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WRANGELL — Groundwork for the Wrangell Mariners’ Memorial has come to a halt for winter, but progress has still been made recently. Jenn Miller-Yancey, with the Mariners’ Memorial board, reported that work is being done for the memorial’s walls, where plaques will one day be hung to commemorate Wrangell sailors who have passed away. “There will be four walls within the memorial, three walls meant to hold plaques that are 26 feet long, curved and vary in height from 42 inches to 8 feet,” Miller-Yancey wrote in an email. “There will be 1 wall at...
For six days, 25 of Pia Reilly's most recent oil paintings, which were beaming with color, were on display at FireLight Gallery & Framing. Reilly said watching the colors pop out of the canvass in her paintings has been a sort of therapy for her this past year. When she is working on a watercolor piece, she will take the time to visualize an idea and sketch it out. With her recent oil paintings, Reilly said she just let her creativity flow and watched what her art turned into. "I just start in...
Like most people in town, Ashley Lohr's summer travel plans were cancelled this year. Instead, she hunkered down in her workshop and churned out handmade earrings and necklaces at a pace that made her feel like she was an artist in residency. All 70 pieces of Lohr's jewelry, as well as six paintings, will be on display at the Clausen Memorial Museum until Nov. 28 in a solo exhibit titled, Equilibrium. The exhibit showcases how far she has progressed as an artist and jewelry maker in the past...
Charles (Charlie) Max Roesel, 81, passed away August 25, 2020 in Myrtle Point, Oregon after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was born on September 22, 1938 in Medina, New York. He was a jack of all trades. After graduating from the school of Mortuary Science in Los Angeles he worked at a large funeral home there. One day he saw an ad in a trade magazine for a manager for a small funeral home in Alaska. On a whim, he used the couple’s income tax return to fly to Petersburg, Alaska to look at it. The family moved to Petersburg in June 1...
WRANGELL - Last week, four people died in a car wreck in Petersburg. Among them were two Wrangellites, Siguard and Helen Decker, 21-years-old and 19-years-old. Their deaths shook the community, which has come together in a variety of ways to express their grief and support for the Decker family. A GoFundMe page was put together by the United Fishermen of Alaska, to raise money in their memory. As of Tuesday morning, Aug. 4, $161,273 has been raised. "The initial $10,000 in funds raised will go...
About 50 people gathered at the Petersburg Cemetery for the annual Memorial Day ceremony on Monday.The proceedings began with an opening prayer, followed by the reciting of the National Anthem. There were readings from the Book of Psalms and Ephesians, and pastors from various congregations prayed for unity and the healing of the country and thanked those who lost their lives defending the United States of America. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Decoration Day was...
WRANGELL - Over Memorial Day weekend, Muskeg Meadows started up their weekend golf tournaments for another season. This first tournament of the season was sponsored by Wrangell IGA. There were 20 golfers on the first day of the tournament on Saturday. First place went to a team consisting of Kathleen Harding, Wayne Harding, Doug Nelson, and Drew Eyon. Second place went to a team consisting of Spenser Stavee, Aaron Powell, Jonathan Spitler, and Jim Brooks. Brooks had the straightest drive of the...
In the 1920s all local basketball games were played in the Sons of Norway Hall. For both players and spectators, "social distancing" was not an option. In 1931 the school board sought approval of a plan to fund a new gymnasium. The city council approved the plan and $7,000 for construction. Both volunteer and paid labor of $6.00 a day helped erect the building. The gym was used by the schools during the day, and local clubs and sports at night. During WWII, the rooftop was used by Territorial...
Petersburg's sense of humor is coming through during these trying times. Bearing witness to this is the above photo showing the likeness of Bojer Wikan, wearing his protective mask as his statue towers above the memorial park next to the Sons of Norway Hall. Or the hardware clerk's reply when asked if the plastic sneeze guards at the checkout counter made her feel more protected. The reply: "Only until Darby (Mattingly) shows up." Darby stands 80-inches tall and the barrier tops out at his...
Visible Print Typewriter Despite having no formal training in design, Thomas Oliver was awarded a patent for his "visible print" typewriter in 1891. This "batwing" style model once used at the Trading Union weighed about 30 pounds and allowed typists to finally see what they were typing. Oliver Typewriter Company produced over a million units between 1895 and 1928, remarkable in that the company produced only 375 machines a day. The No. 9 was one of the most popular. Its $100 price tag would...
