iii. .n
__ U-.OH/ MUSEUM 1 LIBRARY
The Kenai Peninsula *-“
THIRD YEAR
September 15, 1961
10c a Copy
Number 46
Union Oil Gas
Well Tested;
Flows Heavy
Sterling Unit well 23-15, Union
Oil Company operator, has been
tested and flowed gas at 3,087,
000 eu. ft. per day through a
one-quarter inch orifice, accord
ing to infor mation released Tues
day by a Union Oil spokesman.
The well was completed on
August 4 and currently is shut
in, waiting for a market.
No other local information
from Union Oil was available
this week, although the spokes
man said Soldatna area men
employed for Coastal Drilling
Co., under direction of Kenny
Moss, toolpusher, are working on
a well now being drilled for
Union Oil in the Big Lake area
near Wasilla.
Homer Man
Heads Local
ASC Committee
Gust Lofgren of Homer is the
newly elected chairman of the
Agricultural Soil Conservation
committee from the Kenai Penin
sula area. ASC election proced
ures provide that position on the
committee be determined by the
number of votes cast. Lofgren,
by having the largest number of
ballots, was chosen to head the
group for the coming year.
Rudy Ogren of Ninilchik will
be second committeeman and Bill
Clendenen of Anchor Point, third
committeeman. Albert Muth of
Anchor Point will be first alter
nate with James Calkins of
Homer as second alternate.
Results of the ASC election
held at Homer on Aug. 29 in the
Extension office have been an
nounced and are as follows:
Lofgren, 47; Ogren, 42; Clen
denen, 34; Muth, 33; Calkins, 31;
Edmund Meyer, Kenai, 25; Glen
Moore, Soldatna, and Robert
Turkington, Homer, 23; Arthur
Gregory, Homer, and Theodore
Itosak, Anchor Point, each 20;
Charles Roser, Soldatna, 13; Jo
seph Scarantino, Soldatna, 9; and
Per Osrnar, Clam Gulch and Basil
Bolstridge, Sterling, each 1 vote.
The new committee was sworn
into office and oriented as to
duties in a joint meeting held
Sept. 8 at Homer and attend, d
by members of the old and the
new committees and Ed Lieben
thal of Homer, district agricul
tural agent.
Mountain Goats
At Funny River
Two mountain goats were shot
near the mouth of Funny River
recently by Glen Moore and
Charlie Stiles south of the Kenai
River and in an area much lower
than is usual for goats to be
seen.
Mrs. Moore said her husband,
who is a registered game guide,
and Stiles. 62, an old-time Alas
kan who lives on Robin on Loop
road, were hunting for moose
about two weeks ago when the
goats crossed the road some ins
tance in front of them. Stiles
thought at first the animals were
coyotes but closer inspection
through binoculars showed them
to be goats.
The hides of the goats, one a
female and the other a large
ram, are now being cured out and
will be made into rugs, Mrs.
Moo,.e said. The Moores live on
Funny River ranch not far from
the river.
Rush Lanes, Inc., began clearing land Sept. 11 for North Kenai's
newest subdivision. A bowling alley, cocktail lounge and dining
room is to be erected on the spot where the above piclure shows
a bulldozer and brush pile. The entrance to Wildwood Station road
is hidden by the brush pile. The building on the left is the Chevron
station. Ken McGahan, Jim Arness and an unidentified soldier
Irom Wildwood station are discussing the project.
Construction Underway
On Newest Subdivision
In North Kenai Area
Land clearing for North Ke
nai’s newest subdivision, a proj
ect of Bush Lanes, Inc., and
located at the junction of the
Wildwood Post Road and the
North Kenai Highway, began
Sept. 11. Clearing of a 3%-acre
parking area is to be followed
by the laying out of streets in the
subdivision, which will cover a
total of 25 acres.
The land was part of the Carl
Ohlstrom homestead. It was pur
chased from Ohlstrom ami has
been divided into 70 lots, 22 of
them commercial and the remain
der residential.
The North Kenai subdivision
will be the second of what is
planned to be a statewide system
to include recreational facilities
as well as homes.
Housing Expert
Coming Monday
John Ault, planning consultant
for the Alaska Housing Author
ity, is coming from Anchorage
to meet with the Kenai Planning
Commission Monday night.
Controls and regulations con
cerning subdivisions will be dis
cussed. The meeting is open to
the public.
The first of the Bush Lanes
Inc., projects is at Eagle River,
between Anchorage and Palmer,
which is expected to hold its
opening- on Sept. 25. Others are
planned for Sitka, Juneau and
Ketchikan.
Bush Lanes, Inc., in its North
Kenai subdivision, plans to con
struct a building which will
house a 10-lane bowling alley,
restaurant, cocktail lounge and a
large dining room. Weather per
mitting, local facilities are ex
pected to be in operation by mid
winter. Construction of several
of the new homes is expected to
begin soon.
Prominent Alaskans holding
membership in Bush Lanes, Inc.,
include Wendell Kay, Anchorage,
and Truck Egan, Valdez. Mac
McGahan of Kenai is a member
of the board of directors.
In addition to McGahan, other
members of the 7-man board of
directors are Dick Wagner, Rich
ard M. Williams, Robert I,. May
field, Arnold Amholt, Stanley K.
Peters and Wendell Kay, all of
Anchorage.
Stockholders in the Kenai proj
ect also own stock in the Eagle
River holdings and in all future
developments Bush Lanes, Inc.,
plans to construct in Alaska, ac
cording to McGahan.
