Strange Things
By Heinie Snider
Matanuska Junction had all
the earmarks of becoming the
center of the Matanuska Val
ley. Trains stopped for water
and the main rail track ran to
F airbanks and way points,
while to the right a branch
took off to the Chickaloon
coal fields.
People were proud of the
station with waiting room and
agent. More settlers and a few
farmers came in, bringing their
children with them to the val
ley. W. W. Wade was the agent,
and O. O. Krogh ran a store,
while the Alaska Agricultural
Experiment Station was only a
few miles away. Besides the
pesky mosquitoes, the great
est problem was education for
the children.
Matanuska also boasted a
hotel, where meals were serv
ed and one could have a room
and bed for one dollar a night.
One of the most loved char
acters of the town was the
“maitre d’hotel”, Phil Allen, a
gambling man and former part
ner and friend of the late Tex
Rickard, well-known in Nome.
Phil was a card dealer there,
as he had been in the gold
fields of Nevada.
Phil, like many newcomers,
came to the valley to start life
anew. Oldtimers in those days
did not ask where you came
from or what did you do. Men
were taken by their face value.
Once a week a minister came
from Anchorage, and Phil’s
hotel lobby was used as a
SINGSPIRATION WILL
BE AT CHURCH OF GOD
The monthly Singspiration,
sponsored by the Matanuska
Valley Ministers’ and Christian
Laymen’s Association, will be
gin at 3 p.m. next Sunday af
ternoon, Jan. 27, in the Pal
mer Church of God.
Floyd Haddenham, pastor of
the Palmer Church of Christ,
will speak briefly. It was point
ed out that the nondenomina
tional Singspirations give
Christians of all faiths an op
portunity to meet and to sing
together.
church. The writer played on
an old salvation army organ,
and the Frau sang “Beautiful
Isle of Somewhere,” a song
much liked by Phil.
During the railroad construc
tion period, with many workers
laying steel by hand, there was
little or no entertainment, with
the exception of Moose Hank
supplying the “white mule”,
and a damsel, black as the
ace of spades, who ran a house
of ill repute known as “Moul
in Rouge.”
For Matanuska, it was a
large place, and as one of the
women said, it would make a
nice school.
The people of Matanuska
held a meeting, and a delegate
was sent to ask Blackie to sell
her house. Business was dwin
dling, and with all the child
ren around it was not the kind
of a place to have in Matan
uska.
Blackie said she would move
if the townspeople would pay
her a somewhat large sum of
money. They offered her about
half she asked for, but she
stayed by her guns. “You pay
me. If not, I’ll stay.” Phil, who
heard the conversation, smiled.
Matanuska had no plumbing.
Everyone used a “Chick Sale.”
Unbeknown to Blackie, Phil
and the boys laid a loop around
her "rest room” with a rope
long enough to reach the barn
and hitch it to a span of horses.
They waited until Blackie was
safely in the “powder room,”
then the boys who held the
horses started them on the trip
I —“Get up! Get up, you beau
| ties!”
When the rope got tight, the
little building broke loose from
the foundation and came bin
| gle-bangle down the main
! street, with the woman inside
; screaming at the top of her
voice, “Let me out! Let me
out!” She sold her place to Phil
that same day for less than she
had asked.
Thus the first school came to
Matanuska. Come to think of
it, Mrs. M. D. Snodgrass was
the teacher, and she was a
! good one.
NEWS FROM
Sutton-Eska-Alpine
A stork shower was given in
honor of Mrs. Connie Cole at
the Sutton community hall by
Cookie Bairn and Audrey
Sleeper. Those attending were
Hazel Harris, Sophie Smulick,
Ardee Harris, Marie James,
Dorothy Sullivan, Jean O’
Neill, Ailey Bersau, Rivera Hi
ber, Joyce Leppanen, Ruth Cal
lison, Heidi McLaughlin, Diane
Bear, Dolores Cottrell, Jean
Brownlow, Nadine Gabbett,
Karen Geddes, LaVern Died
rich, Carol Goble, Eunice Wein
stein, Virginia Norris, Helen
Wilkerson, Lucille Goller, El
len Graves, June Bairn, and
Kathy Wilkerson.
