SCHOOL CARNIVAL
Central School
7 pj.n.
October 28
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
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VOLUME 9 NUMBER 1
PALMER, ALASKA. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1955
PRICE TEN CENTS
L.A.C. CONVENTION OPENS HERE MONDAY
City Council
Proceedings
During the October 25 meeting of
the City Council the question of
whether a reassessment is needed
within the city wos tabled for
further study.
* * *
A special committee of Coun
ciknen Robert Peterson and Al
fred Hagen reported that the oil
burner equipment ordered for the
fire hall building is enrout to
Palmer and recommended that
any changes contemplated to
switch from oil to coal be post
poned until spring. Council mem
bers voted unanimously to accept
the recommendation. Comparative
figures of oil vs. coal were pre
sented for council study by Jas*
pen Skok.
* * *
The Rev. Brian Cleworth,
board member of the Valley Pres
byterian Hospital requested that
the city provide attendants for in
ebriates who must be hospitalized,
if no friend of member of the
parent’s family is available. It is
a hospital requirement that such
a patient be attended and as was
pointed out in a letter read at the
Council meeting, if there is no
friend or relative an attendant
must be hired and the hospital is
not in a financial position to do
so. The matter was tab^pd for fur
ther study following a discussion.
* $ *
Mayor Charles W. Wilson ap
pointed Council members to six
committees which he said he be
lieved wOuld be able to carry out
the work requirements of the city.
(Continued on page 7)
dames WiSscn New
Krwanis President
Jaimes W. Wilson was named
president of Palmer Kiwanis for
the coming year during the Oc
tober 24 meeting of the local or
ganization. Na^^d to serve on the
executive bo, th Wilson
were: John °rger, vice
president; John -^re^ary,
and: Robert PFl treasurer.
Members ol he board of direc
tors include. George E. Smith,
James Hurley, Emil Ganschow,
A1 J. DeJulio, Stewart Durrant,
Marvin Slaughter, Glen Persing
er, Georgy Crowthers, and the
newly elected officers.
Other business conducted at
the meeting included the appro
val of a letter to the District En
gineer, Alaska Road Commission,
protesting the abandoning of
certain farm area roads which
the* ARC proposed through ad
vertisements to abandon.
Next -Monday’s meeting will be
a joint meeting of local Kiwan
ians and League of Alaska Citiefc
delegates who will be in Palmer
for their three-day annual con
vention.
Make Your Appointments
for
PERMANENTS for ihe
-HOLIDAYS
VALLEY BEAUTY SHOP
Phone 3301
LAVONNE JOHNSON
FREE!!
HALLOWEEN TURKEY DINNER
Music and Prizes
6:30 SUNDAY - OCTOBER 30th
SHAMROCK LOUNGE
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FARM-CITY WEEK
DINNER SET
FOR THIS EVENING
As a highlight of FARM
CITY WEEK in the Matanuska
Valley, members of the Palmer
Kiwanis club and the North
land Pioneer Grange No. 1 will
hold a joint dinner meeting to
night ait Grange Hall, begin
ning at 7 p.m.
Mayor Charles W. Wilson
last week proclaimed FARM
CITY WEEK in the City of
Palmer for October 23 through
October 29. The purpose of the
special observation is to bring
about better understanding of
and appreciation for the Am
erican way of life, and is be
ing coordinated by Kiwanis
International throughout its
many clubs in the States, Ter
ritories, and in Canada.
AREA DEMOCRATS TO
ATTEND CONVENTION
Three resolutions were adopt
ed by Palmer Democrats for pre-^
sentation at the Third Division
Democratic convention to be held
in Anchorage October 28 and 29.
They are as follows:
1. Requesting the Alaska Road
Commission: (a) to build and
maintain additional access roads
in the Matanuska Valley to open
up additional agricultural areas
now inaccessible and to continue
to maintain those already built
in the valley, (b) to rehabilitate
the Little Susitna Road over
Hatcher Pass to Willow for use of
tourists, hunters, and prospec
tors throughout the summer
months, and keep open that por
tion up to Archangel Road thr
oughout the winter months for
winter sports enthusiasts, (c)
study the feasibility of building
a; scenic route from Knik Bridge
up to Lake George as a tourist at
traction.
2. Requesting that long term,
low-interest loans be made avail
able to farmers through the Ter
ritorial Loan Fund.
3. Strengthen and enlarge the
land grant college function of the
University r. iska so it can
better sei > ur’ an and rur
al people oy
(a) providing for rural appoint
ments to the Board of Regents
(b) supplying adequate physical
facilities for the Extension Ser
vice and Experimental Station (c>
appropriating more operational
funds for these two services to
the end that they can attain a
stature more in keeping with na
tional standards.
Planning Commission
Recommends City
Acquire Park Area
The City Planning Commission
has recommended that the City
Council make application to the
Alaska Rural Rehabilitation Cor
poration for the nine acre piece
of land located near the new Al
aska Road Commission site. This
nine acres would be developed
by the Kiwanis Club of Palmer
in cooperation with the City of
Palmer and other civic organiza
tions for use as a City Park.
The proposed park site is
bounded by Walker street on the
west. Park avenue on the north,
Snodgrass street on the east, and
the Valley Presbyterian Hospital
and Matanuska Valley Farmers
C cope rating Association property
on the south.
The Planning Commission fur
ther recommended that the City
Council in its negotiations with
the Kiwanis club, concerning pro
curement and development of the
property, ascertain that no legal
technicalities will be presented
at a later date which will inter
fere in anyway with the City re
taining all legal rights to the pro
perty.
Members of the Commission
voted that the City assist the Ki
wanis club in the development of
the park area in the following
| ways: (1>—'That the City equip
ment be made available for de
velopmental purposes in park
area proper. (2)—That Park ave
nue be extended from Walker
street to Snodgrass street and
Snodgrass street extended to
Park avenue and that proposed
60-foot street between Park area
and hospital and M.V.F.C.A. pro
perty not be developed at this
time. (3*)—That the City install,
furnish and maintain water to
such facilities as may need water.
It was recommended by the
Commission members that the
City Council procure from the
Kiwanis club their concrete plan
for the development of the City
Park area, and that the plan be
submitted to the Planning Com
mission for approval. Members
also recommended that the City
maintain Park facilities once they
have been developed.
Meetings of the Planning Com
mission will be held the second
Thursday of each month in the
office of the City Clerk at 7:30
p.m. Members of the Commission
are Ralph Moore, chairman, Rob
ert Pippel, secretary, Dr. C. C.
Bailey, Stanley Lowe, Seth Cook,
George Whetstone, and Jack
Flint.
Graduates from
Officers Course
Second Lieutenant Lawrence
B. Clarke, 22, whose wife Jean,
lives at 1212 First Avenue, E.
(U. S. Army Photo)
Kalispell, Mont., recently was
graduated from the Infantry
School’s basic infantry officers
Course at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Lieutenant Clark, son of Mr. Hil
dreth T. Steelman, of Palmre, en
tered the Army last June. He was
graduated from the University of
Alaska in 1955.
All-Alaska Chamber
Convention Set for
Nov. 4 at Fairbanks
The League of Alaskan Cit
ies convention will adjourn in
time for delegates who are
planning to attend the All-Al
aska Chamber of Commerce
convention in Fairbanks to
make connection. Registration
for the far-north convention
begins Thursday evening with
meetings scheduled to begin
November 4. James Hurley of
Palmer will* attend the con
vention as delegate from the
Matanuska Valley Chamber of
Commerce.
Cy Brewer, MEA manager, is
attending a meeting of power us
ers in Seattle and may go on to
Denver, Colorado on MEA busi
ness. Another meeting being held
in California the latter part of
the month may also see Mr.
Brewer in attendance.
MANY PROTEST PROPOSED ABANDONING OF VALLEY ROADS
Residents of the Matanuska
Valley, as individuals and as
members of various organizations,
have vehmently opposed the Al
aska Road Commission’s propos
ed abandonment of certain farm
roads in the valley. Letters of
protest have been sent to ARC of
ficials, the Governor of Alaska,
Delegate E. L. Bartlett, and Sec
retary of the Interior Douglas
McKay in Washington, D. C., each
protesting the proposal and re
questing that a public hearing be
held in Palmer in regards to the
proposal.
M. C. Zimmerman ARC dis
trict engineer said today that the
abandonment of these certain
valley roads is proposed by the
Alaska Road Commission because
they are located on individual's
farms—are not. public roads—'and
as such constitute a private road
to a man’s home and should not
receive maintainence not provid
ed to other private roads, or
driveways.
Valley residents involved in
the proposed abandonment list
various reason for their protests.
Roads in question, they point out,
have been improved and main
tained for a period of many years,
some as much as 20 years. The
fact that the ARC maintained
these roads constituted one of the
reasons why the property was
purchased by the owner. They
pointed out that abandonment of
the roads would result in heavy
depreciation of the value of the
properties—that abandonment of
these or any other occupied roads
would constitute a serious step
backwards in the overall devel
opment of the Matanuska Valley.
In cases of emergencies, the
abandonment of these roads
would jeopardize the health and
welfare of the families concern
ed—the abandonment would ma
terially increase the cost-of-living
for those families—would jeop
ardize the fire protection offorded
by the presence of maintained
-"T".... .—
roads—for these and many otner
reasons the farmers of the Ma
tanuska Valley are being support
ed by organizations, including
Palmer Kiwanis, Palmer Demo
cratic club, the City of Palmer,
the Matanuska Electric Associa
tion and scores of individuals not
directly affected by the abandon
ment are asking that a public
hearing be held in the Matanuska
Valley.
Mayor of Palmer, Charles Wil
son, said this week that he is op
posed to any backward step. “I
feel that this is a backward step.
If the present roads cannot be
maintained, then the building of
additional roads should be cur
tailed until such time as all roads
can adequately be maintained
he said.
Letters that have been sent to
officials have been worded some
what similar to the following
which is being reprinted with the
permission of the writer:
Mr. N. C. Zimmerman,
District Engineer
Aalska Road Commission
Post Office Box 160
Anchorage, Alaska
Dear Mr. Zimmerman:
As residents of ten years stand
ing at our present location south
(Continued on page 10)
Palmer Teachers
Plan Programs for
Education Week
Open house throughout the
Palmer School system will be ob
served during National Educa
tion Week, November 7-11, it was
announced this week. Each class
room will present a special class
to which all parents will be in
v'ted.
A special program, observing
National Education Week, will be
presented on November 8 during
the Palmer P iTA meeting which
will be held at 8 p.m. in the high
school cafeteria. Palmer teachers
will present the program with
Barbara Smart scheduled to
speak cn “Responsibility for
Reading Is Threefold”—pointing
out the inclusion of teachers,
children, and parents. A musical
program will be presented by a
quartet consisting of Bessie
James, Beverly Hunter, Olga Rei
gar and Gloria Wilson, Talicia
Smoot is general chairman for
National Education Week.
In addition to the P-TA pro
gram—the week-long open house
—there will be educational dis
plays in store windows in Pal
mer. These will be prepared by
the teachers.
Committee members include
Wilbemina Pederson, Agnes Isley,
Bessie James, Joann Hansen, and
Also Katherine Steele, Leona
Dickow, Phyllis Quilette, Bernie
Traphagen and Margaret Weaver,
publicity.
POLIO VACCINATION
PLANS APPROVED
The Alaska polio vacillation
plan proposed by the Territorial
Polio Advisory Board has been
approved by the U. S. Public
Health Service and injections of 1
the Salk vaccine have begun, ac
cording to Dr. Charles R. Hay
man, Alaska Department of
Health preventive medical ser
vices chief.
The Health department is pur
chasing all polio vaccine for Al
aska with special funds from
Congress. Vaccine for two injec
tions approximately one month
apart is being supplied to each
community, starting at Ketchi
kan and working north, Dr. Hay
man explained.
