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What motivates a man to wake up and start his day with the same habit for 40 years? Bill Messmer doesn't know. Messmer started collecting rainfall data from his house in town in 1984. Four decades later, he is calling it quits. The reason? Well - there isn't really one. He just shrugged and said, "It's been 40 years." Messmer's first month of collecting data was January 1984. If you're curious, precipitation - rain and melted snow - totaled 16.04 inches that month. Every morning he woke up,...
Juneau saw record-breaking levels of rainfall in 2022, but National Weather Service measurements and the observations of local amateur meteorologist Bill Messmer suggest that Wrangell was spared the worst of the deluge. Juneau's 2022 precipitation totaled 88.31 inches according to measurements taken at the airport. This was three inches wetter than the previous record set in 1991. The National Weather Service hasn't recorded official stats for Wrangell precipitation in years, leaving the measuri...
The loss of most cruise ship traffic to town will hurt Muskeg Meadows again this summer, but the golf course is open and it’s already on its third tournament of the season this weekend. Back in 2019, before the pandemic shut down cruise ship travel, a local tour operator would book golfers in advance, meet the ship and drive the visitors to Muskeg Meadows, sometimes as many as 20 a day, said Bill Messmer, who works at the course. The package would include clubs and golf cart rentals. “That was a huge day for us,” he said. The course still...
The Wild Alaskan Company based in Homer has taken “mission based” seafood e-commerce to a whole new level. While many Alaska fishermen and groups sell boxes of seafood directly to customers and can claim several hundred monthly customers, Wild Alaskan has notched more than 140,000 seafood regulars since 2018 and since Covid hit, the company is adding 100 to 200 customers every day. The average order for their subscription service is $160 per month. Founder Arron Kallenberg calls it a “three generation overnight success,” referring back to 1926...
April 15, 1920 A deal has been closed whereby Herbert Harvie, recently of Petersberg, becomes part owner of the Wrangell Machine Shop. Mr. Harvie has spent the greater portion of his life working at the machinist trade. He is a Sourdough and well known through Southeastern Alaska. For the past four years he has been connected with the Bob Allen machine shop at Petersberg. The style of the new firm will be Gingrass & Harvie. The business of the Wrangell Machine Shop is growing rapidly and the introduction of Mr. Harvie into the business as one...
As any resident of Southeast Alaska knows, rain is a common occurrence. This is no different for Wrangell. One Wrangell resident, Bill Messmer, has made a hobby out of tracking the amount of rainfall the island receives. He has now collected 35 years of data, showing trends and changes to rainfall Wrangell has seen. "Originally I worked for the Forest Service, and there was people that lived in different parts of Wrangell, and we had rain gauges out and there was a variety of varying...
April 4, 1919 St. Philip’s Guild will enter into the magazine business temporarily, having made arrangements with the Priscilla Publishing Company to secure 50 subscribers before April 10. A committee representing the Guild will visit Wrangell homes and will have some tempting club offers to present with the Priscilla. With the end of war activities in sight, a longing for the needlework, which was laid aside during the busy months, will make itself felt once more, and a good fancy work magazine will be a household necessity. April 7, 1944 The...
Lawrence Bahovec was a longtime resident of Wrangell, one of the oldest on the island. He was born on Jan. 4, 1917 in the city of Chicago, Illinois, but his family moved to Wrangell early in his life. He passed away on Dec. 6, 2018, at the age of 101. Relatives of Bahovec, friends, and other city residents came together at the Nolan Center last Friday for a memorial service, on what would have been his 102nd birthday. Bahovec was born to a Yugoslavian baron and a Tlingit princess from the...
Cell phones are being used by fishermen to bounty hunt for lost fishing gear for pay. California fishermen created the retrieval project last year along with the Nature Conservancy to get ropes, buoys, pots and anchors out of the water after the Dungeness fishery so they don’t entangle whales, and Washington and Oregon quickly followed suit. Nearly 50 whales were taken on the west coast last year after the annual crab opener, one of the region’s largest and most lucrative fisheries. “They are using their cell phones and its GPS to take a pictu...