Those sending gifts but un
able to attend were Dorothy
Jefferson, Elbe Mrak, Daisy
Kudlacek, Rosetta Myers, Pat
Smith, Grace Boulter, Vicki
Edwards, Elsie Brown, Deanna
Pokwinski, Marie Denton, La
Vonn Goodrich, Gladys Per
Sing, Avina Klayum, Lois Math
eson, Irene Welch, Amy Clark,
Irene Lepak, Kae Meier, Pat
Boyle, Betty Tucker, Lois
Waldal, and Betty Farrell.
'those winning prizes were
Marie James, Heidi McLaugh
lin, and Dolores Cottrell.
Cake and ice cream were
served by the hostesses. Mis.
Bairn and Mrs. Sleeper.
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Matheson
are the proud parents of a baby
girl born Jan. 20 at the Valley
Hospital. Mr. Matheson is the
superintendent at the Evan
Jones coal mine.
* * *
Miss Marian Smulick, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew
Smulick of Eska, left Jan. 17
for Kodiak, where she joined
the W'aves.
• * •
Mrs. Pat Boyle of Sutton
spent Tuesday in Anchorage.
TEAM WORK
Co-operation will solve most
of our problems — freckles
would make a nice coat of tan
if they could only get together.
Many a man saves his pen
nies and amasses a fortune he
don’t need, and leaves it to
relatives who don’t deserve it.
LIVE BETTER...Electrically
■ VI u
x\' • • /,. . \/
s' '/ll*'
nothing measures up to Electric Cooking
Pans, walls, curtains ... your whole
kitchen stays cleaner when you
cook electrically! . . .
And a modern electric range is so
easy to use .. . just turn a dial and
it goes to work for you! Units heat
up fast — so does the oven ...
Electric cooking is cooler cooking,
too. An electric range is insulated
to keep the heat where it belongs,
and to keep from over-heating your
kitchen . . .
Cook the modern way ...
... see your dealer... today!
\s Matanuska Electric Assn.
NRtCA
COMMUNITY OWNED
FSPHSffZUMSiff ||," iirynMTi i
COMMUNITY D'JILT • CO.MMUNJTY BUILDER
Continued Rise in Farm Costs
Seen; Prices to Remain Steady
Production costs on Alaska
farms will again follow the na
tional trend upward in 1963,
while prices received by farm
ers for their produce will re
main fairly steady, the Alaska
Agricultural Experiment Sta
tion’s bulletin, “Alaska’s 1963
Farm Outlook,” predicts.
The bulletin, written by
Charles F. Marsh, James G.
Schubin, and Dale Saunders,
states that machinery, prepar
ed feeds and concentrates, feed
grains and taxes are expected
to be higher. Seed, pesticides,
fencing and building materials,
interest and insurance rates
will probably be about the
same as last >rear. while fer
tilizer prices are expected to
be a little lower this spring.
The amount of fresh milk
consumed by the Alaska mar
ket is e ipected to remain about
the mi th' economists say
The average price received by
farm*. , over the past five
years has remained fairly
steady at about $10.50.
They predict that the possib
ility of further imported egg
price drops, particularly dur
ing tl u fall months of 1963, will
continue to depress sales of
local eggs.
The situation for potatoes
and vegetables appears good
for !:if:3, however, and potatoes
held over for sale in July
should demand a good price.
Lo1 supplies of vegetables
are n depleted, with the ex
ception of a few carrots.
In the national outlook, ec
onomic activity is expected h
;n< rease somewhat in 1963, dta
to more purchases by go' err
ment. business and consumers
the bulletin said. Prospects fo
another good auto year an;
high residential building activ
ty ar ■ seen, also increase;
pending for food and othc
nondurable good This rise n
spending may be greater i
there is a reduction in taxes oi
personal income.
