valley Frontiersman
VOL. II.
PALMER, ALASKA AUGUST 4, 1949
No. 35
Co-op Heads Predict Bumper Crops
Palmer Is Being
Considered Site Of
Mental Hospital
M. W. Goding of the Alaska
branch of the Department of the
Interior will arrive in the Valley
on August 21, in company with a
small group of medical men, it
was reported here this week. The
purpose of the visit is to discuss
with Valley representatives the
location of a mental institution
in the Matanuska Valley.
Dr. C. Earl Albrecht, territorial
commissioner of health, has con
ferred with Dr. R. E. Garrett and
requested that the following ma
terial be available to the party
upon its arrival here:
(a) An entirely new bro
chure of the Valley, com
plete with pictures of all the
proposed sites that can be
obtained.
(b) A contour map, show
ing drainage, and locating
all existing utilities lines in
the area.
(c) A survey showing: the
number of workers and
pieces of equipment in the
Valley which would be avail
able for construction work.
Also a report of the raw ma
terials of construction avail
able here.
(d) A study of fresh pro
duce and dairy products
available here.
Dr. Garrett said he was not
entirely familiar with all the de
tails of the proposed plan. The
hospital would contain 400 beds
and would cost an estimated six
million dollars. It is not known
how much land would be re
quired for the site.
The itinerary of the Washing
ton, D. C., visitors also is un
known. It is believed that they
will study several possible lo
calities, in addition to Palmer.
M. D. Snodgrass was asked by
Chamber of Commerce president
Clayton Esslinger to head the
committee which will assemble
the necessary material for pre
sentation to the visiting medical
men. Other committee members
were named at Wednesday’s
membership meeting, too late for
the Frontiersman deadline.
Returns to Valley
Mrs. George Geiwitz returned
from a visit Outside last week.
Her daughter and family accom
panied Mrs. Geiwitz to Palmer,
where they plan to make a pro
longed stay.
LAKE GEORGE WON'T
GO INTO ACT
With all eyes front and center
on Lake George, the self-dump
ing ice-blocked lake at the head
waters of Knik River this week
was displaying the tempera
mental tantrums of an operatic
star. First expected to break a
full three weeks ago, and there
by to establish an all-time rec
ord for an early break-up, the
lake has stubbornly refused to
perform.
A field party of radio station
KENI reporters, headed by Frank
Brink, is camped on the spot to
flash a minute-by-minute ac
count of the break to a waiting
Alaska. To date, the field party
also is waiting.
Mr. Brink optimistically pre
dicted on Saturday that the
break would come by Sunday, at
the latest. On Monday, seasoned
observers said that the lake’s
rising waters were receding. The
break-up occurs when the dam
med waters, fed by the melting
glacier, rise high enough to
burst the ice seal which confines
it.
By press-time, there was spec
ulation that this year’s record
might be for a late break-up,
rather than the anticipated ear
ly one. Only twice before, since
records were kept in 1939, has
the break-up occurred in August.
Latest date on record is Aug. 10.
There’s just no way of telling,
according to Clyde King, Sr.,
who has been watching and re
cording the Lake George whims
for the past 10 years. First signs
of the break-up usually are oil
slicks on the surface of Knik
River, together with swiftly ris
ing water levels. Rising * water
and oil slicks were observed
three weeks ago at Knik Bridge;
since then—nothing.
However Mr. King is willing to
crawl out on a limb with one
more prediction. “When it comes
it’ll be a big one," he foretells.
Underwriters Are
Expected Soon
The arrival in Palmer of three
representatives of the National
Board of Fire Underwriters was
expected momentarily as the
Valley Frontiersman went to
press this week. The three, R. C.
Stevens, O. G. Hoass, and Stan
ley G. McPherson, were in Ko
diak early in the week, and ex
pected to come to Palmer upon
their return.
Mr. Hoss, in a letter addressed
to A1 Hagen of the Valley Volun
teer Fire Association, promised
tc grade Palmer again after a
thorough inspection of fire
fighting equipment and fire haz
ards here. The fire inspection
team will be in Palmer for sev
eral days.
The men of the Fire Associa
tion are making tentative plans
to schedule a dinner and an eve
ning meeting for the visitors. All
interested Valley residents are
invited to discuss fire problems
with the Underwriters’ team,
following the dinner.
Dinner probably will be served
in the basement of the Lutheran
Church, but arrangements were
indefinite at press-time. Admis
sion will be by reservation only.
Every one interested should get
in touch with Mr. Hagen, or with
Association board members O. R.
Mitchell, Bob Peterson, Ray
Lancaster or Jack Maze, for fur
ther information.
Annual Farm Tour
Is Scheduled
For August* 18
The annual farm tour and
field day of the Matanuska Val
ley will be held on Aug. 18 this
year, it was announced today by
Parker Lester, local Extension
agent. It is planned to spend the
morning of the eighteenth visit
ing several selected Valley farms.
Farmers will meet at the Ma
tanuska station for a noon
luncheon and will spend the aft
ernoon inspecting the farm’s ex
perimental plots and learning
something of the newest farm
research problems under study
there.
Mr. Lester said the tour had
been included on this year’s pro
gram in order that everyone
might observe several excellent
examples of improved agricul
tural methods on Valley farms.
There will be a more complete
program announced for the farm
tour and field day within the
next few days.
FINED FOR DRIVING
WITHOUT A LICENSE
George A. Simons of Anchorage
was arrested last week by high
way patrolman Stanley Laird for
driving without a license. Mr.
Simons was tried and convicted
in the court of U. S. Commis
sioner Dorothy Saxton. He was
fined $25 for the offense.
PRODUCE, SPUDS
EXPECTED SHOW
RECORD YIELDS
Cutworms and pessimists to
the contrary, early indications
are for a bumper crop of pro
duce and potatoes in the Mata
nuska Valley, it was agreed this
week by James Wilson and Har
old Stephan of the Matanuska
Valley Farmers Co-operating As
sociation. The pair, Co-op man
ager and head of the produce
department respectively, say un
seasonal rains have been a boon
which have produced particular
ly fine crops of cabbage, lettuce
and celery.
Manager Wilson was especial
ly optimistic in his outlook. “If
we get the harvest of produce it
appears ^that we will, and if the
milk and eggs production holds
up as it gives evidence of doing,
farmers this year will have add
ed almost a million dollars of
new wealth in the Matanuska
Valley,” he said.
Produce manager Stephan
could see no flaw in the outlook
for a peak vegetable harvest. He
reminded that the poor crops of
past seasons all have been di
rectly attributable to drought.
The Valley’s principal crops are
wet, cool weather crops, for
which this summer’s rain has
been exactly what was needed.
Principal headaches for farm
ers in the next few weeks are the
luxuriant growth of weeds, flour
ishing in step with the crops,
and the annual fear of early
frost which could nip the pota
to crop.
First delivery on this year’s
Army contracts, held by the Co
op, will be made tomorrow. Sev
en tons of lettuce are scheduled
to roll to market then. On Aug.
15, the Army will require quan
tity deliveries of beets, cabbage,
turnips, lettuce, greens and
onions. Mr. Wilson said the Co
op appeared to be well covered
for all of these deliveries.
Heretofore most of the pro
duce delivered to the Co-op by
its 50 farmer members has been
sold to local stores. Valley pro
duce has been appearing in lo
cal restaurants and stores and
on the dining tables at King's
Lake camp for the past week or
two. Shipments have included
radishes, lettuce, greens, onions
and cauliflower.