The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
TRY A FRONTIERSMAN
CLASSIFIED AD for ihat
ilem you may have for sale*
rent or lease
VOLUME 8. NUMBER 38
PALMER. ALASKA, THURSDAY. JULY 14, 1955
PRICE TEN CENTS
3
City Council
Proceedings
First action on the agenda of
the July 12 meeting of the Com
mon Council, City of Palmer, was
the seating of Charles W. Wil
ton as Mayor of the City of Pal
mer. City Magistrate Frank Con
nelly administered the oath of
office to Mr. Wilson, following
which he took his place at the
council table and conducted his
first City Council meeting.
Visitor at the July 12 meet
ing was Henry LaRose of Wasilla
Road who appealed to the Coun
cil for action to prevent speed
ing on Wasilla Road, within city
limits. “Someone will be killed
if it doesn’t stop”, he stated and
told Council members that the
speeding occurs at all hours of
the day. Council members stat
ed they will see that the speed
limit signs are erected and that
city police will be instructed to
watch for violators.
Mr. La Rose also requested
that the area on Wasilla Road
suggested as residential area in
proposed zoning be changed to
business area. Mayor Wilson
were just that, and that before
pointed out that the proposals
anything definite is done an op
portunity will be given for resi
dents to attend small meetings
in areas where proposed zoning
will be carried out. “First we
have the proposals to get the
people thinking about what they
want. Then we will have meet
ings and find out just how the
areas will be zoned”, he said.
* * *
Members of the water commit
tee reported that the six-inch
well at the reservoir is not work
ing in a proper manner and that
work is being done to determine
the source of trouble. At the pres-'
ent time the pump is drawing
down 50 feet of water in five
minutes. Normal pumping of 105
to 110 gallons per minute has
dropped to 50 gallons. The con
tractor who installed the well
has come up and is also checking,
the committee reported. The six
inch well is not being used; the
system requires only the eight
inch well at the present time, but
the six-inch well is needed as
a standby in case of break down
or a suddenly large demand.
Former Acting Mayor Betty
Mears requested Mayor Wilson
to name a citizen’s committee to
study the sewer proposition and ■
come up with suggestions. She
stated that she has tried unsuc- j
(‘essfully for several weeks to j
organize such a committee which |
would make a study similar to
one made by a citizen’s commit
tee on the water rate.
* * *
Members of the street commit
(Continued on page 8)
REA OFFICIAL HERE;
HELPING SET UP
MTA OFFICE SYSTEM
Edwin B. Olmsted, field repre
sentative of the REA telephony
division ,is in Palmer and will
spend approximately 30 days in
the area, working with Robert
Partridge, Matanuska Telephone
Association manager, in setting
up an accounting system and op
erating procedure. Mr. Olmsted
has been with REA for 15 years,
the past two in the telephone di
vision.
The MTA telephone loan is the
first of its kind in the Territory
and will undoubtedly set a pat
tern for system which will fol
lw in other sec tons of Alaska.
Prior to his trip to Alaska Olm
sted as in attendance at a field
representatives meeting held in
Memphis, Tennessee. During last
year over $50,000,000 was spent
by the REA in the telephone di
vision, he reported. This was the
second highest year, with - an
even higher figure expected for
the next year.
Contest Closes
MTA Manager Partridge re
minded residents of the telephone
system areas that the emplem
contest closes tomorrow night at
midnight. All entries must be in
he MTA office in the Severns
building by that date to be elig
ble for competition. Approxi
mately 22 dqsigns have been
submitted, he said.
District Officers
Named in Crop
Improvement Assn.
District officers of the Alaska
Crop Improvement Association
were announced this week by
Executive Secretary Charles E.
Lodsdon of Palmer.
Association members elected
the following men: Matanuska
Valley district, Ted Knudtson,
• president and Harold Dinkel,
vice-president; Fairbanks dis
trict, L. M. Canady, president and
Ralph B. (Bert) Stimple, vice
president; Kenai Peninsula, Ce
cil Wyant, president and Yule
Kilcher, vice-president. The men
serve three year terms. District
presidents also serve as mem
bers of board of directors of the
Alaska association, Logsdon ex
plained.
The Alaska Crop Improvement
Association is an organization of
Alaskan farmers whose aim is to
improve agriculture in the ter
ritory. Members encourage the
production and use of certified
seed of varieties adapted to Al
aska. Through the association’s
certified seed program, new var
ieties of crops released by the Al
aska Agricultural Experiment
Station are increased and distri
buted. The seed a farmer plants
may make a big difference in the
crop he harvests, Logsdon said.
