FIRST WHITE CHILD BORN
IN ALASKA STILL LIVING
Denver Post: Special
Williams, Arjz., Aug. 16—The
Tirst white rihild hdrtt in Alaska
after the new 49th state was pur
chased from Russia lives here.
She is Mrs. Mary Ford Platten,
who was born June 11, 1869, on
Kodiak Island, off South Alaska
on Shelikof Strait. Alaska was pur
chased from Russia in 1867.
"I wouldn’t say J was the first
white child born in Alaska, al
though I know others say so,” Mrs.
Flatten said. But 3 know positively
I was the first child to be born
there after we bought Alaska from
Russia.’'
In 1949, when she was only 80
years old* Mrs. Platten wrote a
letter to her congressman asking
if he could arrange for her to
take part in statehood ceremonies
if the then pending legislation was
enacted.
Now that statehood ceremonies
appeal- to be only a matter of time
away, Mrs. Platten still figures
she could take part, perhaps by
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Phone 2062
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Cars Bought, Sold, Traded
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WES RHOADES, PROP.
Phone 4151 :
General Electric Dealer
Writing desks
Bookcases, unfinished
Chests, unfinished
Lamp shades
Wall pictures
KODIAK OIL SALES
UNION OIL PRODUCTS
Unoba
Greases
T5x Triton
I V Motor Oils
UNION
Complete Petroleum Service
Marine Service Station
STOVE OIL - BURNER OIL
KEEP FULL SERVICE
PHONES
Dock & Plant 2411 Res. 3141
telephone from - her home in s
Williams. c
The 89-year-old woman is a *
trifle hard of hearing, but still has 1
a determined grip on reality. She 1
declares: “People say I don’t look s
my age. I don’t feel it either.
“They used to call us ‘Russian- *
Americans,’ ” Mrs. Platten said,
recalling her childhood in Alaska.
“But my father was an American
soldier, a member of the Second
Artillery, sent up there to take
possession after the purchase.’’
Mrs. Platten said her mother
followed her father everywhere.
“And what a time my parents
had!” she added. “The ship they
were on struck a reef and sank.
My father got my mother on a
raft and they took refuge in Green
Harbor. You never see thai name
on the map anymore. They Were
20 days without shelter and the
only food they had was the little
they had put on the raft. My
mother lost all her belongings
when the boat went down.”
SAVED BY FUR SHIP
Mrs. Platten said a furrier’s ship
picked up survivors at Green Har
bor and took them to Kodiak.
Her parents had 10 children—
five girls and five boys. She and
a brother, Frank Ford, are the
only ones living. The brother, ill
for many years, is in a Phoenix
rest home.
“Alawys liked pioneer life,”
Mrs. Platten said, “i have no use
for this soft way of living.’”
Island Residents
" .. '■ *’ : !.* • : y-i,' 7,:
Favor Statehood
The Kodiak islanders favor
statehood almost one-hundred per
cent, according to Pete Deveau, ]
Democratic candidate for< the
State House of Representatives. ■
He and Henry (Hank) Haag, who \
is also • a candidate, completed a
-t*rip around the island Tuesday, \
stopping briefly at the various «
villages. '
Deveau stated he only met one \
person on the entire trip who ]
spoke against statehood. All favor- j
ed the abolition of fishtraps, he «
Dance Classes Open
To Children 5 to 12
Square dance classes will be
held for children ages 5-12 on
Thursday afternoons at the Car
penter’s Hall at 2 o’clock.
The classes, which are free, are
expected to be continued through
out the coming year, but the time
will be changed after the begin
ning of school.
NOTICE
Buildings on Long Island are
private property. Anyone found
trespassing without permission or
wilfully damaging property will
be prosecuted.
Tommy Gallagher
ASK ABOUT NEPHRON INHALANT, A
PLEASANT AND PROMPT RELIEF EVEN
FROM THE MOST DISTRESSING
SYMPTOMS
WODLINGER’S DRUG STORE
Friday
Social Evening
(OPEN TO PUBLIC)
8:30 p.m.
at
V.F.W.
aid. “The people at Karluk are
tuite concerned about the recon
truction of the bridge spanning
he river separating the old and
tew sections of the town,” Deveau
aid. At present the 300 foot river
tas to be crossed by boat. The
tridge collapsed earlier this year
in a windstorm. “School children
face the prospect of crossing by
boat this fall to attend school lo
. cated on the opposite side of the
river,” he said.
The two candidates plan to visit
Ouzinskie and Afognak prior to
the election.
.rar.:
YOUNG MOTORIST PEARS THE WORST—Johnny Underwood, 3,
is an anxious young man as his father, Edward, approaches with
ruler in hand. Johnny crawled into the family car at Monterey
Park, Calif., last Sunday and started the engine. He steered it
around a parked car, rolled down a hill, and crashed into a con
crete wall. Damages included a smashed fender and headlight,
leaking radiator, and a bump on Johnny’s head. —AP Photo
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