The continued rise in farn
production costs is being caus
ed by both higher prices pair
and larger quantities of pro
auction inputs used, the econ
omists noted.
Council To Meet
r Tuesday, Jan. 29
The Matanuska Valley
Homemakers Council will hold
its first meeting of the new
- year on Tuesday, Jan. 29, at
* i 10 a m. in the Extension office.
‘ | Presiding will be Mrs. Guy
iWoodings, newly elected pre.si
• , dent.
! Mis Agnes Sunnei!, econom
ics leader for the Extension
! Service, will be a guest at this
- meeting.
The executive committee met
nr Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the
Woodings home. Other officers
are Mrs Chet Sandvik, vice
i president, Mrs. Robert Warner,
; | secretary, Mrs. Bernard Swo
boda, treasurer, Mrs. Donald
. j Dinkel, reporter, and Mrs.
Ralph Ware, historian.
PALMER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
OF
THE
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
IN COOPERATION WITH THE
Palmer Independent School District
SPRING SEMESTER 1962-63
O. A. 103, Elementary TYPEWRITING
Typewriting skills, techniques of copy work and in
troduction to letter writing and simple tabulations.
For students who have had no previous type
writing
T-Th 7-9_2 credits
MR. NORD
O. A. 105, Intermediate TYPEWRITING
Speed development and application of typewrit
ing skill to letter problems, tabulations and office
problems. For students who have had one year of
high school typewriting or O. A. 103.
T-Th 7-9 __2 credits
MR. NORD
Anthrcpology 101, INTRODUCTION TO
THE STUDY OF MAN
Introduction to anthropo;ogical and geographical
studies, including a survey of the orgin and de
velopment of culture, a study of human behavior,
and the mechanics of cultural and social change.
Introduction of further study in the sciences.
T-Th 6:30-7:50 _3 credits
MRS. MICK
Psychology 401, SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Social influences on human behavior.
T-Th. 8 - 9:20 _3 credits
MRS. MARSH
Sociology 201, SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Problems of contemporary society. An analysis
of factors giving rise to these problems.
M-W 7 - 8:20 _3 credits
MRS. MICK
Accounting 116, PRINCIPLES OF
ACCOUNTING
Principles and techniques of accounts and finan
cial statemens in business management and con
trol. Application of basic accounting theory and
techniques to partnerships and corporations
Sat. 1-6_3 credits
MR. BODIE
Education 202, AUDIO-VISUAL EDUCATION
Selection and use of audio-visual materials in
teaching and learning at all levels of education
Models, maps, slides, film strips, over head pro
jector, and motion pictures.
M-W 7 - 8:30 ____2 credits
MR. WARD
I VOCATIONAL and INTEREST COURSES
*0. A. 101 BEGINNING SHORTHAND
Beginning Gregg shorthand for secretarial stu
dents. Emphasis on theory and reading practice
M-W 7-9_$30.00
MRS. COPE
*lf sufficient demand warrants, it may be possible to
offer this course for ac.-demic credit.
Int. 12B, CO-RECRNATIONAL PHYSICAL
EDUCATION
A course for those desiring to acquire the neces
sary skills in leisure time sports.
TU 7 - 9, gym_$id.00
MISS MILLER
Int. 15, FENCING
For those people dec!r j to acquire the begin
ning fundamentals of fencing. Saberirg also, if
desired.
Thursday 7 - 8:30. cafeteria _ ______$10.00
MR WARD
Civil Engineering 114 ELEMENTARY
SURVEYING
Surveying methods, instruments and equipment;
surveying compufahons; public land surveys.
M-W 7 - 9 _$3Q.C0
MR. DEMMIN 3
Cost for degree courses $15. per credit 7 or more credits flat rate of $75.00 For
non-degree course fees see individual courses. ** “
REGISTRATION DATES
Monday Jar.. 21 thru Friday Jan. 25. 7 - 9:30 P.M. at High School Office
MAIL TO:
Name of Course
Name -
PALMER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
PALMER, ALASKA
.Number of Course.
_ Address.
Phone.