VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN
Owned and Published by Anchorage Shopping Guide, Inc.
PRINTED AT PALMER, ALASKA, EACH FRIDAY
Entered as second class matter on Oct. 21, 1947, at the post office at
Palmer, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Viola Daniels
Editor
Barbara Carter .
Mrs. Jack Thatcher
Wasilla Correspondent
.. Valdez Correspondent
Subscription Rates
.50c a month, $5 a year
Mailed to all points in Alaska and the United States
No printed material in the Valley Frontiersman may
be reproduced except by permission of the publishers.
DANIELS—In the Lion’s Den
Change Palmer's name to Matanuska? Well, why
not?
The name is infinitely more colorful than Palmer.
It is tinged with the romance of the swashbuckling
history of Alaska, and yet it offers a musical, pro
nouncable and spellable name for our town.
Of greatest importance, and the major reason for
the change, is that it would unalterably link our town
with the greatest migration of people of our nation in
this century. What would be a small and unimportant
movement of families in the centuries just past, has
become a limelighted pioneering saga in the history
of the twentieth century.
There is no area, in our parent nation, where the
words "Matanuska Valley" do not call to mind a ro-j
mantic picture of pioneering farmers in the wastes of
the frozen north. Yet of the thousands who recognize
those words, there are only dozens who realize that
the town of Palmer is the populated center of that
Valley. (Among those uninformed are many of our
Congressmen.)
The change in name would raise our town from its
status in oblivion to a position of importance in modern
history. It would tie it definitely to the agricultural
development of its Valley hinterland. Wherever the
word "Matanuska" is mentioned, those who spoke it
would realize that our town is the center of the farm
ing center of Alaska.
Also Matanuska would give us an individuality
that we do not have now. In the western states alone,
there are several towns and villages known as Palmer.
If we were known as Matanuska our identity would
be complete and impossible to .confuse with any one
of half a dozen western hamlets.
Finally Matanuska would more truly memorialize
the first inhabitants of this spot. We understand that
Palmer probably takes its name from an Indian trader
who once lived, and conducted his business, in the
Indian village of Knik in the late 1880s. Probably he
claimed land in this particular area, where he is vague
ly identified in some Alaskan histories as the "first
white man" to come to the area.
We think the 1880s is pretty recent pioneering to
be recognized as a founder of towns. Why not reach
back into the colorful native history of this area, and
give our town a name of true historical value? We
like the idea.
First Plane Repair
Service Sets Up
Shop at Airport
The first airplane repair serv
ice company to seek quarters on
Palmer Airport already is estab
lished at the local field and is
conducting a flourishing business
that flies all the way from Ho
mer, on occasion, it was learned
this week. The Matanuska Air
Trading Service opened its doors
in borrowed quarters last week.
The company plans to build a
hangar along the edge of the
north-south runway, it was an
nounced. However until airport
construction proceeds to the point
j where it is known exactly where
' that runway will be, the Mata
nuska Air Trading Service will
do its plane repairing in the
hangar of Les Green.
The new air firm will handle
the dealership for Aeronca planes,
it was reported. It is strictly a
repair service company, however,
and will do no charter flying.
The three partners in the firm,
all of whom have been engaged
in airplane repair service in An
chorage, are Earl Brown, Jack
Long and A1 Dickow.
Goes Outside for Visit
WASILLA—Miss Phyllis Wil
son left for the states this week
She plans a visit with friends
Outside.
AHA SELECTS ARRC SITE AS LOCATION
FOR 25 HOUSES TO BE BUILT HERE
The 25 houses to be built in
Palmer by the Alaska Housing
Authority will be located on an
Alaska Rural Rehabilitation Cor
poration tract of land, lying to
the north of the Church of God,
E. Glen Wilder, AHA executive
director, announced here yester
day. Mr. Wilder visited Palmer
and selected the site, after in
specting all locations offered.
