Vol. 1, No. 15
Palmer, Alaska, November 5, 1947
Ten Cents
$95,000 Sewer Project For Palmer Nears End
Plan Advanced
To Split Co-op
Into 3 Units
Membership of the Dairymen’s
Assn, of the Valley presented a
tentative proposal for the reor
ganization of the present Valley
co-op at last Saturday’s quarterly
meeting. The plan, presented by
the dairymen for consideration
and later action, would divide the
present organization into three
separate co-operatives under a
central accounting system.
The dairymen introduced their
plans in the form of a resolution
read by Ernest Harrington. The
three divisions suggested would
separate the produce growers
into one co-op, dairymen into a
secqp.d and make a consumer’s
co-op of all service functions of
the present organization.
i'
‘Smooth Sailing’
In a meeting characterized
by "great smoothness and har
mony," according to Marvin
Allyn, general manager of the
Matanuska Valley Cooperative
Assn., 150 members last Sat
urday accepted financial re
ports and discussed matters
pertaining to general improve
ment of co-op functions at the
regular quarterly meeting.
Mr. Allyn said members
were advised that the general
financial condition of the co
op has been improved since
the last quarterly meeting.
Questioned about the pos
sibility of operation of the co
op garage reverting to private
ownership, Mr. Allyn replied,
"That is just a rumor. It was
not discussed at the meeting.
We don't know what we're
going to do with it."
Mr. Allyn said only matters
of general information were
discussed at the Saturday
meeting, which was closed to
the Valley Frontiersman.
The consumer’s co-op would
consist of the power house, store,
garage, warehouse, staff houses,
(Continued on page 4)
438 Registrants
In School Census
There is a potential registra
tion enrollment of 438 students
in Palmer school next year, ac
cording to figures reported on
the recently completed school
census. Of that number, there
are 230 boys in the district be
tween the ages of five and 21,
and 208 girls.
The figure represents a slight
increase over this year’s present
enrollment of 425. However, it
is not probable that census
blanks reached every family re
siding within the district. The
figure also fails to take into ac
count newcomers who will move
into the Valley in the months
ahead.
In view of these facts, it is
probable that enrollment fig
ures for Palmer school next year
will show a substantial increase
over this year’s all-time high.
The census figures show a po
tential b-tfmner’s class of 21 pu
Dates Switched
For Mining Class
Last week’s announcement of
the Nov. 29 opening date for
mining extension courses was in
error. Classes began last night
in the science room of Palmer
high school. H. G. Wilcox,
course instructor, spent most of
the session in registering inter
ested students.
The class, which is open to
any interested adult and for
which no fee is charged, will be
held from 7:30 to 8:30 Monday
through Friday. The course will
run to Nov. 26.
Mr. Wilcox said late enrollees
would be welcomed at the high
school throughout the week.
There is no required background
for the work. The course is
planned to be interesting to the
layman rather than to delve
deeply into technical phases of,
mining and mineralogy.
At least one-third of the
planned work will be in the
laboratory. Students who attend
all lectures are assured that they
will know gold when they find
it, after four weeks of mining
study.
The mining course, a part of
the extension work of the Uni
versity of Alaska, has not been
taught in Palmer since 1938. Mr.
Wilcox said present interest ini
the class would determine wheth
er it will be repeated in coming
years.
The mining instructor has just
completed a similar course in
Kodiak. He found interest very
keen there, he reported.
Diners Prep
For Holiday
Valley residents whetted ap
petites for their annual Thanks
giving turkey dinner last week,
by indulging in a pre-holiday
snack prepared by members of
the Ladies’ Aid of St. John’s
Lutheran church. Diners tucked
away 200 pounds of turkey as
their holiday appetizer, last
Thursday evening.
Although no estimate of fin
ancial receipts for the dinner
had been completed at press
time, it was reported that 250
Valley residents diner at the
church between 5 and 8 o’clock
Thursday evening.
Nine Aid members worked
throughout the day to keep the
turkey assembly line rolling.
Ten birds were roasted on an al
ternated cooking schedule, so
that early and late diners each
would be served portions of a
just-right degree of done-ness.
In addition to the dinner, Aid
members sold hand-worked doil
ies, aprons, tea towels and nap
kins. Proceeds from the Luth
eran dinner and linen sale will
be used for further renovations
in the church basement.
C OF C MEETS WEDNESDAY
The regular luncheon meeting
of the Valley Chamber of Com
merce will be held next Wed
nesday noon. The group will re
turn to its meeting place in the
basement of St. John’s Lutheran
Church. Members of the Luther
an Ladies Aid are in charee of
(Photo by Palmer Photographic Center).
The picture above shows a fast bit of action in the Alumni
High School season opener of the current basketball season.
Vernon France and an unidentified high school player go up in
the air after the ball when a high school try fails to drop
through the basket. Don Irwin (1) and Earl Onkka (3) of the
high school and Bert Stewart of the Alumni stand by to lend
a hand, while the Alumni's Bud Meiers and Jim Gleason (near
est camera) of the high school get set to mix into the play.
The high school tucked that game away. 20 to 19. and
went on the next night to snatch one from the Army, 21 to 20.
Neither team has played since, but both are scheduled to go
into action again this weekend.
