2,000 Attended the First Big Xmas
forty at Community Hall in 1935
Sixteen years ago the Matanus
ka Valley Colonists spent their
first Christmas in Alaska, and
that Christmas the Valley had
what was probably the biggest
Christmas party that it has'seen
before or since.
From Mrs. Neil Miller’s files
on the history of the Colony the
interested Cheechako can learn
all about the joys and tribulations
of those early days. According to
these records, plans for the 1935
Christmas were in progress long
before Thanksgiving. The Alaska
Steamship Company, the Ameri
can Red Cross chapters at Seattle
and San Francisco—the two ports
■from which the Colonists had
sailed the previous spring—and
the Sears Roebuck Company were
determined to give the Colonists
a Christmas to remember for
their first in Alaska. Local peo
ple were equally determined.
Christmas was on Wednesday
that year, and the big Valley par-<
ly was scheduled for the previous
Saturday. Early in November a
local committee was selected to
make arrangements for the party.
One of the main tasks was the
taking of a child census which
was to include all the Native
children, those of the pre-Colony
pioneers, and the Colony chil
dren. Mrs. Neil Miller and Mrs.
I M. Sandvik were on the local
committee. Mrs. Miller recalls
that she was so busy with plans
in November that she almost for
got about Thanksgiving.
One Native woman, a Mrs. Lee
Harrison mushed in 28 miles viaj
the railroad track from Eklutna
to report the number of children
at her end of the Valley.
On December 5 the Matanuska
Valley Record worried the pro
gress on the new' Community
Hall where the party was to be
held. “Recent high w'inds have
someu’hat delayed the erection
of the big roof trusses of the
Community Hall, but if nothing
unforseen happens the place will
be enclosed for the big event.
Don Irwin. ARRC manager,
drew up an intricate schedule for
the Colony busses to bring every
one from all over the Valley to
the party that Saturday after
noon.
"Those bus routes in the early
Colony days when we all had to
depend on them were really
„—Mrc Miller recalls.
"We might start out on Fishhook
Road and beiore we reached des
tination, we’d been to Wasilla.
Knik, Matanuska, the old Kind
gren place, and Bailey Hill. That
day the busses ran all afternoon
and evening.”
In spite of all the difficulties,
however, almost everyone got
there and there was a roof over
their heads. Two thousand people
were there. The roughly finished
interior was hidden under a cam
ouflage of Christmas decorations
and greens, and two beautiful
Christmas trees flanked the stage.
The Alaska Steamship Company':
Christmas Ship entertainers were
first on the program with songs
and specialty acts. After distrib
uting candy, nuts, and other
goodies. Santa Claus and his
troupe had to mush on to An
chorage and other points in their
Alaskan trip.
A huge load of presents was
distributed after Santa had left.
Sears Roebuck had sent presents
for 592 children under eight years
•f age. and there were many oth
er gifts from the two Red Cros:"
chapters, the Alaska Steamship
Company, and the local fund
Following the distribution, ther,’
was a special drawing for 50 sled'
and wagons from the Commis
sary. Names of all the children
in the Valley were put in a hat
and Bill Bouwens picked out th;
lames of the lucky winners.
The Christmas holidays in 1935
formed a welcome break in thr
monotony of six months of steady
work for the Colonists, projec4
laborers and settlers. Most of the
Colonists were already in their
homes, but conditions were rough
inside. Many of them were still
carrying water from nearby
streams. Mrs. Miller recalled the
frustration she felt one day just
before Christmas when rhe trip
ped on a root as she had almost
reached home with two pails of
water.
By Christmas of ’35, Palmer al
ready boasted three stores out
side of the Commissary. Koslos
ky’s Department Store was doing
business in a frame building and
there were also Bert’s Drug Store
and Sally’s Sweet Shop. Jan Kos
losky entered into the holiday
spirit by giving out Christmas
stockings full of goodies to every
one who came to the store.
