THE KENAI PENINSULA
CHEECHAKO NEWS
Phone 2G2-4624 Kenai Drawer O
LOREN STEWART .. Editor
DOROTHY STEWART . Foreign Correspondent (Retired)
MABLE SMITH .. Local News Editor
M A URINE JONES ... Roving Reporter
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Published Weekly on Friday at Kenai, Alaska
Second Class Postage Paid at Kenai, Alaska
RALPH J. RIVERS, slate representative, is conferring hero on
area problems with Allan Petersen, Kenai Chamber of Com
merce chairman, following a no-host coffee at Rig Cafe in Kenai.
The man with the big cigar, listening in on their conversation, is
Mel Cole of Kenai.
Soldotna’s First Grocery
Remodeled, fVfoclermzed
.Soldotna’s pioneer food establishment, the Soldotna Store,
owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Don Wilson, has been completely
remodeled and equipped with the most modern of refrigerated display
cases.
The store, which recently was reopened after installation of
new equipment, will not be closed during painting and redecorating,
wnson saw i uesaay. rainung
wi’l be done at night after reg
ular store closing hours. A grand
opening is planned after redec
orating is completed.
'.’hanges at the store include
installation of two late model re
frigerated cases, that are the first
cf their kind in the state of Alas
ka, Wilson said. One is a 30-eu.
fl. vertical wall-type 5-deck case
with glass doors for frozen fruit,
vegetables and dairy products.
The other is a 10-cu. ft. meat case
that does not have to be defrost
ed. There are also a new produce
case, a 6-ft. ice cream storage
case, new modern shelving, and
two eheckstands.
The store is housed in a 30- x
50 ft. two-story building not far
from the Soldotna bridge. The
basement is used for storage. The
land and building are owned by
the Wilsons.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson came to
Soldotna on June 20, 1951, from
Ilandon, Ore. Their first store
was in the building that now
nouses Vera’s Variety Store, near
by. They have been in their pres
ent location for the past five
years.
When the Wilsons first went
into business in Soldotna, there
were approximately 30 people
living in the area, including what
is now Ridgeway. Maxine Lee,
former postmistress, and her hus
band Howard, had a few grocer
ies for sale in the building hous
ing the postoffice, but there was
no established grocery store un
til the Wilsons started one.
Wilson has been mayor of Sol
dotna. president of the Commun
ity Club, and currently is vice
president of the Soldotna Cham
fer of Commerce. Mrs. Wilson
was treasurer of the former Com
munity Club.
In addition to the owner-oper
ators, there currently are two em
ployees at the store. They are
M”s. Joa.n Hill of Funny River,
v,ho is a checker, shelver and
stooker, and Aubrey “Rip” Craw
lori of Kalifomky Beach Road,
v no works with stock and shelves.
The Wilsons’ son, Bob Wilson,
who has been Outside for the
past three months, is expected to
return Nov. 5, and will work with
1 is parents at the store.
Chum salmon have been noted
to travel 14 to 24 miles a day.
Salmon so checked had been
tagged previously.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Peninsula
Expansion
Foreseen
Division of Agriculture,
Palmer, Alaska
Oct. 19, 19G1
Mr. Loren Stewart
Cheechako News
Soklotna, Alaska
Deai Mr. Stewart:
I very much apprecate your
Checchako News and I want to
commend you for covering the
problems of a building community
so well. I am naturally most in
terested in the coverage of rural
problems in which you have shown
great interest. I will see that you
get our monthly newsletter and
other releases for such use as you
might make.
It is my belief that the Kenai
Peninsula is going to be our
greatest area of agricultural ex
pansion these next few years;
but the problems will be numer
ous. I think Lew Fields expressed
this well in his letter to your pap
er on Oct. 13. Lew raised a good
crop and his figures are very
good. What they point out is that
the capital expenditures required
must be financed over a period of
years if a homesteader is to sur
vive. For instance, if the costs
of clearing and permanent build
ings were spread over ten years
and the equipment over five years
the acre cost becomes something
around $70.00, and his crop was
worth $90.00 per acre, which still
is meager enough return, but is
in the blue. A further investment
in livestock might return him a
better price for his grain, too.
Few homesteaders have the
capital to finance these ventures
and government aid cannot solve
all problems at once. However,
I believe you will find that, in
adequate as they may seem, gov
ernment programs have made a
big contribution to your present
development. Access roads, farm
loans, soil conservation programs,
and extension service efforts have
all been effective on the Kenai;
and much of their past contribu
tion has gone into laying a foun
dation for accelerated growth.
The next time I am in your area
I will call on youn.
Sincerely,
JAMES W. WILSON,
Director of Agriculture.
REV ERSES TRADITION
Kenai Peinsula, famous for its
big moose and the meeca of state
and stateside hunters, has a story
with a new twist.
i\ m and Arlene Fulton, who
recently returned from a vacation
ti ip, report that Arlene wouldn’t
let Tom stop to shoot a moose
they saw about one mile out on
the Kenai Spur road as they were
starting on their trip.
He simply couldn’t resist shoot
ing the big fellow he saw near
Eureka, north of Fairbanks.
Returning home to the Kenai
Peninsula, they stopped at a
checking station and the official
there remarked, “My gosh! Most
people are checking them out
and here you are checking them
in!”
Did you know that...
CITY NATIONAL BANK IN KENAI
offers . . .
1. FHA insured home improvement loans?
2. FHA insured home loans—long terms, low interest rates?
3. Conventional Bank Real Estate Loans?
4. I’ersonal Loans?
3. Auto Loans?
6. Pays DAILY interest on savings accounts—
compounded quarterly?
KENAI BRANCH-CITY NAT L BANK of Anchorage
IN THE TRADE BLDG. PHONE 283-7545
CLOSEOUT
SNOW TIRE
sale of the year
Over 150 Snow Tires
AT
25POT OFF
-ooo
Free Lube Job
with each 2 tire purchase
REGER’S SERVICE
Soldotna Phone 262-4202
STATION HOURS 6:30 A.M. TO 9 P.M.
, VvPjtil'r'\ "r6-i -^^4?-''^ S 'i V1-*' - ..ii■■•‘ruirbtjr si -: r* • - '-j£ i. . A
NOTICE
ALL
KENAI PRECINCT DEMOCRATS
A Democratic precinct caucus will
be held on Oct. 27, at 8 p.m.‘ in the
Kenai Public Library. Plans for the
coming district convention will be
discussed.
[Refreshments will be served.
Billy McCann, Precinct Chm.
BaHnsnaMi
Ust like uptown |
1 Don Wilson’s 1
1 sOLDOTNA STOKE 1
1 Come in and see for yourself 1
how we do it 'with mirrors 1
I i„ our refurnished and I
1 remodeled completely modern I
1 grocery store. 1
I plan now to come to our I
1 GRAND OPENING 1
I to be held soon J