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Moose Lodge Benefit
Bingo at Moose Hut on
June 21.
VOL. THREE—NO. 40
REA Head Plans
Alaskan Visit
In Early July
Claude R. Wickard, administra
tor of the Rural Electrificatior
Administrator, is coming to Alas
ka in early July, it was announced
this week from Palmer’s REA
headquarters office. Mr. Wickarc
expects to arrive in the territory
on July 5. He will make a 10
day tour of all REA projects ir
Alaska.
Mr. Wickard plans to spend a1
least a full day in Palmer. He
hopes to gain from this visit “a
personal picture of conditions as
they exist in the various areas,
which will be of inestimable
value to REA in its efforts to as
sist in the electrification of Alas
kan communities,” it was stated
The present REA head has beer
with the organization since 1945
Prior to that, he served as secre
tary of agriculture during the re
cent war. Mr. Wickard is himseli
the owner and operator of a 330
acre farm in Indiana.
PICNIC DATE IS JUNE 22
,The Wasilla, Knik and Cotton
wood Homemakers’ club picnic
will be held on June 22, rather
than on June 23, as announced
last week. The picnic begins at
10:30 a.m. at the home of Mrs,
Ilah Senske. #
Administrative Board
Studies First Plans
Of Alaska Office Bldg.
Preliminary plans for the Alas
ka Office Building, drawn up by
architects Foss and Malcolm of
Juneau, were being “looked over”
by Frank Metcalf, ex-officio sup
erintendent of public works for
the territory, it was reported by
Juneau’s Alaska Daily Empire
last week. The newspaper said
the plans were to be “discussed
and gone over carefully for sev
eral weeks for changes which
seem important.”
The proposed building is to be
a five-story structure, with base
ment. Preliminary plans show
the face of the building and rooms
to be located on each floor.
Mr. Metcalf, according to the
Empire, said the board would
“act fast on the plans, as officials
■wish to get construction started
as soon as possible.”
Street-Oiling Plans Hit Snag; Cost
May Force Project Abandonment
At press-time, it appeared that
a street-oiling program contem
plated under Kiwanis Club spon
sorship was destined for delay
and possible discard. Last week
a committee of four—Bob Johns,
James Hurley, Bill Rempel and
James Wilson, armed themselves
with facts and figures on the
planned project and conducted a
survey of Palmer to determine
merchant reaction.
The four found that every
businessman in town was heart
ily in favor of the plan. The
canvass reached from North Pal
t.ner to Tost’s Garage, on both
streets paralleling the railroad |
tracks, and from the Co-Op j
Garage to the Valley Hospital, j
That was the area proposed for i
oiling, should the project be car-'
ried through. i
However, further professional
advice this week makes it ap- j
parent that the financial cost will
be too heavy. Actual cost of the !
oil, to be applied hot by means ■
of a spray, would be only $2400, j
the committee estimated. It was ;
thought the labor and equipment
could be recruited without addi- i
tional cost. ,
This week the committee was ;
advised that a three-inch base:
coat of crushed rock should be
spread before the oil is applied.
This would increase the cost of
the job by an estimated $2,000.
That cost, plus the fact that the
crushed rock would be difficult
(Continued on Back Page)
Malley Mrnntiergman
Malanuska Valley
Sportsmen's annual
fish fry will be held
on July 16.
PRICE 10c
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PALMER. ALASKA. FRIDAY. JUNE 16, 1950
Carpenters Donate Labor to Build Library
Kiwanis Talk Plans, Youth Recreation;
Ask Yonng Folks Tell Fun Ideas June 22
BUILDING POSSIBLE
BY EARLY JULY,
PRESIDENT THINKS
The Valley local of the Car
penters Union has offered its
services to the Palmer Library
Association for the construction
of a new building, union pres
ident Chek Sandvik announced
this week. The carpenters will
construct a planned building
without pay.