It was a wonderful Christmas
that climaxed all the hard work
of 1935. To the Neil Millers the
most wonderful Christmas pres
ent came from Arabella, their
cow. She presented them with a
handsome heifer calf.
Nine Eklutna Project
Families le Enjoy
Holidays in New Homes
Nine Eklutna Project families
will enjoy the holidays in their
new homes. Seven of them moved
last week-end to the new-ly fin
ished houses off Springer Road
and two others profited by re*
suiting vacancies in the Bureau’s
converted trailer houses.
Moving to the new houses were
the Harold Millers, the Ray Hom
mons, the Ward Harringtons, the
James Medarises. the Anson Tal
cotts, the Charles Weidmans, and
the Ray Bicknells. When the
Weidmans and Bicknells vacated
their trailer homes, the Dean Jen
nings and Mr. and Mrs. A1 Soliss
moved right in. Howard Andresen
and Robert Green are slated for
two of the remaining Palmer
houses, and the prospective ten
ants of the 32 houses at the Ek
lutna Project camp will move in
to their homes in two weeks.
For a few' of the families, the
move marked a welcome change
from friendly but confining quar
ters-at the Matanuska Hotel. The
Jennings and Harrington families
had had to live at the hotel with
their children.
Mrs. John L. Sullivan will miss
her Eklutna Project guests, she
says. To ward off any possibility
of yuletide loneliness, she’s in
viting all of her former Eklutna
Project guests to a big Christmas
i party Christmas Eve.
Merry’s the Season
with Goodies Like These!
Cream puff#, meringue shells
light m sea foam, filled eclairs,
dainty lady fingers, fancy Christ
mas cookies . . . these delightful
pastries lift the season’s enter
taining to new heights of enjoy
ment and remembrance. But sure
ly, you protest, they must all be
tedious to make. Think of the ex
perience they must require! And
Christmas is such a busy season
that there’s scarcely time for the
simplest, most quickly done cook
ery.
Ladies, relax! The happy point
of tki» story is that all these love
ly pastries can be made, quickly
and ever so simply, by the veriest
amateur of the bake oven. You
need only the help of a remark*
able Cooky and Pastry Press that,
luckily, is now to be had in our
local stores. Developed in the na
tionally famous Mirro Test Kit
chens,' this Press so simplifies
these hitherto difficult desserts
that every user can become a
qualified pastry artist with only
a few minutes of practice. Simple
instructions and easy-to-follow
recipes, in the distinctive Mirro
1-2-3 style, accompany every
Press. Look around, next time
you’re downtown, and check this
report for yourself.
WASILLA
PERSONALS
By BARBARA CARTER
The annual Community Christ
mas program will be held at the
Wasilla Community Hall Thurs
day evening, 7:30 p.m.. Decem
ber 20. The school will present a
program and music with Santa
planning a visit later when he
will distribute treats for the
youngsters.
* * %
Profits from the evening of en
tertainment at the Wasilla Com
munity hall on Saturday amount
ed to $222.00. This amount togeth
er with other donations received
from Wasilla residents will be
turned over to the Hospital Fund
this week.
❖ ❖ *
Pat Carter and daughter. Col
leen Michael, returned to Wasilla
this Sunday from a four week
visit in the States. While there,
they visited with Pat’s folks, Mr.
and Mrs. R. V. Cartey of Belling
ham, Washington.
Zero hour for
S) weather accessories
Don't wait till the temperature skids
down to the danger point before getting
the accessories yon need for safer, eas
ier winter driving.
Wa have a complete selection «*f
heaters and defrosters, tira chains, anti
freeae, road aandsrs, tow sables, fog
lights and othar- winter driving needs.
These and othar winter accessories
pay fer themselves to addad eonvaa
ience, aomfort, and eafaty. Assure toy
hauling parfonnanae— get yoiw winter
accessories from us new.
