THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PIONEER
Published Weekly at Palmer, Alaska.
JACK ALLMAN
Editor-Publisher.
_ ♦
Application made for entry as second class matter
at the post office at Palmer, Alaska._
Subscription Rate
One year by mail .
$3.50
Palmer’s Boom Days Are Over
Wheu the blizzard hit camp last Saturday
bringing the season s first snow the wind
screeched gleefully around the bunk tents and
covered the mud-frozen footprints under a six
inch mantle.
Old Boreas might have enlivened his spirit
with the thought that he was driving the tent
dwellers away, but he was wrong if he did. It
was the long promised winter lay-off. Only skele
ton crews remain, and barring the construction
of a few barns and the digging of a sewage
ditch the boom days of the past two summers are
over. .
From now on the valley will tend toward
a slower, but steady, growth. New settlers will
come in and farm some of the patented land sur
rounding the colonist tracts. Fingers of roads
will reach out into areas open for homesteading
and the forests will give way to clearings in
which happy children will shout and play. The
Matanuska Valley will grow as a community of
farming homes. It will grow slowly, perhaps,
but surely.
Some of the present business houses may
have a hard time hanging on waiting for that
growth, but it will come. .
There will always be a Palmer besides the
Community Center. Never a one purpose
town yet but what had its “wrong side of the
trucks.” Army posts always have their attend
ant civilian communities. The Long-Bell Lum
ber Company spent a million dollars trying to
make Longview, Washington, an ideal town, but
Kelso, right across the river, is the lively place
and Longview is a flop.
Palmer now has its shanty town, but that
will grow up. Not only old settlers but colonists
as well are supporting the various business
houses. They will continue to do so, even when
the co-op becomes operative and a percentage of
the profit on their purchases through their own
organization will presumably accrue to them.
People are like that. It’s that inherent desire of
the average American to get away from indus
trial autocracy, or, as expressed on the street:
‘ ‘ Too much rule. ’ ’
Yes, there will always be a Palmer ... on
e wrong side of the tracks.
Information A La Washington
Here’s a nice illustration of the ignorance
of things Alaskan as enjoyed by those who gov
ern us from afar. The Rural Electrification
News.” a magazine published by the REA and
printed in the U. S. Government Printing Of
fice at Washington. D. C., says in an article on
the allocation of funds to bring power from
Eklutna into the Matanuska Valley:
“In all, about 300 farms will be served. Dur
ing the winter the sun shines only a few hours
daily, making electricity necessary for lighting.
It is practically impossible to maintain private
electric plants in this region, as the fuel during
the winter must be transported by dog sled.”
Shades of the Yukon Valley! We have seen
but one dog team here in the past two winters,
and have made a survey showing that there are
at least ten privately-owned plants, fuel for
which is brought into the valley in tank ears and
delivered where used in some of the hundred or
so trucks that pound these good roads.
WAS1LLA
The Independence Mine, ly
ing between the Fern and the
Lucky Shot, after finding some
very high grade ore in the old
drift abandoned several years
ago, has now let a contract for
the driving of three hundred
feet of tunnel to A1 Dodson and
associates. The work will be
done this winter.
Gen. Mgr. Stoltz is Reported
to have said that if the body of
ore warrants it a sixty-ton mill
will be erected on Fishhook
Creek, probably next spring.
T. S. MacDougal of the Fern
Mine was a visitor to Wasilla
and Palmer during the week.
Milo Kelly, oldtimer of the
district, is driving a prospect
tunnel on his property, the
Brooklyn.
0. G. Herning has erected a
five-room home on property
back of his store and will soon
be moving in.
C. L. Cadwallader, Wasilla
merchant, was in Palmer on
business last Monday.
School census at Wasilla
shows an enrollment of 76 chil
dren.
By worxing only 7 hours a day
instead of 8 the wage cut is a lot
easier to take, according to the
boys affected by the recent rul
ing.
Hospital Notes
A baby girl was born to Mrs.
Pearl Archer on the 13th and j
another baby girl to Mrs. (
Henning Ben-'on on the 19th.;
Both mothers and inlants are do
ing well.
During the week Ed Borders,;
David Smoot, Aileen Haik and j
Lois Spencer had tonsil re
movals.
John Dart registered in with a
severe case of stomach flu, but
got better rapidly and has since
been discharged.
Little seven year-old Margaret
McNeven fell from the balcony j
of the Comms nity Hall to the
hard floor below, but though her j
arm and one shoulder was injured ,
no fracture resulted.
Dr. Albrecht received a call
from Wasilla that 9 year old i
Andrew Nickalaskey, an Indian
boy, was dangerously ill at Knik. j
Doctor made t e long drive down
to the old inlet town only to And .
that he bad been called too late.
The lad died frum what the doc- j
tor says was undoubtedly a i
severe orse of pneumonia.
i Eva Jones, who had an attack
j or stomach fiu, is back on the
j job at Sally’s.
E. W. “Red" Doughty
KFQD’s operator does radio repairing;.
Send your radio troubles to Red. In care of
KFQD Anchorage
Sally’s Cafe
Palmer, Alaska
“The Home Of Good Food”
Prompt Service and Cleanliness Always.
Ed Allen, Prop.
Fly To Juneau - Seattle
Planes Leaving
Wednesdays and Saturdays
Passengers - Mail - Express
For Further Information
PHONE
95 - OWL CAB - 95
Anchorage, Alaska
“We Never Sleep”
Agents - Glass Flying Service
Arctic Airways
Harry O’Neill, Palmer Agent
Subscribe to the PIONEER
Advertise in the
PIONEER