To the Consumers of
HOMER ELECTRIC POWER
In case of power failure between the hours of
b:00 a.m. and 4 :.*i0 p.m. weekdays, please call
Homer Electric office, Soldotna
Phone 262-4662
If failure occurs on weekend or holidays call
KEN KVAKVIK
Phone 262-4583
Please enter this last name and phone number
in your telephone directory. Remember—the
sooner the trouble is reported the sooner it
is restored.
Homer Electric Association
Heavy Rains Hit
Peninsula Area
Traffic Up 48%
On Sterling Hwy.
Highway traffic in Alaska be
gan slacking off in July through
out the state, but the totals were
well over July of 1960 at six out
of seven key locations where
comparative figures were avail
able.
H. M. Pentecost, planning di
rector oi the Alaska Division of
Highways, said that traffic show
ed a decrease at six out of nln^
check points as compared with
totals taken during May.
But only on the Fairbanks-Ne
nana highway between Illinois
street and Steese highway did
the traffic count for July of this
year prove lower than that for
July of 1960.
The biggest increase in com
paring this year’s traffic with
last was recorded on Sterling
highway six miles east of Sol
datna where traffic in July was
up 48 per cent over the same
month last year.
New Passenger
Service to Alaska
The New York Times has re
ported that a new company, the
Seattle - Alaska Ferry Line, is
planning to establish passenger
service to Alaska, using a C-2
freighter converted into a passen
ger-auto ferry. The plans call for
carrying 225 passengers and 150
vehicles weekly between Seattle
and Haines by way of Prince
Rupert.
“The new line,” the article
stated, “plans to have all its
accommodations on a tourist
class basis and food service will
be cafeteria style. In these con
ditions the company hopes the
vessel could be manned by a crew
of 65.”
“The company,” the article
stated, “hopes to get its project
under way by next spring. The
ship is to operate eight months
a year.”
Rivers Requests
Nominations
Rep. Ralph J. Rivers (D-Alas
ka) today announced that he is
accepting requests for nomina
tion,-. to West Point, the Naval
Academy, the Air Force Acad
emy and the Merchant Marine
Academy. Young men interested
in applying for the vacancies
should write the congressman at
Room 1540 New House Office
Building, Washington 25. I>.
as soon as possible.
In order to qualify for admis
sion to the service academies, a
candidate must be single, in ex
cellent health, a high school grad
uate or in his senior year, and
must have reached his 17th but
not his 22nd birthday by July 1,
1062. Those selected will enter
the military academies in June
and July of 1462.
Federal Judge
The Senate this week confirm
ed the appointment of Raymond
E. Plummer as federal judge for
Alaska. Judge Plummer formerly
was Urdted States Attorney for
the Third Judicial Division and
for many years a practicing at
torney at Anchorage.
4.52 In. Measured;
PNA Air Service
Delayed at Kenai
Rain s drenching the entire
Kenai Peninsula for the past 15
days converted the runways at
Kenai airport to a veritable sea
of mud and prevented the Pacific
Northern Airways heavy planes,
the L749 Constellations, from
landing for several days this
Week. Smaller aircraft landed and
took off as usual.
The PNA Connies were first
unable to set down on Sept. 11.
Mud measuring from 15-18 inches
on parts of the runways was re
sponsible for cancellation of serv
ice. Work on the landing strip
brought operations to normal
again on Sept. 14 but additional
rains Thursday night and Friday
once again brought about can
cellation of Friday flights for the
Constellations.
Considerable discussion con
cerning necessity of paving the
airstrip has been made by Kenai
city officials and others interest
ed in seeing that Kenai has an
ail-weather airstrip. There have
been many times in the past that
the airfields at Anchorage have
been fogged in and that Anchor
age-bound planes have been for
ced to set down in Kenai. If the
Kenai runways should be in such
muddy condition that it would be
impossible for heavy planes to
land, serious catastrophe might
result, it was pointed out. Pav
ing of the Kenai airstrip might
prevent major tiouble in the
future.
No landing or take-off trouble
was reported at the Soldotna
airport, which now has all-grav
eled runways. Operations there
proceeded as usual this week.
Total rainfall in the Kenai
Soldotna area, according to rec
ords kept by Federal Aviation
Agency, registered 4.52 indies
from Sept. 1-14, inclusive, with
additional rains falling Thursday
arid Friday (up to the time the
Cheeehako News went to press)
that were not included in the 4.52
inch total.
Heaviest rainfall for any one
day in this period was on Sept.
10, when 1.44 inches were record
ed in a 24-hour period by FAA.
Kenai Planning
Conference Held
The Kenai city eopm-il, plan
ning commission and the School
Board met recently with John
Ault of the Alaska Housing
Authority and Talttmdge Ncison
of the State Department of
Lands to discus; the stages of
Kenai cdy planning.
Detailed studies are bring '.a :•>
that will enable Kenai to i tee
mine at the outset where the
business area should be an i v ••• re
the residential area will prob
ably grow.
Attorney Janies Fisher has re
placed Burton Biss as city at
torney.
Has Pneumonia
Mrs. Bill I/lLii ondelle oh Load
ing and Bates camp, sterling, is
in a hospital at Edmonton, A>
berta, where slie is ill because
of pneumonia. L’Hirondelle is
one of the two toolpushers Load
ing ami Bates has in the Sim hng
area.