Seed certified by the association
has passed standards set up by
farmers-members.
•uturmtitiifim
THE BUTTE
MILE 41 — PALMER HIWAY
DOUBLE CHUCK WAGON
THURSDAY, JULY 14
Same Price $3.00
ALL YOU CAN BAT
Swiss Steak Barbecued
Wieners and Saurkraut
6 Different Salads
Corn on the Cob
30 Different Plates
Chicken
TAX NOTICE
City of Palmer
PALMER INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
The first half payment on taxes are due and
payable on or before August 1, 1955
There will be 7V2% penalty and 1 % per month
Interest charged if payment is not made on
due date.
REX EHRHART, Tax Assessor
COLLEEN TEELAND
NAMED TO OFFICE
IN RAINBOW GIRLS
Miss Colleen Teeland,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Walter Teeland of Wasilla,
and a member of the Palmer
Assembly No. 7, Order of
Rainbow for Girls, was recent
ly selected for the office of
Grand Officer as Representa
tive to Nevada. The honor
was bestowed upon the Val
ley girl during a Grand As
sembly recently held in Bel
lingham, Washington and was
the only Grand Assembly of
fice given to the Territory.
A second honor given to an
Alaskan girl went to Jerene
Stephan, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Harold Stephan of Pal
mer. She was given the Grand
Cross of Colors. Approximate
ly 2400 girls from the states
of Washington, Idaho and Al
aska were present at the
Grand Assembly. In addition
to the two Valley girls, five
members of the Juneau assem
bly, accompanied by Mrs.
Dora Sweeney, supreme sub
deputy of Alaska, also attend
ed.
WASILLA ROAD
OPENS TOMORROW
The paved highway from Pal
mer to Wasilla will be open for
public travel on Friday morning,
according to a statement from
Oliver Onkka of the Alaska Road
Commission. Construction work
on the seven mile strip will be
completed by that date, he said.
With the completion of the
seven miles of paving, the entire
section of road between Palmer
and Wasilla is now paved, a dis
tance of about 12.4 miles. This is
a somewhat shorter distance
than prior to the straightening
work done on the road. Paving
of the first section of the road
was done last summer. The sev
en mile stretch just completed
has been done by Babler and
Rogers Construction and consists
of what is termed surface treat
ment. “It’s a good job”, Onkka
said this week. “Had the weather
been better, the job would have
been completed at an earlier
date,” he added. Onkka express
ed his appreciation to the people
of the valley for their splendid
cooperation during the time the
road was closed for paving.
Other road work to be done
this summer will be on Shrock
Road, located between Fishook
Road and Wasilla where a new
road will be built on the end of
the present travel way.
The road to Willow is not yet
passable, Onkka said this week.
The frost is still coming out of
the ground and water is running
off melting slides into the road,
causing mud and soft ground.
The Alaska Road Commission
will notify the public when the
road is open for public travel.
“The flowers aren’t even out
yet”, Onkka added.
CO-OP ANNUAL MEET
SLATED FOR AUG. 13
Producing members of the Ma
tanuska Valley Farmers Cooper
ating Association were this week
reminded that the annual mem
bership meeting will be held
August 13, beginning at 10:00
a.m. in the Central School gym
nasium. All producing members
are urged to attend if possible.
Annual reports will be given at
the meeting and vacancies on
the board of directors filled by
election.
GARDEN CLUB
PLANS AREA TOUR
The Palmer Garden club is
planning a public tour of local
gardens. All persons interested
in showing their gardens are in
vited to register at Maud’s Flow
er Shop in the Theatre building
Dates and time of visits to the
gardens will be arranged.
I CITY EMPLOYEES \
MAY GET SOCIAL
; SECURITY BENEFITS
; City of Palmer employees ;j
; may soon be covered by Soci
| al Security benefits. Members \
• of the City Council on July <;
! 12 voted to instruct the city
! clerk to write the Auditor of !;
; Alaska, Hugh A. Wade, and J;
; expedite the obtaining of So- (>
; cial Security for all City em-;!
| ployees. <
---•----—----.
