VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN
PRINTED AT PALMER. ALASKA, EACH THURSDAY
By the Matanuska Press, Inc.
Entered as second class matter on Ort. 21. 1947. at the post office at
Palmer. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Publisher, Business Manager
A1 J. DeJulio
Editor
Lucille Kennedy Mick
Associate Editor
Virginia Gallant
Barbara Carter
Wasilla Correspondent
Subscription Rates 50c a month, $5 a year
Mailed to all points in Alaska and the United States
HATS OFF!
We have many farmers in the Valley who grow good crops of
potatoes. Many others are famous for their fine heads of lettuce,
and other truck crops. Still others take pride in their handsome
dairy cows, growing quality forages to keep them well-fed and in
high production.
This week we’d like to take our hats off to a family that
grows fine kids—-to the parents who furnish the inspiration and
encouragement and to the children who set their goals and achieve
them. Our hats are off to the Harold Dinkel family.
And while our hats are off, perhaps a salute is in order for
the program which offers opportunity for rural youth achievement
---for the 4-H clubs all over the country, for the leaders who give
♦ their time and energies.
Next week Joyce Dinkel leaves for Chicago to attend the 30th
National 4-H Club Congress as winner of a Territorial 4-H contesr. I
The trip is a climax for her eight years’ activity in the Valley 4-H
program. The award is noteworthy as an individual triumph. Yet
through the years, other Valley boys and girls have known similar
triumphs. What makes this one outstanding is the fact that Joyce is •
the fourth of the six Dinkel children to bring such honor to our
community. Her sister, Flo Alice, won a trip to the National Con
gress in 1947, her brother Don in 1948, and her brother Laddie in
1950. Two younger Dinkels, Gene and Audrey, are also enthusiastic
4-H’ers.
Miss Marylou Lashbrook, 4-H director, pointed out last summer *
that the children who get the most out of 4-H Club activities are
thfse whose parents take an active interest in them also. That the
senior Dinkels have stood four square behind the program is quite
apparent. Four Territorial awards in one family is no coincidence.
Most mothers of six children would consider themselves too busy to
take on the added chores of 4-H leadership even for one year, but
not Mrs. Dinkel. For 12 years she has entered into Valley 4-H work
with the same wholehearted enthusiasm as her children and has still
found time to mother a few other children along with her own. Not
in the 4-H field alone has she set an example for her children in
community responsibility. From her willing service on the jury,
from her participation in the Fair and in the Grange, they learn
some of the finer implications of citizenship in this country. They
get them from their father also. He has taught them how to worl?
and allows them the satisfactions of accomplishment. On top of
a 44-hour weekly job and keeping up his own farm, he has helped
in 4-H club work, also, and has served for some time as chairman of
the Boy Scout program in his community.
This week as Joyce prepares for her trip to Chicago, Don is in.
his sophomore year at the University of Minnesota on an earned
scholarship. Laddie is in his last year in high school making plans
for going into military service. Flo Alice is a homemaker in her own
^ right. The senior Dinkels must feel quite proud, and we believe
they have a right to feel that way.
Our hats are off to them and to all the other parents in the
Valley who demonstrate appreciation of Youth as Alaska’s most
valuable asset.
Letters to the Editor
I
November 10, 1951
We wish to compliment the
Board of Regents of the Univer
sity of Alaska on its Community
College plans for the cities and
communities now faced with the
problem of higher education. I
believe this is the first compre
hensive plan undertaken by this
Board, and it is our hope that the
Board itself should visit in a
body the several regions in Al
aska now faced by the need of
more schools, high schools, Junior
Colleges, Trade Schools, Colleges
and Universities.
Such a visit would be helpful
to our Territorial Board of Edu
cation, Commissioner of Educa
tion, and Laymen—-Superintend
ents and principals of schools.
* Such a body could visit all Al
aska and become acquainted with
school problems and with the
people of Alaska, and enable
them to better administer their
respective departments of our Ed
ucational system.
Such a visit would require a
- ten day trip by plane, and should
be timed to see the various
schools not later than Commence
ment time in 1952.