Mr. Wilder said there were one
or two contingencies which might
possibly alter the selection, but
he felt certain that the houses
would go up on the chosen site.
Architectural work on the
houses got under way in Anchor
age today. The AHA head still is
hoping to have construction un
der way within another 60 days.
Mr. Wilder, accompanied by
Robert Crittenden, architect, at
tended a meeting of the Valley
Chamber of Commerce on Wed
nesday.
At that meeting, he explained
in some detail, the plans for the
25 houses. The structures will be
built in accordance with FHA re
quirements. The houses all will
be. one-family dwelling units.
Four or five basic floor plans will
be adopted, in the interests of
economy, it was stated. However
houses will be given a varied ap
pearance by the use of exterior
trim, differing materials, colors,
and by location on the lots. Mr.
Wilder said every effort would be
made to avoid the appearance of
a “housing unit.”
Cost of the houses will depend
upon the type of construction.
The AHA head seemingly favored
a plan of providing basements for
some of the units and ground
level utility rooms for others.
However, planning has not yet
reached the stage where definite
floor plans can be discussed, he
said.
VALLEY
REAL ESTATE
(Theatre Bldg.)
5-rm. house in town;
$2,000 cash down;
terms on balance.
20 acres cleared land,
furnished house, mod
ern; $5,000 down,
terms on balance.
3-bedroom stucco, mod
ern, basement, terms.
100-acre farm, 35 acres
cleared, $4,650 down,
balance on easy
terms.
140-acre farm, 40 acres
cleared, terms.
| 2 cabins, close in, 2 lots.
! Furnished house, close
in; basement, stoker;
modern; large lot; im
mediate possession.
$2,000 down will han
dle.
LOTS OF LOTS
ACREAGE
Listings Wanted
The houses will be financed
through an FHA payment plan.
Costs, too, could not be definitely
pinned down at the Wednesday
meeting. However it was ex
plained that a house costing
$9,300 would require a 10 per
cent down payment while one
costing in the ten to fifteen
thousand dollar bracket would
require a 20 per cent down pay
ment. For example, a $15,000
house would necessitate a down
payment of $2,250.
Interest on the cost of the home
would be at the rate of four and
a half per cent. The amortization
period probably will be 20 years,
it was stated.
Mr. Wilder promised all co-op
eration with local contractors and
workmen. “Our immediate goal
is housing,” he stated, “but our
long-range goal is to establish a
building industry in this area.”
The AHA director commended
+hp assistance given the housing
A CORRECTION
The May 9 meeting of the Eve
ning Craft Club will be held at
the home of Mrs. Ann Niemann,
rather than at Mrs. Emma Fogg’s,
as announced elsewhere in this
issue. This week’s meeting was
held at the Fogg home.
project by Betty Mears of the
Chamber of Commerce. “We are
proceeding with the Palmer plans
much faster than we had thought
possible, or had intended,” he
stated. “This has been made pos
sible largely through the work of
your Mrs. Bettty Mears, particu
larly in respect to collecting in
formation on available sites for
us and getting a definite com
mitment and bid on these sites.”
Former Classmate Visits
WASILLA — Ed Sargent of
Fairbanks was a weekend guest
at Green Acres last week. Dur
ing his stay here, he was a visitor
in the Martin Olsen home at
Wasilla. Mr. Sargent and Mrs.
Olsen were grade school class
mates at Narcotta, Wash.
RON-DA
But why not give her a
break and take her out
to dinner occasionally?
You'll both enjoy our
tasty, well-seasoned
meals.
Home-Made Pies
and Cakes
Short Orders
Steaks Chops
V00 CAFE
i
Tires - Tires - Tires
U. S. Army Surplus Tires for Sale
9.00x16, 7.50x20, 9.00x20 — Also Larger Sizes
General Automotive Repair
Crankshaft Grinding
MOORE'S GARAGE
1 Mile South of Palmer on Malanuska Road Phone 81-Y-l