Oct. 7, 1926

Much interest was aroused here by the arrival of two baby mink seven weeks ago in one of the mink pens of Charles Gearing, who began last year buying trapped mink and marten to establish a fur farm on his property. Mr. Gearing is starting with 17 female and four male mink and two female and one male marten. During the past week he took the two baby mink away from their mother. They are both females and are thriving little youngsters despite their choosing an unusual time of the year for their arrival. 

Oct. 5, 1951

It might be the good fishing season. It might be the good weather. Or, it might be the fact that everyone who can tote a gun is out hunting. The fact remains that only one patient has been admitted to the Bishop Rowe Hospital the past week. Of course, after this issue of the paper the editor may get shot. Then the very competent hospital staff may have someone to practice on. 

Oct. 6, 1976

The city council at its Sept. 28, meeting approved an application from Alaska Wood Products to take 50,000 cubic yards of gravel tidelands opposite of Wrangell Institute. The gravel would be used for covering the AWP waste fill near the elementary school, where a new ball park will be built. Council members agreed to endorse the application to the state with the restriction that the beach landscape be retained. 

Oct. 4, 2001

On the beach just past 3.5 mile Zimovia sits a humorous reminder that men will be boys. Locals and tourists have noticed the snowman, three rocks of diminishing size placed one atop the other, that guards the shore not far from Shoemaker. Who made the rock snowman and why? After talking to a number of old-timers and hearing some interesting stories, it turns out that a couple of guys working for a private contractor were walking an excavator up the beach toward town about 15 years ago. They were moving rocks out of their way as they went. Why did they stack the rocks? “Just to see if they’d stay there,” said one of the men who did it, wishing to remain anonymous. “We never figured that they would last this long.” It is amazing that those rocks have stayed put all these years through all kinds of tides and storms.