January 24, 1923 - January 6, 2020 Born Constance Lorraine Rude in Minneapolis, MN on January 24, 1923, Lorraine Thompson was the daughter of J.O. and Amy Brekke Rude. She died peacefully at Mountain View Manor in Petersburg, Alaska on January 6, 2020. After earning his degree, Doc Rude moved his young family to Ketchikan to practice medicine, however, when his Norwegian language skills were discovered he was asked to move to Petersburg in 1928 and did. Doc Rude and Amy took their four kids on... Full story
John Frank Bringhurst Jr's. earthly journey concluded September 19, 2019, following an 11-month battle with brain cancer. Born Nov. 5, 1943, in Ogden, Utah, John was the second of six children born to John Frank Bringhurst and Relda Gardner Bringhurst. Utah's abundant outdoor opportunities claimed much of John's youthful attention, as he grew up an avid hunter, angler, skier and tennis player while completing his secondary education at Davis High School in Layton. A mission call to Germany for... Full story
This past May was not my first visit to Petersburg as a Senator, but it was my first time attending the Little Norway Festival. And what a weekend it was! Little Norway is giving "Big" Norway a run for its money. I felt right at home from the moment I got off the plane. The Vikings and Valkyries were quick to whisk me away in the Grog Van and get the festivities and fun underway. I was sure to grab a Dale sweater at Lee's before the parade to fit right in (and avoid a second visit to Viking jail...
Daniel Roy Vick, 67, passed away at home on April 16, 2019 at 1:10 a.m. with his family by his side. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer December 29, 2018. He was born on September 1, 1951 to June and Gordon Vick, in Petersburg, Alaska, the only child for his first 11 years until brother Jimmy came along. Dan loved playing on the beach in front of gramma Rikka's house with his cousins and friends. He grew up in that neighborhood with all of his cousins, friends and huge fishing family.... Full story
After nine months of fundraising, 23 enthusiastic students and four intrepid chaperones left Petersburg on March 29 for a once in a lifetime personal experience, Close-Up in Washington D.C. Close-Up's mission is to "Inform, inspire, and empower young people to exercise the rights and accept the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy." Since 1971, over 850,000 participants have participated in the program. Petersburg High School (PHS) has been partaking in the Close-Up programs since at...
WRANGELL - Robert Rang came on as the Wrangell Medical Center's administrator in October of 2015. The hospital was only the latest step in a three-decade career. Rang said he started his career as a CNA, and he kept on slowly rising up in the business. He was working in Kodiak when he first heard about this job being available in Wrangell, he said. "The opportunity opened up, it was something I was very interested in. Small town life is what my wife and I enjoy, along with all the other...
It is with great sadness that the family of Beth Hagerman announce her unexpected passing on January 9, 2019. She was born Norma Elizabeth Tate to Norman and Vange Tate on July 1, 1943 in Petersburg, Alaska. She was named after her Dad and had a great childhood growing up in Scow Bay with her sisters, Holly and Laurel. Beth graduated from Petersburg High School in 1961. After high school Beth first attended Washington State College and then completed coursework at Pacific Business College. On... Full story
Marjorie was born on May 6, 1947, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Edward and Eva Tangarone Fischer. She was the youngest of three children and was raised in a family particularly proud of its Italian heritage, since her maternal grandparents were immigrants to the United States. Her family’s history during the Great Depression necessitated a very frugal lifestyle. She learned early in her life that, in spite of limited resources, hard work would eventually win the day. Despite meagre financial reso... Full story
Marvon Duane Mattingly, 70, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on November 20, 2018 in Petersburg, Alaska following a lengthy illness. He was born July 23, 1948 in Nampa, Idaho to Dale and Laura Elaine Mattingly (nee: Holdaway). At the age of 17, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and was trained as an aircraft mechanic on the Grumman A6 Intruder. He served two 13-month tours in Vietnam before being stationed at Yuma Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona. He was honorably... Full story
Juliette Low, the founder of Girl Scouting once said. "Scouting rises within you and inspires you to put forth your best." That quote was especially fitting on Sat., Nov. 11 as the local Petersburg Girl Scouts gathered to mark their founder's birthday, which is Oct. 31 and to celebrate one of their own, Gold Award recipient Avery Herman-Sakamoto. The Gold Award in Girl Scouting is equivalent to the Eagle Scout Award in Boy Scouts. You must be dedicated, motivated and inspired to achieve it and...
June 7, 1918 Ed. Report: The fact that all of the Eighth-grade pupils of the Petersburg school have successfully and satisfactorily passed the territorial examination given by the commissioner of education throughout Alaska for the first time, and in view of the fact that one of these has taken the entire eight grades in the schools of Petersburg, also that many failures have been reported elsewhere, gives us reason to be proud of our pupils and grateful to our past and present teaching faculty. June 4, 1943 Among fishing parties who went out...
May 31, 1918 The Scow Bay school closed last Friday after a successful term with a total enrollment of 23, the largest in the history of the school. A teacher has not yet been engaged for next term. Carl A. Swanson, who had charge of the school for the past term, is uncertain as yet whether he will make a teaching engagement for next term, he having found that salaries are not keeping pace with the h.c.l. Mr. Swanson will engage in trolling during the summer season. May 28, 1943 In a beautiful candlelight service, Miss Ruth Wetterborg became...
Freedom is not free To the Editor: Memorial Day is another holiday to have cookouts and play. We may even put out the flag of our country. I do hope we take time to reflect about the sacrifice both men and women have given to the freedom and security of our country. Let us also not forget the sacrifice of family and friends whose loss of loved ones they have had to endure. We have a lot to be thankful for and I hope we do not take what we have for granted. Freedom is not free. Steve Murphy Wrangell, Alaska Successful shrimp dinner To the...