The Alumni, now playing as the town team's Shamrocks,
have tentative plans for a home court engagement. Although
not yet definite, they expect to meet another local team, Le
pak's Lobos, at 8 o'clock next Saturday evening. The game
may be preceded by a 7 o'clock curtain-raiser between the
high school girls' team and the local woman's town team.
That, too, is still in the planning stages.
The high school squad will open inter-scholastic competi
tion with a two-game date at Seward this week. The squad
leaves Palmer Wednesday by train, and will play at Seward
on Thursday and Friday evenings.
Eight men, in addition to Coach L. K. Gibson and team
manager Noel Woods will make the trip. Mr. Gibson has
named these players for the Seward trip:
Ray Puhl, Earl Onkka, Don Irwin, Walter Stevens, Wayne
Bouwens, Duane Huntley, Lynn Sandvik and Jim Gleason.
There is a possibility that Gleason may not get medical
clearance for competition at Seward. Mr. Gibson said he was
still unprepared to announce an alternate, in the event Gleason
cannot make the trip.
Music Group
Meets Nov. 6
Members and guests of the
Music Appreciation Club will
meet in the rectory of St.
Michael’s church on Thursday,
Nov. 6, Father James Snead an
nounced today. The evening’s
concert will begin promptly at
8 o’clock.
Selections for Thursday’s pro
gra minclude:
"The Plough that Broke the
Plains," by Virgil Thomson,
with Leopold Stokowski and
the Hollywood Bowl symphony
orchestra; selections of ballet
music from "The Unfinished
Dance," M. G. M. production
of the same name, with Her
bert Stolhart directing the
M. G. M. studio orchestra;
A recoded transcription of
a Fibber McGee and Molly
show; a radio play starring
Lawrence Olivier in excerpts
from Shakespeare's Henry V
with original music written by
William Walton interpreted
by the Philharmonic orches
tra and chorus.
Refreshments will be served by
a committee of two, Mrs. Dan
Irwin, Edgar Go
To Washington
Don Irwin, director of Alaskan
experiment stations, and A. D.
Edgar, agricultural engineer,
left the Valley this week, en
route to Washington, D. C. Mr.
Irwin expects to be gone about
three weeks. Mr. Edgar does
not plan to return.
They travelled south by way of
Petersburg, where Mr. Edgar will
remain for a time. He is drafting
plans for added housing at the
Petersburg fur farm.
Mr. Irwin said he planned to
be in Washington only a short
time. He will return to the Val
ley by way of the west coast. He
plans to visit in Michigan to
inspect the Red Dane cattle
breeding experiment there, and
to confer with J. H. Christ and
Walter A. Duffy on the west
coast. Mr. Christ is regional di
rector of Farm Home Adminis
tration for that area.
Mrs. Kay Hamby will be in
charge of experiment station
work during Mr. Irwin’s absence.
It is possible that she will go to
Washington, D. C. later this year.
Two New lines
Will Care For
City Of 4,000
The muffled blasts which
shook Palmer Friday were the
last big boom in the two-year ex
penditure of $95,000 for Palmer
sewers. Construction work on
two lines is all but complete
now, with a small crew of work
men engaged in final pipe-lay
ing in the vicinity of the Matan
uska hotel.
An outfall sewer, measuring
12,400 feet in length, has re
placed the inadequate colonist
constructed septic tank which
served Palmer until only recent
ly. The new line, which serves
the area east of the railroad,
drains sewage to the Matanuska
river.
The total cost, of that one line,
according to A. H. Curtis, en
gineer in charge, was $55,000.
A second sewer line, built
by the Alaska Reconstruction
and Rehabilitation Corp.,
serves the area on the west side
of the railroad. This sewer is
5,000 feet in length, and drains
to the outfall sewer.
Cost of the second line, borne
by the ARRC alone, was $40,000.
The line serving the Co-op area
was the joint project of the Co
op and the ARRC.
Ten businesses already have
hooked up to the second line,
according to Mr. Curtis, although
it is still unfinished. The new
lines have been constructed with
an eye on Palmer’s possible fu
ture growth, for Mr. Curtis said
the outfall was designed to care
for a city of 4,000 population.
Work was extremely slow
and costly because of the need
for so much blasting, the en
gineer stated. Bedrock had to
be blasted away in many spots,
in order to excavate trenches
in which to lay sewer pipes.
In addition to the two new
sewer lines, the ARRC also has
nearly finished construction of
| an additional 2,000 feet of six
inch water mains. The water
line, complete with hydrants, will
! serve the business area of Palm
er.
l When work on the water main
! is finished, Palmer will have
five new hydrants for added fire
protection.
No further expansion in
either sewer or water mains is
planned at this time, according
to Mr. Curtis. The engineer
left Palmer last Saturday to
go Outside.
He was bound for Pearsall,
Tex., and his present plans are
“not to come back,” he said.
However, he added that he was
retaining ownership of his farm
here, in the event he changed
his mind.
Prior to his two-year job of
ditch-digging for the ARRC, Mr.
Curtis was city engineer and tax
assessor in Anchorage. He has
been in the territory for seven
years.
TO MARRY SOON
Miss Viola Fristedt and John
Valentine, missionaries stationed
at the El-Nathan Home, filed ap
plication for a marriage license
last week. Date of the coming