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Juvenile bald eagles perch on an iceberg in LeConte Bay which appears to be the scene of recent harbor seal whelping....
June 25, 1926 – About 20 onlookers were present at an informal boat launching this afternoon. Neil MacGregor tried out his new speed boat starting at the Trading Union float. The new boat is about 15 feet long and has a Universal four cylinder engine. She was built by Carl Johnson. The hull is nicely fixed up with cushioned seats around the sides and an awning over the top. No, they didn’t break a champagne bottle over the bow. July 13, 1951 – A species of fish rarely found in the Pacific waters along the Canadian or Alaskan coasts was broug...
In the mid-1800s Henry T. Gratacap, a luggage maker and volunteer fireman in New York City, combined his artisan expertise with his real life experience fighting fires to design a fire helmet that would protect the fireman and stand up in extreme conditions. The Smithsonian American History Museum describes Gratacap's original creation as a specially treated leather helmet with a segmented comb design for unparalleled durability and strength. The body of the helmet was primarily designed to...
Mel Stockton on the motor scooter to the left and Matt Gerrits rollerblading with celebrity duck Starflower riding in her wheelbarrow, followed by Jeff, Britton, and Susan Erickson looking like they just signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 - all part of Petersburg's parade on the Fourth....
Congratulations to this year's Street Games winners! 50-yard dash, girls 6 and under: First, Scarlet Morrison; Second, Charlee Skinner; Third, Kenna Gillen. 50-yard dash, boys 6 and under: First, Odin Evens; Second, Beckett Thain; Third, Lowen Morrison. 50-yard dash, girls 7 – 9: First, Elise Cahoon; Second, Tess Crump; Third, Robinina Tucker - Simone. 50-yard dash, boys 7 – 9: First, Kaeson Doril; Second, Odin Odegaard; Third, Rowdy Hutto. 50-yard dash, girls 10 – 12: First, Mae Stoner;...
June 25 , 1926 – Sandy Beach was the scene of a rousing good time last Wednesday evening when a large number of Petersburg folks enjoyed a picnic, or Saint Hans celebration. This is an old Norwegian custom to observe Saint Hans Day on the longest day of the year. Mr. Wikan took out a big crowd on his boat, the Lun, and about five smaller overboard motor boats made the trip loaded with merrymakers, and many others walked out. When the crowd had assembled sufficiently, tar barrels were piled up and set on fire. An enormous blaze lit up the w...
June 25 , 1926 – At Wednesday’s Commercial Club meeting strong opposition to taking any action toward making Sandy Beach a city park was expressed. Some of the members felt that the place was spoiled for picnics or outings now on account of the number of private houses going up out there. Although the city had staked the beach out for a park, it was said that those building houses out there were entitled to the property they improved, by squatter’s rights. June 29, 1951 – Despite all the publicity Alaska has had in recent months, there are appa...
June 25 , 1926 – Although not exactly tuneful in effect, the blows struck by the 6300-pound hammer of the piledriver working in Petersburg is music to the ears of local businesses and fishermen. Work on the piling of the cold storage plant is progressing at a rapid clip and Mr. Manning, who is in charge of construction, says that all the piles may be driven within the next ten days if the tides are favorable. Nine piles were driven Thursday afternoon and he estimated that now that the work is well underway, 25 pilings a day may be driven. In a...
Dale Frances DeArmond (1914–2006) was a prominent Alaskan printmaker, author, and public librarian whose iconic mid-century woodcuts made her one of the state's most celebrated 20th-century artists. Over a 50-year career, she hand-pulled more than 400 woodcut titles and 800 wood engravings, mostly capturing Southeast Alaskan wildlife, landscapes, and stylized interpretations of Indigenous myths. Among her most recognizable works is the 1970 print "And Then Raven Opened the Box of Daylight." W...