Intermittent rains and wind on Saturday prompted Muskeg Meadows Golf Course to cancel one of its two days scheduled for the First Bank Golf Tournament. Twenty-six golfers from Wrangell and Petersburg still hit the links on a sunny Sunday morning for the best-ball, team play competition. Players vied for a number of prizes and for First Bank-related raffle items during the lunch to follow. Golfing with a handicap of 16, Eric Koding, Faye and Keene Kohrt, and Tyler Eagle took first place overall w...
Reversing Wrangell’s fortunes last year, the Ray Pederson Memorial Ryder Cup returned to Petersburg this weekend after its golfers edged out locals in a 5-4 win. Due to expected weather conditions Sunday, the usually two-day annual tournament was condensed down to cover Saturday. With nine participants from each community on hand, teams were made parties of three rather than the usual two, which Muskeg Meadows course manager Bill Messmer said worked out pretty well. The six teams were able to get in 27 holes in three categories of play, e...
Muskeg Meadows drove into its first tournament of the year this weekend, with the annual Angerman's Best Ball Golf Tournament Saturday and Sunday. Twenty-two participants took part in the team-based tournament, running through a full set of 18 holes. It was sponsored by Angerman's, Inc. which donated drawing prizes players could vie for. A portion of entry fees went toward course maintenance and operations, with the remainder going in to the prize pot. Following Saturday's play, on Sunday,...
Big Wheel Races: 3-7 year old Girls: 1st - Sydnie Young, 2nd - Dillon Rathbun, 3rd-Cereniti Buendia 3-7 year old Boys: 1st - James Benson, 2nd - Sawyer Rooney, 3rd - Kasen Richmond 8-11 year old Girls: 1st - Adeline Andrews, 2nd - Kayla Young, 3rd - Braidyn Young 8-11 year old Boys: 1st - Nate Rooney, 2nd - Anthony Coblentz, 3rd - Shelton Eklund 12-18 year old Girls: 1st - Karina Ross, 2nd - Teslan Smith, 3rd - Jaden McCarthy 12-18 year old Boys: 1st - Jake Eastaugh, 2nd - Dawson Miller, 3rd - Tyson Messmer Adult Women: 1st - Esther Ashton,...
In an article put out January 7, the Sentinel reported on some of the more notable facets of weather-related trivia for 2015. But according to one resident’s rain gauges, some of the numbers used didn’t quite add up. Bill Messmer has been tracking local rainfall for some years, maintaining monthly and annual records since 1984. He currently uses two types of rain gauge, an electronic one and a tube which needs to be manually emptied. “I collect it at my house every morning,” he said. When off-island, he has someone check the readings for him...
Eleanor Irene (Desch) Bonn, 89, of Albany, Ore., passed peacefully of age-related causes Oct. 16, 2015, in Corvallis, Ore. She was born on June 4, 1926, in Shaw, the oldest of five daughters of Frances and Charles Desch. When she was 13, she moved to Portland with her family. Several years later, Ellie’s family home in Portland suffered damage in a fire, and when the crew came to make repairs, she spotted a dimpled young man up on the roof, working with his family’s business. She declared then and there she would marry that man one day...
At its Monday evening meeting, Wrangell’s Public School Board approved an amended strategic plan for the next three years. The meeting was the first held since the Oct. 6 elections, where board members Tammy Groshong and Aleisha Mollen were reelected to their seats. Pam McCloskey was also picked by voters to serve an unexpired one-year term, though she was unable to attend Monday. The board elected Susan Eagle to continue as its president, Howell as vice-president, and Groshong as board s...
