Tourist Attraction Development in
Alaskan Communities Boosted
By State Matching Funds Awards
The first awards of State
matching funds to local com
munities for tourist attraction
development have been announced
by Commissioner of Commerce
A. H. Romick.
Recipients were the City of
Skagway, $1,000; City of Port
Chilkoot. $175; Alaska Youth,
Inc., Haines-Port Chilkoot, $750;
and Wrangell Chamber of Com
merce. $400, In addition. $1,000
has been allocated to the Great
er Anchorage Chamber of Com
merce for repayment to that or
ganization upon completion of
their project.
Other applications from other
areas are pending, Romick sain.
The grants were authorized by
an act of the last Legislature
which created a fund of $10,000
in matching money to promote
development of tourist attrac
tions by political subdivisions of
the State and by non-profit or
ganizations. Responsibility for
awarding the funds, up to a max
imum of $1,000 for any one city
or organization, was delegated to
the Commissioner of Commerce
and the Director of the Division
of Tourism.
Skagway. Romick noted, w a s
granted the maximum allowable
amount, $1,000, to assist the city
in defraying cost of its $8,500
newly created museum. Called
the -'Trail of *98 Museum” the
facility is located in a two-story
stone structure constructed in 18
99, and represents a community
wide effort.
The City of Port Chilkoot re
ceived $175, or half the total $350
cost of a city welcome sign which
is framed by yellow cedar posts
and a large hand-carved and
hand - painted red cedar Indian
war canoe.
Alaska Youth, Inc. of Haines
Port Chilkoot, was granted 8750
for construction of permanent
seating—in the likeness of an In
dian Tribal House interior-at
the location of dances by the
Chiikat dance, s. The organiza
tion is a non-profit vocational
education corporation. Cost of
the construction was $1,500.
The Wrangell Chamber of
Commerce grant of 8400 was
authorized for repainting and
restoring the totems on Shakes
Island in the city’s harbor. The
i i
THE
LAST
FRONTIER
“Where Old Friends Meet
and New Ones Get
Acquainted”
Bar - Cafe - Hotel
Liquor Store
Open weekdays 4 PM until?
weekends 12 PM until?
also
Freezer Space for Rent
PAWNBROKER
SPECIAL RATES
ON BOARD & ROOM
Cafe, under new manage
ment, starts serving 6 p.m.
The Last Frontier
Mile 3j2 North Road
Kenai, Phone 283-7646
EADIE RANDALL, Prop.
Chamber estimates that the at
traction each year draws from
3.000 to 3,600 visitors.
Greater Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce is budgeted to receive
$1,000 upon completion of its pro
ject to place historical monu
ments — principally in Explorers
Park, Anchorage — which will
honor and give historical refer
ence to the early Alaska explor
ers of the 1700’s. Total cost of
this project has been estimated
at approximately $3,000.
In making the selections, Com
missioner Romick followed an op
inion by the Attorney General’s
office which recommended that
the funds be awarded for specific
projects related to historical doc
uments, artifacts, totem poles,
historical markers, native dances,
blanket tossing, native handi
eraft, native art ami other worth
while attractions closely related
to the eight specdic categories
noted in the legislative act.
Applications for aid plus cop
ies of the legislative act are
available from the Commissioner
of Commerce, Juneau.
Kodiak-Homer
Proposed Ferry
Being Designed
Further design work on the
state’s proposed Kodiak - Homer
ferry is awaiting receipt of rec
ommendations from a Seattle
firm for the vessel’s single re
volving elevator.
B. E. Lewellen, director of the
Alaska Division of Marine Trans- ‘
portation, said that a firm spec
ializing in such elevators has
been called in by Philip A. Spauld
ing and Associates of Seattle,
designers of the state vessels.
The Spaulding firm already has
drawn preliminary sketches of
the vessel, but is now awaiting
a design on the elevator installa
tion before proceeding further.
The elevator of the deep water
Kodiak-Homer ship is “all-import
ant.” Lewellen said. He noted that
tentative plans call for the one
big elevator to be located at the
rear of the 260-foot vessel. The
elevator would reach all the way
across the vessel’s width so that
vehicles can be loaded from either
the port or starboard side.
The director said the elevator
is being designed to lower vehic
les to the main deck where it will
serve as a turntable to facilitate
parking the vehicles.
RECORD KING C RAB
CATCH REPORTED
Preliminary figures reveal that
the Alaskan king crab catch tot
aled 32,007,000 pounds from Jan.
1 through August of 1961, ac
cording to Phil Chitwood, Sup
ervisor of Statistics for the Alas
ka Dept, of Fish and Game.
The king crab catch during the
same period in 1960 amounted to
20,364,000 lbs.: the total catch
for the year 1960 was 28,570,000
pounds.
This large catch will illustrate
the increased interest in king
crab products and the resulting
large expansion of the king crab
fishery.
The majority of Alaskan king
crab are taken in the Kodiak,
Cook Inlet and Alaska Peninsula
areas. However, several other
areas are developing king crab
industries.
GENERAL HAULING
Nothing too large or too small — We specialize in
heavy equipment hauling — We also have
cranes and cats
Weaver Brothers, Inc.
Offices in:
Fairbanks Anchorage
Sofdotna Valdez
A devastating fire, burning for
six weeks before being extin
guished, swept forests in the
Kei ai Peninsula in 1947 covering
a gross area of 410,000 acres of
which 216,000 net acres were
burned.
Sign of Progress
The oil and gas production tax
brought $32,262.71 into the state
treasury during the month o.
July —nearly $6000 more than
the $26,915.61 received from the
same source for all of the 12
preceding months.
The figure was one of the
high spots in a report which
showed total gross tax revenues
for the month of $2,712,833.54,
an increase of $949,469.97 above
the same month in 1960.
Application for Membership
CENTRAL KENAI PENINSULA
HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
Incorporated under the laws of the State of Alaska
Name.
Address .
DI ES PAID FOR 1961-62 S2.00 Donation ?
(Detach and mail application to CKPHA Membership Committee, Box 458,
Kenai, or Box 346, Soldotna.j
- --—*
HEAVY EQUIPMENT
Complete Overhaul
INJECTORS HEADWORK
LATHE WORK
Portable Press Work
Alaska Machine & Engine Rebuild
SOLDOTNA BOX 347
PIPER
apache
COMANCHE
9 * •
TRI-PACER
SUPER CUB
Avtation Service, Site.
Licensed — Fully Insured Air Taxi
Charter Aircraft
Maintenance
(Full-time A&S Mechanic)
Gas-Oil
Hertz Rent-A-Car
Safe, Experienced Pilots
\1
V AVIAT^s
\ /au
PHONE
283-7515 Days
283-7624 Nights
Did you know that ...
CITY NATIONAL BANK IN KENAI
offers . . .
1. fHA insured home improvement loans?
*" fHA insured home loans—long terms, low interest rates?
3. Conventional Bank Beal Estate Loans?
4. Personal Loans?
5. 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