The Way We Were

In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago.

July 16, 1914: The mining industries of Cassiar Country are looking good, according to parties that came down on the Karen last Tuesday from Telegraph Creek. Several properties on McDames Creek are being worked as they never have before and the prospects that there will be several dredges in there working before summer is over make it look very encouraging. The various camps on the Cassiar are like those of any other camp. The prospects have been worked as far as possible by hand and now it remains for the dredges to enter the country and take out the largest share of the values. More big companies are taking hold of the ground this season than ever before. On the last trip of the Karen was a mining engineer, Mr. H.C. McNought, who will make a survey of several prospects in the interest of several big companies. Taking it all as it comes, the prospects for the Cassiar are getting brighter every day, and it is only a question of time before it will become a great gold producing section.

July 14, 1939: Approximately 45 seine boats, some from Metlakatla and Ketchikan but the majority from Wrangell and Petersburg, were massed in the Anan district Monday morning in readiness for the opening of the season at 6 a.m. Sitka time. In addition to the seiners, there were 10 buyers, a number of pleasure boats and a Ketchikan plane chartered by W.C. Arnold, besides the Bureau of Fisheries plane. So few fish were in evidence that many of the boats did not put out their seines. Wrangell fishing boats, which had been scouting in the district in the week prior to the opening date had reported that the outlook was discouraging. The heavy Anan runs, painstakingly built up by the late Henry O’Malley while he was United States Commissioner of Fisheries, have in recent years been very disappointing. And as usual, fishermen do not agree on the cause, some maintaining that the escapement for several years has not been what was reported and others stoutly maintaining that the escapement has been too heavy, so many fish spawning in the gravels that much of the spawn was destroyed.

July 17, 1964: Three projected road plans for connection with the proposed Stikine River Highway were presented to visiting highway officials and consulates at a meeting held here last Tuesday night by the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce. The road party, making a tour of Alaska to study highway needs, was here while the ferry was in port. It was headed by State Senator Howard Bradshaw of Sitka, representing the Regional Director of the Bureau of Public Roads, heading a consulting group to prepare a study for presentation to Congress through the U.S. Department of Commerce.

July 13, 1989: City Manager Joyce Rasler announced her retirement Tuesday, bringing to a close her more than 20-year career with the city of Wrangell. The announcement came after the council returned from a brief executive session, which was called to conduct an evaluation of the city manager’s performance. Rasler said she would like to take advantage of the early retirement incentive program if the council would approve such a plan at the Tuesday meeting. Councilwoman Donna Galla then made a motion to approve such a program for the city’s administration department and place Rasler on leave from Aug. 1 to Oct. 1. During the leave, Rasler will be paid $25,656. The city also will pay another $4,344 in costs associated with early retirement program. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Pat Dunbar and approved on unanimous vote. Trudy Johnson asked Rasler if she had been under any duress to resign. In response, Rasler said, “I don’t feel I was under a great deal of duress, but I don’t have any comments to make at this time.” Rasler came to work for the city in 1968. She worked as utility clerk and city clerk before being appointed city manager about 10 years ago.

 

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