Southeastern Alaska has long
planned for a University, and had
organized a University Course of
study before the Agricultural
College and School of Mines was
built. Had not James Wicker
sham introduced a Bill in Con
gress to create an Agricultural
College and School of Mines and
to set aside 4 sections of land for
College and Experiment Stations,
which came under the provision
of the Land Grant for such an in
stitution, Southeastern Alaska
would probably have had a Uni
versity long ago.
The Territorial Legislature was
reluctant to provide any funds
for such institutions until it was
demonstrated that the Tanana
Valley was very well adapted for
farming, and there was need of
a school of mines at Fairbanks.
The Matanuska Valley was only
an unknown wilderness,
ing Judge James Wickersham’s
Bill for an Agricultural College
Thru the influence of Dr. C. C.'
Georgeson, head of the Agricul
tural Experiment Station, and the
demonstration that there were
great agricultural possibilities at
Rampart and Fairbanks, support
and School of Mines, and support
ed by the fact there were 107
homesteads occupied in the Fair
banks area comprising 24.337
acres of farm land with a total
of 1.467 acres in production, and
75 homesteads on unsurveyed
lands in outlying districts with
a reported 325 acres under cul
tivation. New land clearing was
at the rate of 250 acres per year.
Fairbanks market was largelv
supplied by shipments from the
tates and amounted to $978,990 -
00 for farm products that should
have been produced in the Tan
ana Valley in 1918.
Farm crops raised in the Fair
banks area amounted to $178,000
in 1920.
The following year the flour
mill was built and excellent qual
ity of flour was made from local
grown wheat. The Alaska Rail
road was completed in 1921. and
the future of the Tanana Valley
gave great promise of farming
and mining.
The Tanana Valley Farmer’s i
Association, and the Fairbanks
Chapter of the Mining Congress
went all out in support of the
College, and drew up and sup
ported a tentative appropriation
of $190,000 to complete, furnish
and operate the College and the
School of Mines for 2 years. The
Board of Regents asked for $40,
000 and got $42,000, a sum about
one-fourth the amount needed,
relying on the Federal Land
Grant funds to operate the insti
tution. The opening of the Col
lege with verv little equipment
and short of funds, with a skele
ton faculty and student body, and
with a short course in mining for
the first two years.
The 1923 Legislature was more
liberal. The budget was upped,
and a try for an appropriation of
$190,000 was made. Before the
Committees in the Senate and the
House an agreement was reached j
for $160,000. At this point Presi
dent Brunnel’s famous telegram j
to a friend in the Senate that
Snodgrass has run amuck, and
that he would settle for $50,000.
The support from Southeastern
Alaska senators reduced the item
to $90,000. A few years later I
saw the item back to $190,000.
Upon the retirement of Robert
Bloom, Robert Lavery and Snod
grass from the Board of Trustees,
the President got in his final
punch and came out victorious
with his University of Alaska.
Land Grant Funds built the Uni
versity. Agriculture was reduced
to a third or fourth place in the
Tanana Valley. Southeastern Al
aska’s . appeal for a University
has fallen on deaf ears. Agricul
ture has about faded from the
picture in the Golden Heart of
Alaska. There are a mere handful
of all time farmers, not with
standing the fact that the School
of Agriculture and Headquarters
of Experiment Stations was sta
tioned at Fairbanks. The flour
mill burned. The farms fell to
waste as the old timers died off.
The valley of the surrounding
hill are tailing piles and most of
the gold has gone to the states.
We are turning for farming
again, that we might become a
permanent and stabilized state.
The center of farming has
changed to Central Alaska and
to a more favorable climate for
UNITED PROTESTANT
Rev. Harry Gayley. Minister
Sunday Services:
10:00 a.m., Sunday school.
11:00 a.m., Morning worship.
7:00 p.m., Young People meet
ing.
Thursday, 8:00 p. m., Prayer
meeting.
CHURCH OF GOD
Geo. W. Geiwitz, Pastor
Sunday Services:
10 a.m., Sunday school.
11 a.m., Morning Worship.
7:45 p.m., Evening service.
Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Prayer
meeting and Bible study.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
SERVICE
Sunday, 11 a. m.