CHARLES W. WILSON
NEW PALMER MAYOR
Charles W. Wilson, territorial
conservationist, this week was
sworn in as the new mayor for
the City of Palmer. City Magis
Charles W. Wilson
trate Frank Connally administer
ed the oath of office prior to
the July 12 meeting of the Com
mon Council, following which
he presided at the meeting. -
Mayor Wilson, his wife Kath
eryn and daughter Betty Jo, have
lived in the valley since Febru
ary of 1948. In January of this
year Mayor Wilson marked his
32nd year of Civil Service work.
Following army duty in the first
world war Wilson graduated in
Civil Engineering at New York
City in 1922 and entered govern
ment service with the Bureau of
Public Roads in Portland in ]Q?3,
serving with them until 1933. Fol
lowing a year with the U. S. For
est Service in California and one
year with the Corp of Engineers
Service in California where he
served until 1942, when he serv
ed as an Engineering specialist
throughout the five western stat
es during the war. In 1946 Mayor
Wilson was assigned as head of
the Flood Control Section for
the five western states and came
to Alaska seven years ago as
Territorial conservationist.
Anchorage Man
Killed in
Highway Accident
The respirator recently pur
chased by members of Theta
Chapter Beta Sigma Phi was
used for the first time this past
Sunday in an attempt to revive
a man seriously injured in an
automobile accident.
Amerigo Domenico Alumni, 41,
of Anchorage, died as results of
injuries and drowning when he
was thrown from a 1955 Chevro
let station wagon, driven and
owned by Folger M. Johnson of
Anchorage. The accident occur
red at Mile 33% on the Palmer
Highway.
Dr. Arthur J. Colberg, physic
ian summoned to the scene of
the accident pronounced Alumni
dead after attempts to revive
him had failed. No charges were
placed against the driver of the
vehicle, who was only slightly in
jured in the accident. He told
Territorial Police who investigat
ed the accident that he was
traveling at 45 miles an hour
when he failed to make the
curve. The car plunged off the
road into about two feet of water,
traveling a distance of about 250
feet.
LOCAL CONTRACTORS
AWARDED CONTRACT
More than $10% million in de
fense construction contracts for
the U. S. Army and Air Force
I were awarded during June by
I the Alaska District Corps of En
-gineers.
Construction at the various
sites will start within the next
30 days and will be pushed to
the utmost during the present
construction season, according to
Col. Carl Y. Farrell, Alaska Dis
trict Engineer.
Among contracts awarded
June 30 was a contract for $310,
529 awarded to Sandvik and
Roark, Box 859, Palmer, for con
struction of new family housing
with utilities to serve, and im
provements to existing family
quarters. The improvements are
to be completed by October, and j
the new housing to be ready by
mid-February. 1
i
Possibilities for
Local Scout Camp
Appear Very Dim
Camping at King’s Lake this
summer will have to be cancelled
for Boy Scouts of the Palmer
troops unless a last minute ap
peal for adult supervision is an
swered. During a scheduled meet
ing held July 6 for this purpose,
only one adult attended. He has
volunteered his services for one
day and one evening and hoped
he could find another person who
would volunteer a similar length
of time.
If anyone can possibly spare
one day and one night (from
supper lime to supper time) they
are asked to immediately contact
Harry Wimmer, Bill Adams at
the Fire Guard station, or Rev.
Brian Cleworth at the United
Protestant Church, before Friday
evening—the last possible time
at which local Scouts may be
registered for the camping peri
od.
In making the announcement,
Scout officials pointed out that
this is the only opportunity that
local Scouts will have to attend
camp this summer. Lack of su
pervision is the only thing pre
venting their attending. At least
five more persons are needed, un
less one of those persons could
stay more than one day period.
How about it? Can anyone in
, the valley help the Scouts attend ]
camp?
Exhibits Invited
For Alaska 4-H Fair
Four-H members interested in
exhibiting projects at the All
Alaska 4-H fair to be held in
Anchorage August 26-28 may
contact their nearest Extension
Service agent, it was annouced
this week.
The fair is being sponsored
jointly by the Anchorage Kiwan
is Club and the Extension Ser
vice.
Kasigluk 4-H members are the
first to send entries for the Afl
Alaska 4-H fair. Since the en
tries were early, they will be ex
hibited at the Tanana Valley Fair
before they are shipped to An
chorage, Mrs. Lydia-Fohn-Han
sen said last week.