June 14, 1926 – While delving for precious metal at their claim, John Bremer and George Kerr recently had the good fortune of finding a little treasure package of nature which netted the gold seekers more in one lump sum than would a bevy of gold nuggets. The miners chanced to notice a sharp bony projection jutting through the roof of their drift. Both fortune hunters concentrated upon the new discovery, with the result that after a few hours work a fine, large mammoth tusk weighing some two hundred and fifty pounds was picked from the top o...
June 5, 1926 – Since before the coming of the white man to Alaska the Natives have believed Zarembo island free from bear. Archie Abbott, while hunting on Zarembo island a few days ago, was surprised to come upon a black bear which he promptly killed. The bear proved to be a very old animal. Its eyes were sunken and it appeared to be in a weakened condition as it was crawling along feeding on skunk cabbage. Its long worn tusks furnished additional evidence of its great age. It would be most interesting to know when and how that bear got on Z...
In last week’s news story “[Darcey] Hedlund receives Alaska Airlines “Legend” Award” we misspelled Darcey Heldlund’s name – in the headline, the story and the caption. The Pilot apologizes for that error....
A three-day free course titled “Commercial Fishing Boot Camp” will be taught at John Hansen Sr. Hall June 15-17. The hands-on course is intended for high school students interested in the Commercial Fishing Industry, but is open to anyone high school age and up. Gabe Dunham and Sunny Rice are teaching the course, through Alaska Sea Grant. “We’ve heard about crew shortages up and down the West coast,” Rice said. “What the Alaska Sea Grant can do to help with that is to hopefully open the door for people who wouldn’t necessarily think about c...
June 5, 1926 – Petersburg had its expressed wish fulfilled last Monday when Neil C. MacGregor was re-appointed U.S. Deputy Marshall for the district. The new U.S. Marshall of the First Division, Albert White, received so many letters, telegrams and other messages from representative Petersburg citizens that he could not mistake very well the nature of Petersburg’s wishes. Mayor Ed Locken, Ex-Mayor Ted Elsemore and U.S. Commissioner Carol Clausen were among those sending letters or wires of endorsement for MacGregor. Practically all the lea...
In January, Petersburg residents Rozanne Plew and Liz Bacom traveled to Seattle to attend a special sing-along screening of the classic Rogers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. The event was an annual fundraiser for maintaining Seattle's historic 5th Avenue Theater. The duo had a wonderful time and realized their hometown theater Wright Auditorium, which also needs some maintenance support, would be a great venue to replicate the sing-along fundraiser. "I just thought it would be reall...
The sun rising behind Devil's Thumb in the very early morning hours of Wednesday, June 3, 2026....
May 29, 1926 – No organized campaign has been started but nevertheless Petersburg is enjoying a “clean-up” and “paint up” period. Springtime with fine, sunshiny days has brought the painters out in flocks. Boats, houses and other buildings are all beginning to tone up. Some of the buildings downtown which have been feeling the painter’s brush are the Salvation Army hall, M.A. Missick’s tailor shop and the superintendent’s residence of the Petersburg Packing Company. A marked improvement on the latter is especially noticeable on account of the...
Wartime "Service Rolls" or "Honor Rolls" were community-created rosters that honored members who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II. Churches and civic organizations created the rolls to keep track of deployed sons, daughters, and neighbors. They served as a focal point for community prayer and morale. Often designed as large decorative posters or wooden plaques, many featured a gold star for those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Artifacts such as these document the...
Kristina Barkfelt Please describe a specific moment or event from high school that stands out as a highlight for you. Hanging out during lunch with my best friend, Aurora, and always having lunch at the lunch table with all my friends and always having something interesting to talk about! What advice would you give to incoming freshmen? Don't try to reinvent yourself overnight. It's tempting to show up as a 'new version' of you, but lasting change comes from small, consistent shifts. Be open to...
The families of the PHS 2026 graduating class decorated their vehicles, and the community celebrated as the noise parade cruised around the Sandy Beach loop and through downtown on Wednesday evening....