It appeared, at press-time, that
the Palmer Library will be
housed under its own roof by
early July if present plans mate
rialize. E. R. Crittenden, archi
tect with the Alaska Housing
Authority, has contributed plans
for the proposed building.
This building, to be 18x28 in
size, will be erected on the libra
ry’s lot in the Alaska Rural Re
habilitation Corporation’s sub
division, according to Mrs. E. F.
Graves. This location is one block
south of the Church of God, and
on the opposite side of the street.
The building will be extremely
simple in design. It will have no
basement, and will be a rectangle
in shape, aside from a small
porch sheltering the entryway.
The building will be located on
the lot with an eye toward future
expansion. When a larger struc
ture becomes possible Mrs. Graves
said it was hoped that the pres
ent building can be set aside for
the use of children.
Carpenters estimate that the
frame structure should cost about
$2000. They say it can be built
in less than five working days if
equipment can be borrowed to
help sink the foundation footings.
Even as the Valley Frontiers
man went to press, Mrs. Graves
uras receiving promises of assis
tance, in the way of material and
labor. Harry Ryan of Palmer
(Continued on Back Page)
Looking toward a more rounded
youth program of recreation for
the summer months the Kiwanis
Club of Palmer called together
| representatives of various Valley
! organizations last Monday eve
| ning for a session of preliminary
I planning and discussion. It was
i the club’s thought that possibly
| this preliminary meeting, which
; was led by James Hurley, might
; develop into a Valley youth coun
j cil.
Opinion was divided as to the
; youth needs of the community,
one representative reported. Some
felt that the present work of the
| Seven-Eighty-Niners, junior high
| school group sponsored by the
; P TA and led by Charles Dillon,
j should be augmented with plans
; for the older young people. Others
1 indicated that they felt there was
| no need for additional planned
! recreation for young people.
A Kiwanis Club spokesman ex
GOLD MINE CUTS
TO SKELETON CREW
Independence Mine curtailed
operations this week, it was
learned in Palmer. Although an
official source of information
could not be reached, it is under
stood the shutdown is caused by
a labor shortage. The mine is
said to be unable to employ
enough men to keep the mill in
operation.
Although the messhall has been
closed, a skeleton crew is still
on duty at the gold mine. Some
120 contract miners also are ex
I pected to work through the sum
i mer.
It is believed the mine will re
open in the fall when the labor
situation is not expected to be
so tight.
Goes to Independence Mine
WASILLA—Dbnna Nelson, who
has been visiting with Geneil j
Brown at Cantwell, went to In- ,
dependence Mine to visit Linda I
Bergman for several days last
week.
pressed dissatisfaction at the ac
complishments of the called meet
ing, because “response in attend
ance, by parents and representa
tives of other organizations, was
not good.”
Although only tentative deci
sions were made it was decided
that the young people of sopho
more, junior and senior high
School on June 22. Meeting time
mer High School graduates of
1950, would be given an oppor
tunity to say what plans they
would like to be included in a
summer’s recreation
Young people of this age level
will meet with Joe Hudock,
chairman of the Kiwanis com
mittee, in Room 17 at Palmer
School on June 22 Meeting time
has been set for eight o’clock.
After discussion, and what Mr.
Hudock hopes will be an organ
izational meeting of these young
Five Valley Girls
Line Up for Start
Of Fair Queen Race
Five candidates for the crown
of queen of the Matanuska Val
ley appeared at last Tuesday’s
Fair Board meeting. The five
wero Barbara Hecker, sponsored
by the Loyal Order of Moose; Lil
lian Loberg sponsored by North
land Pioneer Grange; “Punkie”
Reed sponsored by the Kiwanis
Club of Palmer; Jean Smith spon
sored by the Matanuska Valley
Sportsmen, and Vivian Meier
sponsored by the Jonesville local
of the United Mine Workers.