Co-op Garage
PALMER. ALASKA
INTERNATIONAL TRUCKS
PARTS SERVICE ACCESSORIES ; ::i,
. ... ■■■.. - ah*. -■*>■*»
B
Don Ingalls Wins
Electric Blanket
Given by Library Board
Don Ingalls is the owner of a
new electric blanket this week*
as a result of the drawing which
took place Monday night at the
regular Palmer Library board
meeting.
The board sold chances on the
blanket to try to reduce a part of
the outstanding $600 debt on the
library.
The arrival of a big box of chil
dren’s books was announced at
the meeting, and authorization
was given for the purchase of a
number of new adult books.
Mrs. Graves reported that vol
unteer librarians are still needed
for Wednesday and Friday after
noons.
MOOSE CLUB
in Basement of
MOOSE HALL
Will Be Open to Members
Tuesdays. Thursdays and
Saturdays
6:00 p.m.—12:00 p.m.
ALASKA
STEAMSHIP
COMPANY
PASSENGER LINERS
fim Seward
S.S. DENALI
Thur« Dec. 27
! Cordova
! Juneau
t Petersburg
Wrangell
Ketchikan
Seattle
S.S. BARANOF
Thur.. Jan. 3
Sitka
Juneau
Ketchikan
Seattle
FREIGHTER SERVICE
Fran Seattle
FREIGHTERS
S.S. GEORGE PRENTICE
Leaving Seattle, December 28.
calling at Valdez, Seward
M.V. SUSITNA
Leaving Seattle, January 9.
Calling at Sitka, Seward.
Valdez and Cordova.
FOR INFORMATION
T. J. MALONEY, Agent
Phone 22001
Office: Westward Hotel
Anchorage. Alaska
Palmer Rifle Club Has Good Scores
In the second stage of the ILLOWA POSTAL MATCH. Palmer
had five riflemen breaking 380. Vernon Donaldson led the way.
shooting a 385 total. Melfred Mollberg was a close second with a
383.
The following team scores are comparable to the better rifle
clubs in-the. States.
Team No. 1 Prone Sit. Kneel. Stand. Total
Vernon Donaldson . 100 98 97 90 385
Melfred Mollberg . 99 100 04 90 383
John R. Dodge . 100 100 93 89 382
John D. Harris . 100 99 95 87 381
Team No. 2
Jack Wessman
E. R. Brock
K. Westenbarger
| Dan Fleming .
Team No. 3
Richard T. Blue
Richard A. Hamilton
Lynn White .
Carlos Driggars .
Team No. 4
John J. Lee
A. K. Dickow ....
James P. Teters
Prone
98
98
100
99
Prone
100
100
99
99
Prone
99
99
. 97
Team Total—1531
Sit. Kneel. Stand Total
100 92 90 380
97 92 91 378
96 94 86 376
97 94 84 374
Team Total—1508
Sit. Kneel. Stand. Total
98 90 84 372
95 89 85 369
94 92 84 369
02 86 84 361
Team Total—1471
Sit. Knoel. Stand Total
98 01 66 354
91 67 68 325
92 64 60 313
Team Total— 992
FARM EQUIPMENT
UNDER O. P. S.
Farm equipment, both new anr
| used, is now under a specific
price regulation, the Office oi
Price Stabilization said this week
Previously, all resellers of farir
equipment and repair parts were
governed by ceiling price regula
tion 67, issued August 21. Thi>
regulation permitted a dealer tc
price according to the manufac
turers’ price list or by taking r
percentage margin over his in
voice costs.
CPR 100 will not change thi
pricing methods, the O. P. S. said
but will take into consideration
specuic proDiems ana mcuwus
customary in the farm machinery
trade.
'j HOLIDAY FLOWERS—
The Traditional Gift
POTTED
POINSETT IA
Cut Flowers
i Mai. Valley Gardens
;! ; I
! _---„-—
Interior Freight Lines
Clay Prewitt and Cliff Steadman, Owners
Freight Hauling Between Valdez and Palmer
Phone 62-J-3
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Koslosky’s Department Stare