School Board
Takes Office
BULLETIN
Dr. James C. Ryan has in
formed members of the new
ly-elected school board that
their term of office begins as
soon as election returns have
been certified by the Third
District Court. Notice of that
certification was received by
Commissioner Dorothy Saxton
last Saturday.
Who are the legally qualified
and official school board mem
bers for the Palmer school dis
trict? That was the question
with which the five elected dis
trict trustees wrestled principally
last week, when they met on.
Tuesday evening.
Acting on the assumption that
they legally entered on their
term of office when balloting
voted the school district into ex
istence, the five w’ere sworn into
office by U. S. Commissioner
Dorothy Saxton, elected their
officers, and determined their
length of office by lot.
With those chores taken care
of. the five men then settled
down to a discussion of the du
ties and obligations ahead of
them. Since district affairs are
new to Palmer, it was decided to
contact Anchorage school board
members and Anchorage Super
intendent C. C. Caldwell to ask
for advice on procedure.
(Continued on Page 3)
Dr. Bailey Sees
(And Likes)
The Valley
Dr. Clarence Bailey, late of
Kodiak, found Palmer and the
Matanuska Valley to his liking
on a final inspection trip last
week. The doctor, a general prac
titioner, will open offices here on
Oct. 1. he said. Although not ab
solutely certain of his location at
this time, Dr. Bailey said he
rrobably would establish his of
lice in the Neal Wright Building.
For the next few months, the
doctor will be in Seattle where
he plans a short refresher course.
Dr. Bailey is a graduate of the
University of Texas medical
school, class of 1941. He took his
hospital training in Atlanta, Ga.,
and practiced there for a year
before entering the army as a
first lieutenant in 1943.
As an army medic, he was sta
tioned at Camp Blanding, Fla.,
and later was sent overseas on
assignment with the 227th Gen
eral Hospital in France, where
he worked with war casualties
for the last few months of the
European war.
Following V-E Day, the doctor
was assigned to the 35th Station
Hospital, and was with one of
the first Medical Corps units to
be transferred from Europe to
the Pacific theatre. He was pro
moted to the rank of major
(Continued on Page 3)
SPORTSMAN'S FISH FRY
PLANNED FOR SUNDAY
Fish, fun and food — that’s
what's in store for members of
the Matanuska Valley Sports
men and their guests when they
meet at Barry's on Finger Lake
next Sunday afternoon. The
occasion is the first annual sum
mer fish fry of the group.
There’ll be frying fish (fur
nished by all the sportsmen, with
a special reception planned for
any member attending without
his required fish quota), ice
cream, pink lemonade and buns
supplied by the club. All other
food requirements are to be fur
nished by those attending, with
committee members recommend
ing that salads, pickles and other
picnic tidbits be packed by indi
viduals to round out the menu.
Each person attending also
is asked to bring cutlery,
plates and cups for himself
and guests. The Sportsmen
simply don’t have enough ta
ble haberdashery to take care
of the record crowd expected.
The fun menu for the day in
cludes a prize offered for the
biggest fish taken from the lake
during the fish fry, and a second
prize for the smallest fish hooked
during the day. There’s also to
be a pie-eating contest for the
junior Sportsmen.
All fish are expected to be
at the lake no later than 10
a. ni. on Sunday, according to
chief fish-fryer Harry Rice.
Anyone who hooks his catch
early, and who has no storage
facilitiy, is asked to bring the
fish, either to Mr. Rice or di
rect to the Palmer Cold Stor
age.
The plannnig committee hopes
to have a photographer on hand
to get a picture of fish and fish
ermen before the catch is popped
into the frying pan.
The first fish will be served to
picnickers promptly at 1 p. m.
on Sunday, Mr. Rice said.
ARR GIVES
SEVEN HUTS FOR
10-YEAR TERM
Concession and exhibit hous
ing problems of the Matanuska
Valley Fair Association were un
expectedly smoothed this week,
with the announcement that the
Association had secured seven
Quonset huts from The Alaska
Railroad on a 10-year loan basis.
The huts are now located in
the railroad yards at Anchorage.
They must be moved within 30
days, or the Association forfeits
its right to them. Fair Manager
Charles Dillon said.
Mr. Dillon and M. D. Snod
grass, chairman of the fair
board, spent Monday in Anchor
age to complete negotiations for
the huts.
The agreement completed with
the railroad allows the fair to
make use of the Quonsets in any
manner they wish, so long as
they are not sold or transferred
to another owner. Railroad offi
cials agreed to allow the Associ
ation to make necessary altera
tions in the buildings to fit them
for fair purposes.
Mr. Dillon said it was probable
the huts will be torn down and
removed to Palmer under a
contract bid. The fair manager
at first considered moving the
Quonsets intact, but heavy
equipment is not available for
their loading and unloading.
The matter was to be discussed
at Tuesday’s fair board meeting,
and a call for bids probably will
be issued next week.
—
Ryans To Open
New Grocery
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Ryan of
Palmer Cold Storage this week
announced plans for the Mon
day opening of a small grocery
store in quarters next to the
present cold storage plant. A
door is being cut in the wall to
join the storage quarters and the
store.
Mr. Ryan said his present plans
were to present only a limited
stock of staple groceries in the
store. He already carries some
groceries in his present market.
The new quarters will permit
some expansion and will provide
space for a better display of the
frozen food cartons and freezing
(Continued on Page 3)