Board president Clair Stock
explained again the contest rules
and the prizes and premiums that
may be won by each contestant
(Continued on Back Page)
POSTOFFICE OKAYS
STAR ROUTE EXTENSION
TO FAIR VIEW DISTRICT
WASILLA—The requested ex
tension of Star route mail service
between Palmer and Wasilla, to
include the Fairview district near
Wasilla, has been granted, Wasil
la postmistress May Carter an
nounced this week.
The route, as now ordered, will
run from Palmer to Wasilla by
way of Four Corners. It will re
turn from Wasilla along the Knik
road to the junction of the Fair
view road, and will proceed by
that road to the Wasilla-Matanus
ka junction, thence to the Mata
nuska Experiment Station and
back to Palmer.
The extension will serve an ad
ditional 30 or 35 families in the
Fairview district, Mrs. Carter :
said.
Persons who wish to take ad- I
vantage of the Star route mail;
service, which will be initiated in j
July, are required to furnish mail- j
ooxes. Mrs. Carter can give spe- 1
?ifications and further required j
nformation.
i people, the group will adjourn to
, the Gymnasium where they will
: be guests of the Seven-Eighty
Niners,-*who have a party sched
uled in the Gymnasium that
night.
Mr. Hudock said that if the
J latter club wishes to continue its
| recreation on a summer schedule,
| they probably will be allowed to
, plan a Thursday evening party
• in the Gymnasium each month.
Plans may be expanded to offer
more frequent recreation depend
ing on the requests voiced by
both age groups.
If recreation plans meet with
wholehearted support and ap
proval, on the part of both young
sters and parents, it is possible
that Kiwanis Club will assist in
the purchase of added recreation
al equipment, the committeeman
said. Plans include badminton,
pingpong and shuffleboard sup
plies.
Extension Service Asked
To Vacate Offices
The Extension Service at pres
ent occupying offices located in
a building in the Co-Op area has >
been requested to move by July 1,
it was learned this week. Since
other adequate office space for
the Extension Service apparently
is unavailable, future plans of
the office are indefinite.
Parker Lester, Extension Ser
vice agent for this area, is on
leave at present and could not be
questioned regarding further
(Continued on Back Page)
Magazine Alaska to Be Published
In Palmer By Matanuska Press
PALMER POPULATION
FIXED AT 879
The population count of the vil
lage of Palmer is 879, James
Brown of the division office in
Anchorage announced today. The
village area was defined as about
one and a half square miles, he
said.
Special permission to release
the population figure had to be
granted from the Seattle office.
Since Palmer is not incorporated,
regulations require that the fig
ure not be revealed, since there
is no person or body of authority
to whom it may be released. Mr,
Brow nasked for the special per
mission, because of the extreme
interest expressed in the Palmer
figure.
Figures for the Palmer district
are not yet ready, the census of
ficial said. He hopes to be able to
release that information next
week.
Mrs. Oliver Onkka was hospit
alized for medical treatment
early this week. She was released
from Valley Hospital yesterday
afternoon.
The Magazine Aalska, edited by
Albert Taylor, v/ill be printed by
the Matanuska Press of Palmer,
it was announced this week by
Mr. Taylor. The Matanuska Press
publishes the Anchorage Shop
ping Guide and the Valley Fron
tiersman.
The Magazine Alaska, estab
lished by Mr. Taylor in 1937, was
forced out of print during the
paper-short war years. It is Alas
ka’s largest magazine, with an
established circulation of 8,000
subscribers. The subscription list
includes readers from the whole
of Alaska and from the states, as
well.
The next issue of the war-dor
mant Magazine Alaska is set for
a late July publication date. Mr.
Taylor says this issue wul be of
particular interest to Valley read
ers, for in it he plans to feature
the Matanuska Valley.
The magazine, considered by
many readers to have been the
finest publication in Alaska, is
printed on slick paper, and uses
many Alaskan pictures in its
make-up.
Further announcement of Mr.
Taylor’s plans will appear in next
week’s issue of the Valley Fron
tiersman.