The weekend's 18th annual Stikine River Birding Festival had plenty of sunshine, baseball and a Tax Free Day to compete with but nevertheless drew good crowds for a variety of activities. The festival highlights birding opportunities that the region affords. Southeast Alaska is a major destination for long-distance migrations, as its diverse landscape is a hot spot for species declining elsewhere. The Stikine River area sees over 120 species of birds during migratory periods, and shorebirds...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. May 5, 1915: Like a thunder bolt from a clear sky came the news of the new ruling made by Judge Jennings last Friday at Juneau, as it was generally conceded that the system used last year, of having every citizen signify their opinion of the liquor traffic by saying for or against, would be used again this year. So when the new ruling was made calling for a secret ballot election, it came as a big surprise. Much significance is placed on the new ruling and it is thought by some that it means the...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. March 11, 1915: Mrs. J. Hyland and her sister Miss E. Philips and their friend Miss E. Roberts arrived Saturday night from Telegraph Creek. The party made the trip over the ice from Telegraph to the mouth of the river. Three sleighs and fifteen dogs in charge of three Indian mushers were used in making the trip. The party encountered a blizzard between the boundary and salt water, but all stood the trip well. Mrs. Hyland brought out a number of fur pelts, black fox, etc. The party left on the...
After being rescheduled earlier in the month because of foul weather, supporters of cancer care were finally able to come together this past weekend to golf, mingle and raise funds for a good cause. Now in its tenth year, the men's and women's Rally For Cancer Care golf tournaments have raised funds for the Wrangell Medical Center (WMC) Foundation's Cancer Care Fund. The fund provides up to $1,000 per year, per applicant to help defray travel and lodging costs for individuals receiving cancer...
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 16 1st place: Jim Abbott, Betty Abbott, Dick Angerman, Barb Angerman. Net score 21, team handicap 19. Prize $68. 2nd place: Greg Scheff, Ed Rilatos, Judge Conniff, Bill Messmer. Net score 24, team handicap 17. Prize $44. The Straightest Drive: Barb Angerman, 130.5” from the line. Prize $50. The Closest to the Pin: Randy Littleton, 124”. Prize $50. $300 extra prize money was given by Wrangell Senior Apartments plus $200 extra prize money from Woodbury Enterprises for Weekend Event. There was a $50 prize drawing for eac...
It isn't often that the weather gets one over on events in Wrangell, but both the ladies' and men's Rally For Cancer Care golf tournaments this past weekend have had to be rescheduled. The course at Muskeg Meadows was soaked by more than 3 1/2 inches of rain, while gale-force winds on Saturday delayed more than 40 Petersburg participants from making the trip. "This is the first time the weather's been so terrible," said Jane Bliss, director of support services at Wrangell Medical Center. "The...
Golfers braved clouds of rain and mosquitoes to participate in the annual Ottesen's golf tournaments this weekend. In the four-person best shot tournament held Saturday, Brian Smith, Jane Bliss, Tammy Davidson and Vincent Balansag won on an overall score of 21, with a 17-stroke team handicap. A three-person team of George Woodbury, Brett Woodbury and Warren Edgley took second on a team score of 22 with a 12-stroke handicap, followed by Greg Scheff, Bill Messmer and Pete Walden, who also scored 2...
The Wrangell Medical Center Foundation held their 6th Annual Brian Gilbert Memorial Golf Tournament last weekend at Muskeg Meadows – under better weather than previous tournaments – and saw a total of 60 players come out over the two-day event. On Friday afternoon, a round of casual golf was played, with a 9-hole best-ball scramble as the format. First place in the event went to the team of Greg Scheff, Ed Rilatos, Dave Doyon and Matt Jurak with a net score of 18, while Keene and Faye Koh...
It was a busy night at City Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 28 as the Borough Assembly met in three sessions to hold a public hearing, certify the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors special election results, and to meet in regular session on a number of items. The public hearing, which began the evening, was to hold a second reading of a proposed ordinance that would clarify oversight of the WMC board and their powers in operating the hospital. One proposed change would restrict the board to a...