fC+uuu 'Ifouk 'UniaesiA.itu, \
I
Ten miles west of Fairbanks is
the mining community of Ester.
This village was an important
gold camp along about 1909.
David Standberg was mining
on Ester Creek that year. He
took out a buck
etfull of gold
but this event
was of second
ary importance
to the miner.
Most exciting
was the birth
of of his first
child — Harold
David Strand
berg — on Dis
covery Claim, u c. ,,
January 28, ’09. H’ D' s,ia"dbcr9
The mercury read 52 below that
day.
Harold was destined to become
an important member of the min
ing profession in Alaska, a grad
uate of the Alaska College of
Agriculture and School of Mines,
and the fire-ball president of the
Anchorage Chapter of the Uni
versity of Alaska Alumni Asso
ciation.
Harold was two when the
family moved to the Iditarod
country. At the height of the
boom, more than 10,000 persons
flocked to this placer region to
make their fortunes. The town
of Flat became the center of this
gold area, and here Harold led
his three junior brothers and two
sisters to school. -
'. It wa/ lucky -we had a large
family,” Harold reminisced. “As
the camp dwindled in size, our
school population decreased. But
the six Standberg kids Xvere
enough to keep the school open/? |
For high school, the Strand- |
bergs moved their children to:
Anchorage. Harold was graduat
ed here in 1927,. There were only i
nine youngsters—all boys—in his {
graduating class at the Anchorage
high school. , . .
As the Strandberg family ex
panded its mining operations in
the Kuskokwim and Yukon val
leys, Harold spent his summers j
on the creeks. “In those days be- j
fore the airplanes we had to take
the Alaska Railroad to Fairbanks, i
then go by river boat to Holy
Cross, transfer to another stern
wheeler to ascend the Innoko.
After two weeks of travel, we ar
rived at Flat,” Harold said.
When the airplane came into
its own in the North, Harold re
duced the two weeks’ travel to
four hours. “I paid Russell Mer
rill $180 to fly me in a Travelair
cabin plane from Flat to Anchor
age. On the next trip out, with a
load of machinery for Bear
Creek, near Nyak on the Kusko
kwim, Merrill disappeared, and
has not been found to this day.
That was 20 years ago,” Stand
berg explained. Merrill Field in
Anchorage is named to commer
ate this pioneer Alaskan airman.
After finishing high school.
Harold wrote his friend, Dean
Ernest Patty, about entering the
School of Mines at College.
Young Strandberg had heard
many favorable comments on the
character and quality of the
school, so when Dean Patty wrote
“Come right ahead,” he enrolled.
That was in September of 1927.
A basketball player, Harold
won his Big “A” in 1929-30.
The School of Mines had some
outstanding students at that time.
Among them were Jack Boswell.
Ted Foftus, Robert McCombe, Ben
Shallet and Harold Strandberg.
“Mining in Alaska took a big
step ahead when that quintet of
fered its professional talents to
the industry,” Strandberg re
marked with feigned seriousness.
“Gold production went up imme
! diately.”
Strandberg’s first job was put
ting in a cyanide plant at the
John Hershey Luck Strick Mine
near Hope, on the Kenai Penin
sula. After this job was com
pleted, Harold took his first trip
Outside. To make “all this trav
el" worthwhile, he put in a quar
ter on postgraduate work at the
University of Washington School
j of Mines.
! Successively, Harold Strand
berg went to work as an engi
neer on Eva Creek in the Bonni
field country, then joined his fa
ther in mining at Flat. In 1933,
I TREASURE CHEST
GUEST BOOKS
• BONE CHINA
• FIGURINES
LINENS
BLOUSES
LAMPS
//
Come In and Browse
//
Next to Hyland Hotel
I can hardly make up my mind...
EVERYTHING looks so GOOD.”
r
VES, and tastes good, too? Fine food is one
of the big extras that’s always included_
without any extra charge — when you travel
The Alaska Line. Even with today’s low win
ter fares, which save you 20 per cent, there is
no reduction in the high quality of the food
served aboard ships of the Alaska Steamship
Company.
Alaska Line meals are among the very
best... delightful, tempting dishes prepared
with the finest of foods . . . cooked with lov
ing care by outstanding chefs.
In addition to superlative meals, your Alaska
Line trip includes:
• Camfartoblo flrat-tloaa attommodotlona.
* ltk«ral !»•••••• alUwaiu*.
* Traditionally flna Alaaka Lin* torvito.
• Thoughtful ottantlan.
• Prlondly ahipbawal hoapltality.
* Tha opportunity to laka your tar at apodal
■taifai# rotoa.
Make the most of your travel dollars! See
your local Alaska Steamship Company agent
today for full details.
ALASKA STEAMSHIP COMPANY
Scrouta r4((
Harold, his father, three brothers
and Col. O. F. Ohlson, then man
ager of the Alaska Railroad,
formed the Cripple Creek Mining
Company in the Onnoko district.
Next came the Clara Creek prop
erty, Goodnews Bay and Candle
Creek, 11 miles southwest of Mc
Grath.
During the war, Harold was in
the Engineering Department of
the CAA, and put in six months
on Amchitka.
After the war, the Strandberg
I family interests expanded to in
clude properties in the Koyukuk.
Since the passing of the senior
Standberg in 1949, Harold has
been operating head of the fam
ily*
In 1939, Miss Barbara Carlquist
of Anchorage became Mrs. Har
old Strandberg. The Strandbergs
have two potential University of
Alaska students in their young
sons, David and Douglas.
Harold is a vice president of
the Alaska Miners Association,
and is a “unique” member of that
organization. He maintains his
year-round office in Alaska.
The Strandbergs realized early
that transportation was a major
factor in the success or failure of
gold mining in the Territory, and
got'into the aviation business via
the back door. Harold was presi
dent of the Star Airlines of An
chorage before the company was
sold in 1940 to a Minneapolis
group.
As president of the Anchorage
chapter of the University of Alas
ka Alumni Association, Strand
berg is active in building up par
ticipation and influence of alumni
in the welfare of the university.
“One of the biggest factors in *
building a permanent civilization
in Alaska can be a strong and in
fluential University,” he said.
“We of the alumni can do much
to promote the growth and ac
ceptance of our territorial school
of higher learning.
“Now that the University is en
tering a new era, with a new
president, a new school of mines
building, and new objectives in
bringing the University to the
people — just watch the Alumni
Association go to work.”
ALASKA STEAMSHIP COMPANY
SCHEDULED SAILINGS
S.S. Denali, March 8
Valdez Wrangell
Juneau Ketchikan
Petersburg Seattle
S.S. Baranof, Mar. 15
Sitka
Juneau
Ketchikan
Seattle
S.S. Denali, Mar. 22
Cordova Wrangell
Juneau Ketchikan
Petersburg Seattle
S.S. Baranof, Mar. 29
Sitka
Juneau
Ketchikan
Seattle
FREQUENT FREIGHTER SAILINGS FROM SEATTLE
M V. SUSITNA March 7
S.S. CHENA.March 14
T. J. MALONEY, Agent, Anchorage, Dial 22001