He said that those eligible for
the vaccine may receive their
vaccinations free of charge thr
ough their local health center, or
they may get them through their
private physician who may make
a charge for giving it. The Polio
Advisory board recommended
that the physician’s service char
ge should not exceed $2.50 per
injection.
In urban areas, the Board’s plan
provides that Salk vaccine may
be given only to pregnant women
and to children five through nine
years of age. In isolated areas,
pregnant women and children
ages one through 19 are eligible
for the polio vaccinations.
Vaccine will have been sup
pl:ed to all southeastern Alaska
communities within a month, Dr.
Hayman said. Supply of vaccine
sufficient for Cordova, Seward
and Palmer is expected to arrive
within 10 days.
The Health department recom
(Continued on page 10)
TERR. CITY OFFICIALS
WILL ATTEND 3-DAY
MEETING IN PALMER
Palmer!tes are going all out to
make the League of Alaskan Cit
ies convention a big success. Lo
cal participation in the conven
tion will begin with a joint lun
cheon Monday noon, sponsored
by the Palmer Kiwanis club.
'Hie luncheon will be held at
Moose Hall and will be catered
by the American Legion Auxil
iary Unit. William J. Niemi,
chief engineer with the Alaska
Road Commission in Juneau will
speak on “Roads for Alaska”.
Registration for the three-day
convention will begin at 9 a.m.
at Elks Hall, followed by the
opening session at 10 a.m. when
Mayor Charles W. Wilson of Pal
mer will offer a welcome to the
visiting city officials. Prior to the
keynote address which will be
given by George Rogers, of the
office of the Governor, there
will be an annual address from
the Leauge president—the intro
duction of guests—appointment
of committees and the annual re
port of the executive secretary.
Mr. Rogers’ topic will be “Cities
in the Progress of Alaska”.
These meeting sessions will be
open to the public and all inter
ested persons are invited to at
iena.
Monday afternoon sessions will
include talks on home rule for
Alaskan cities. J. F. McKay, ex
ecutive director Alaska Legisla
tive Council from Juneau will
speak on “Home Rule—Its The
ory and Practice”, and John D.
Corcoran, field supervisor, Pub
lic Administration Service from
Seattle will present “Local Gov
ernment in /Alaska’s Constitu
tion”. These talks will be follow
ed by a discusison period.
At 5 p.m. Monday afternoon an
informal reception for Conven
tion delegates, guests and Pal
mer city officials will be held.
City officials’ wives- will act as
hosteses at the reception at Elks
hall.
Delegates will find Tuesday
the busiest day of the conven
tion. Beginning at 9:30 Cities’ use
of federal programs will be dis
cussed by L. R. Durkee, area re
presentative, Housing and Home
Finance Agency of Seattle. Other
discussions will include Advance
Public Works Planning Loans;
Public Facility Loans; Urban
Planning Assistance, and other
programs. At 11 a.m. Harold E.
Pomeroy, director Territorial De
partment of Civil Defense of
Juneau will speak on Civil De
fence and surplus property dis
posal.
The noon luncheon will be held
at United Protestant Church dur
ing which time James W. Hus
ton, director Alaska Public
Works from Juneau will speak on
“The Alaska Public Works Pro
gram”. AH persons interested in
attending this luncheon are re
queted to contact Lucille Mick
before Monday so that reserva
(Continued on page 10)
I; NEW SHIPMENT OF jj
: DISH, GARDEN MATERIALS
j AND POTTERY ;j
; Telegraph Delivery Service 1;
j MAUD'S FLOWER SHOP |j
; Theatre Building I;
PALMER MOOSE
Halloween Dance
SATURDAY, OCT. 29 - 9 P.M. to ??
Good Music - Free Lunch
MEN $1.00 — LADIES FREE
MEMBERS AND GUESTS ONLY — COME AS YOU ARE
COME ONE!
COME ALL!
T & T SOURDOUGH BAR
FAREWELL PARTY FOR TERI AND AVIS BIRTHDAY GREETINGS
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30-5 P.M. to ???
FREE FOOD GOOD MUSIC
TO BYRON, GLEN, ???