ALASKA VACANCY IN
AIR FORCE ACADEMY
1956 ENTERING CLASS
Alaska will have a vacancy in
the 1956 entering class of the Air
Force Academy and Delegate
E. L. Eartlett will welcome ap
plications for the vacancy from
Alaska boys, he announced this
week through his newsletter.
Each applicant must be a citiz
en of the United States, between
the ages of 17 and 22 as of July
1 of next year and must be un
married. Each member of Con
gress is permitted to nominate
10 candidates for each vacancy
with the final selection to be
made by the Air Force as the
result of mental and physical
examinations.
Applications should be sent to
Delegate Bartlett at 1029 House
Office Building, Washington 25,
D. C., with the full name and
the birth date of each applicant
given.
F. Ray Winegarner of Palmer,
who on Monday of this week was ;
enrolled in the first Air Force :
Academy class at Denver, is the
first Alaskan youth named to the j
academy.
REV. WOODROW KURTH
VISITING IN PALMER
The Rev. Woodrow Kurth and j
family have arrived in Palmer. 1
Rev. Kurth will conduct services j
Sunday, July 17, at 11:00 a.m. at |
St. John’s Lutheran Church. A ;
pot luck dinner is planned in his ;
honor immediately following the ;
services. A cordial invitation is
extended to everyone.
*
QUEEN CONTEST
OPENS FOR
1955 VALLEY FAIR
Two Valley giris registered for
the 1955 Valley Fair Queen con
test on opening day this week.
They are Carla J. Driggars,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carlos
Driggars and Sonja Marie Sta
dem, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Peter Stadem, all of Palmer.
The contest officially opened
on Monday, July 11 and will
continue until August 8. Al
though ticket sales will continue
until Fair time, contestants must
sell at least 250 tickets between
the mentioned dates and be qual
ified for judging by August 8.
The final judging will take place
during the Fair, with the winner
to reign over Fair activities.
Sonja Stadem has been a resi
dent of Alaska for most of her
life, coming here with her par
ents from California fifteen and
one half years ago. She will be
16 years old, in August, is five
feet, four inches tall, weighs 120
pounds and has blue eyes and
short brown hair. She is a Juni
or at Palmer High School and
active in chorus, band, Pep Club,
drum corp, church choir, is a
member of the Palmer Assembly
Order of Rainbow for Girls. Her
favorite hobbies are cooking,
dancing, hunting and fishing. She
is empoyed at the Frontier Cafe
and is being sponsored as a
Queen contestant by her employ
ers, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Camp
bell of the Frontier Cafe.
Carla Driggars was 16 years of
age this past May, lives with her
parents in Palmer and is a Seni
or at Palmer High School. Miss
Driggars came to the Territory
from Texas eight years ago, has
short brown hair, hazel eyes, is
five feet, four inches tall and
weighs 120 pounds. Her favorite
pasttimes are many, including
dancing, swimming, skating
singing, basketball, volleyball,
badminton, and tennis. She is
musically inclined and plays the
violin. She is being sponsored by
Bert’s Drug Store in Palmer and
she is a member of Palmer As
sembly, Order of Rainbow for
girls. Her school activities in
clude chorus, glee club and Girls
Athletic Association.
Members of the Valley Fair
Board of directors this week urg
ed prospective Queen candidates
to register early and get their
ticket sales started as soon pos
sible. A candidate need not have
a sponsor, although it has been
found in past years that a spon
sor’s assistance in selling tickets
helps the candiate in many ways.
Registration forms may be filled
out at Dorothy B. Saxton’s office
in the Theatre building and tick
ets may be picked up from Al
fred V. Hagen, fair manager, also
in the Theatre building.
New Vice President
Rusty Dow was named vice
president of the Matanuska Val
ley Fair Association board of di
rectors during a meeting held
July 11. Mrs. Dow has been an
active member of Valley Fair As
sociation, serving as secretary of
the board in past years, and as
(Continued on page 8)
SMART HAIR STYLINGS
by LaVonne*
Evening Appointments
VALLEY BEAUTY SHOP
Phone 3301
New shipment Haeger pottery
for your flower arrangements,
also frogs and oasis. Large
copper hanging baskets.
Excellent books on flower *
arrangements.
Maud's Flower Shop
Theatre Building
Speed Boot Races Sun., July 17
HALLEA LODGE-Lake Lucille
New Paved Road Palmer to Wasilla
Admission 50c — Children under 12 free
PICNIC GROUNDS INCLUDED