Home of H. S. Bauer, 2 miles
south, 1 mile east of Palmer on
Springer Road.
ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH
Rev. Paul E. Riley, Pastor
Services held at the Wasilla
Community Hall
Sunday School 10:00 a. m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a. m.
Evening Service 8:00 p. m.
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST
LATTER DAY SAINTS
10:30 a. m. Sunday School fol
lowed by Sacrament meeting.
Co-Op Club room
WASILLA COMMUNITY
CHURCH
Rev. Harry Gayley
Sunday Services:
9 a.m., Sunday school.
9:30 a.m., Morning worship.
LUTHERAN CHURCH
Rev. Edward H. Imme, Pastor
Sunday Services:
11:00 a.m., Worship service.
CATHERS' CHILDREN'S HOME
Ray Cathers, Supt.
Directions: Turn off from Glenn
Highway on Little Susitna Road
and go 4V2 miles.
VALLEY CHRISTIAN
HOME FOR CHILDREN
H. A. Richards, Supt.
Directions: On the Wasilla Road
3 miles from Wasilla.
intensive farming and permanent
settlement. Here we need the Ag
ricultural School. There are now
residing in the Matanuska Valley
well qualified men to staff an Ag
ricultural College, that would be
able to give part time service
in teaching along with their ser
vices in research work in Agri
culture.
We have a large percent of the
school population of the whole
territory within ready access to
Palmer, 52 Grade A dairy farm
ers who would take 2-year Dairy
short courses, and a 100 or
more high school graduates who
would take courses in agriculture
home economics, aviation, and
subjects in grades 13 and 14 of
fered in Junior Colleges, which
would be combined with a regu
lar College. We have a potential
five to eight million dollar farm
crop, and two to three million
dollars in mining pay roll, besides
the growing fishing population
which operates the Alaskan can
neries and fisheries.
To the above potentials we pre
sent our growing Tourist Trade
and the great power development
in Alaska.
We ask for a branch Univer
ST. MICHAEL'S CATHOLIC
CHURCH
Father James P. Snead
8:30 and 10:00 a m. Sunday Mass
HIGHWAY CHURCH OF GOD
J. H. Daria, Pastor
Sunday Services:
10 a.m., Sunday school.
11 a.m.. Morning worship.
7 p.m., Young People's Endeav
or.
8 p.m., Consecration service.
Thursday, p.m., Prayer meeting
at Cathers’ Children’s Home.
SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST
Irwin A. Leoppke. Pastor
Saturday Services:
10 a.m., Sabbath school.
11 a m., Morning worship.
All are Welcome
WASILLA CHURCH OF CHRIST
Wenler Harvey, Pastor
Sunday Services:
10:30 a.m., Preaching and Com
munion.
11:30 a.m., Bible school.
7:30 p.m., Evening service.
SUTTON COMMUNITY
CHURCH
Sponsored by Palmer Church of
God
3:00 p.m., Combined Sunday
school and Worship service.
CHURCH OF CHRIST
Ray E. Adams, Pastor
Sunday Services:
10 a.m., Bible school.
11 a.m., Preaching and Com
munion.
7:30 p.m., Evening service.
Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Prayer
service.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
Rev. A. V. Richey, Minister
Sunday services, Carpenters’
Hall.
Sunday School, 10:00 a.m.
Preaching, 11:00 a.m.
7:00 p.m., Evening service.
LAZY MOUNTAIN
CHILDREN'S HOME
Kenneth Hughes, Supt.
Directions: Turn left at first road
east of the Matanuska bridge and
go to the end of the road.
sity for Southeastern Alaska and
a Branch Agricultural College
for the Matanuska Valley.
—M. D. SNODGRASS.
COMING SOON
JUNIOR CLASS PLAY
"STRANGERS IN THE- NIGHT”
MOOSE CLUB
in Basement of
MOOSE HALL
Will Be Open to Members
Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays
6:00 p.m.—12:00 p.m.
Come to Palmer
YOUTH FOR CHRIST
This Saturday
8 P. M., at
UNITED PROTESTANT
CHURCH
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE