THE KUSKO TIMES
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VOL. 1.
NO. 1.
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TAKOTNA, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRl'ARY 5. 1937.
PRICE, 25 CENT*
THREE DRAGLIJ
COME I]
WEDNESDAY WAS BUSY
PLANE DAY AT TAKOTNA
Wednesday was- a busy* day in:<Ta
kotna with the arrival of the mail
plane, Pilot Ralph Savory piloting a
Star plane, and Frank Pollack, pilot
ing his own plane from Fairbanks.
Among the passengers with Pilot
Pollack were Mrs. C. Zeiser and
daughter from Poorman She plans
visiting hem for a few days with
her parents Mr. and Mrs. John. Riack.
Extensive, mining operations are
being planned, iii the Poorman area
this corning season, Mrs, Zeiser aid.
Mrs. Frank McGarvey of Fair
banks, visited with Miss. Ellen Reidy
and other old friends -while the Pal
lack plane was here. Mrs. McGarvey
is on a fur buying trip throughoat
this area. She was enroute to Flat.
She is one of the best known women
in the north.
Jean Rhodes of Poorman, was also
a passenger with Pollack, enroute; to
Fairbanks for a trip.
PILOTS ORGANIZE
COMPANY; THREE
PLANES COMING
Takotna. will have a plane based
keie once more, according to well
founded reports which hate been,
making the rounds lately.
Pilots Dor. Goodman, Oscar Win
chell and Ralph Savory are under
stood to have formed a company with
the backing of certain, prominent
mining men in this area, and plan to
purchase a fleet of three, planes with
wh.ch to serve, the Kuskokwim coun
try.
Pilot Goodman has been in the
states foi some time past arranging
for the purchase of the planes. Ac
cording to present plans, two^of the
planes wilL be three or four place,
one to be based at Takotna and the
other at Elat. The third plane will
be much larger and will operate be
tween Anchorage and Kuskokwim
points as a supply plane for the. oth
er two. All. will be radio equipped.
Pilot Winchell left for the states
about tan days ago to meet Goodman
in Seattle to complete arrangements,
for the shipment of the planes north.
It is believed rthe pilots will be re
turning to Anchorage with the ships:
before -e month is out.
Goodman plans to make his home
here v-ithin a few weeks, it is also
reported.
REPAIR OPHIR PHONE LIZSE
Arvid Repo was a visitor in town
one night last weak from Ophir,, re
turning the next day. He made- the
trip for the purpose of repaiing a
break in the Takotna-Ophir telephone
lino which is owned end operated, by
the Myntti & Repo general store at
Ophir. On the way over, he met
Warner Alford, at Yankee Creek,
who had come out from Takotna
that morning with the same purpose.
The break was found and the line
was quickly repaired. Mr. Repo is
employed on the Ganes Creek dredge
this wintar.
Since E. W, Miller moved to Ta
, kotna from Crooked Creek and clos
ed hiq wireless weather station, it is
understood that Dennis Parent, the
local trader and storekeeper will re
open the weather stat'an there. Mr.
Parent is o*he of the large traders
•f the Kuskokwim area and also op
erates one of the finest roadhouses
'along the riven.
(
fES MAY
NT THIS SUMMER
—
Reports from authentic sources !
| indicate there will be three new i
draglines in the district during the;
; coming season.
Eric Hard and Gus Uotila have
i leased the whole of Ophir Creek to
j the head and Uotila plans to come
I over the latter part of the season
j with a bulldozer He still has a
■small amounte of gravel on Slate
Creek in the Flat district to ■ finish:
up on before coming to- Ophir, it is j
stated. Uotila is supposed to start j
I operations first on Frank Meyer’s j
ground on which they have an op-j
I option.
It is also rumored that John Bea
ton of Flat, and associates, are
making preparations to come into
| the district with a dragline this
■ year. No details could be learned
at this time..
It is also. reliably reported that
Dave Strandberg and others, have
taken options on the whole of Can
dle Creek crut from McGra He
plans to drill the ground and later
I install a dragline, it is said. The
ground is owned by Tom Aiken and
is said to be very rich although
it goes very- deep in some places.
Nels Vibe operates the only drag
line in this section, bringing in the j
outfit last summer. He is operating
on Spaulding Creek and although he j
was only able to get in a short sea*
son, not getting- under way untdJ
MAY CONSTRUCT
THREE BRIDGES
ON OPHIR ROAD
The Alaska Road Commission is
anticipating considerable activity this
coming season according to recent
reports..
Included in their plans is the con
struction of three steel bridges on
theroad from Takotna to Ophir
which will greatly facilitate the
movement of mining and other
freight to the creeks.
Road Commission activity in this
section has been very light during
the last two seasons, the work being
confined largely to general mainten
ance and repairing.
Etiore frets Nod Over lewis—
John Henry Lewis, failed to live up
lo expectations when he dropped a de
:ision to A1 Ettore, chunky Philadel
phia heavyweight. Ettore weighed in
it 191 and Lewis at 183 pounds.
August, he had a highly successful
season.
There are four dredges in the dis
trict, three being located on Ganes
Creek and one on Little Creek . Two
of them are owned by the Ganes
Creek Dredging Company and
Waino Poutilla operates the other
two. Most of. the operators exper
ienced an especially good season last
year and many plan extending their
operations during 1937.
OPHIR NEWS ARTICLES
BY CHRISTIAN BOLGEN
(Special Correspondent)
JANUARY 28*. 1937.
Leave for Mines—
Frank Beckman and Chris Beck-1
man left for their mines on Esper-j
anto Creek today after spending sev
eral days in Ophir.
_
Leaves with Tolstoi Mail—
Andrew Gyak arrived yesterday j
and left today with the Tolstoi mafl
Returns to Folger—
William Senatikas, who has been,
waiting in Ophir for a month waiting
for an opportunity to return to Fol
ger by plane, flew there January 26.
Many Attend Wedding—
On January 26, 1937, at a quiet
wedding ceremony at the home of the
bride in Ophir, Ole E. Blindbeim and
Augusta Levenhagen were united in
marriage by Jessie M. Howard, U. S.
Commissioner, b e fo r e witnesses,
Christian Bolgen and Mrs. Fred
Soini. Mr. and mrs. Blindheim en
tertained 30 guests at a dinner after
the wedding. The bride has been as
sociated with Collins and Hard in.
mining on Ophir Creek for the past
ten years. The groom has mined in
various parts of Alaska, coming tQ
Ophir in 1923. The happy couple in
tend to make their future home in.
Ophir.
FEBRUARY 2.
.'..artcla Cutting 2,000 Logs—
Henry Martela made a visit to Ophir
today and returned to his camp on
Washington Creek where he and
George Kangas are engaged in cut
ting 2,000 logs and other mining
timber for Uotila & Hard, to be used
in their mining operations on Ophir
Creek.
Will Extend Operations This Year— '
Gus Uotila, of Flat, who last sum- I
mer secured options on about 20 j
claims on Ophir Creek, and is asso- j
ciated with Erie Hard of this place
m the mining of the property, is now
on the Outside awaiting the arrival
of Mr. Hard, who left here for the
Outside some time ago. It is re
ported that Uotila and Hard in-i
tend to purchase up to date mining
machinery to the estimated value of
at least $50,000 for the working of!
the ground on Ophir Creek.
L ndergoes Minor Operation—
Bili Johnsori, well known oldtimer
of this section, underwent a minor
operation at St. Joseph’s hospital I
at Fairbanks recently.
Reports Many Wolves—
Delbert Thompson came in today
from American Creek, where he is
engaged in prospecting together
with Evan L. Jones. Thompson re
ports that there are quite a few
wolves in the hills about American
Creek; that he has tried to crap
them but they are too wise for him,
Thompson intends to return to his
amp tomorrow.
Returns to Victor Gulch—
Victor Hill, who has been prospect
ing on Dodge Creek sinoe last No
vember, and where he has sunk
:hree prospect holes and done some
Irifting, has quit for this season and
will be busy at his home camp on
Victor Gulch.
iVeir Hauling Supplies—
James Weir has for the past week
been hauling supplies from town to
bis camp on Spruce Creek. His min
ing partner Bob Jaquemai, is at pres
-nt prospecting on Little Creek.
Mrs. Rasmussen Leaves—
Mrs. Rasmussen, who has been
ilerking in the Repo & Myntti store
for the past three months, left for
Little Creek a few days ago, where
she will be living at the N. J. Vibe
camp until spring.
OPHIR COUPLE MARRIED
AT FAIRBANKS RECENTLY
At a quiet wedding ceremony
solemnized at the Presbyterian manse
January 18 at Fairbanks, Grace M.
Shaver was married to Eric Hard.
The wedding service was read by the
Rev. John E. 1 ouel. \\ itnesses were
Mrs. Youel and Mrs. C. P. Shelton.
Mr. and Mrs. Hard are well known
residents of Ophir where Mr. Hard
has been engaged in extensive min
ing operations for many years. He
is one of the biggest operators in
this section.. The bride came to
Ophir about three years ago to visit
her sister, Mrs. Jessie Howard, Uni- j
ted States commissioner at that
place.
The couple left Fairbanks for the
states a few days later on a com
bined wedding and business trip.
They will return to .Ophir early in
the spring.
It is reported that Mr. Hard will
operate on a much larger scale this
coming year and will purchase new
mining machinery while in the states.
Ptarmigan and rabbits appear to
be fairly plentiful here this winter.
MAKES TillP TO
M’ORATH TO SET
NEEDED FREIGHT
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The trail to McGrath is finally pas
sable again. A. H. Twitchell made
the first trip through over the last
week end bringing back a light load
of freight.
With the breakipg open, of the Mc
Grath trail by Mr. Twitchell, traffic
to and from McGrath has started to
flow once more.
Pete Michels, pioneer roadhouse
operator at McGrath took advantage
the newly opened trail and made an I
overnight visit to Takotna where he
renewed acquaintance with his legion
of friends. He reported the bus
iness men at the river metropolis1
have enjoyed an unusually good win
ter business as the result of increas
edplane aeivitie seeee eeeeeeeeee ET
ed plane activity and p good trapping
season.
Mr. Michels made the trip in three
hours with a light load.
MISS PEASGOOD PLAN’S
SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS
Miss Ethyl M. Peasgood, teacher
at the Takotna school, will form a
Sunday school class in the near fu- 1
ture, she announced this week. We
would suggest that she extend the
class so as to permit the Sour- ■
doughs to join. We believe they 1
would be greatly benefitted.
Send in your Subscription to The1 ’
KUSKO TIMES today. i
LOCAL MAN TO
INSTALL LARGE
RADIO STATION
Takotna may have a powerful ra
diophone station within, the next
few weeks if piresent plans go
through
E. W. Miller, one ef the best
known oldtimers and river freighter,
plans to bring his set up from
Crooked Creek within the near fu
ture. It is a 50 watt radiophone and
C.W. transmitter and national short
wave thrill box receiver. The set
will be set up in the Kusko Times
building:, and will be converted into
a commercial station as soon as a
license can be obtained
Such a set will put Tacotna in
touch with the outside world as well
as all points in Alaska. S.ch a
means of communication has been
needed badly here for several years.
Mr. Miller now has an amateur
radiophone and C.W. station capable
of contacting other amateurs in all
parts of Alaska and can be used as
Mr. Miller, who operates two ri
ver boats and a barge in partnership
w:th his son, Fred W. Miller, states
that a very good freighting season
is in prospect on the Takotna River
this coming season owing to the
amount of freight which has piled
up at McGrath last fall which could
not be brought in at that time be
cause of low water and an early run
of ice on the Kuskokwim. The
freight mainly consists of mining
machinery and fuel oil.
-,Ir> -iilierts boat* Uje “Alaskan,”
is a 73-footer and the freight ca
pacity of the boat and barge is 65
tons. The Whippoorwill, owned by
Fred Miller, is 50 feet long with a
capacity of 20 tons.
Mr. Miller moved his family to Ta
kotna from Crooked Creek a few
weeks ago where they will make
their future home. He recently pur
chased the residence formerly occu
pied by Capt. J. H. McLean.
STEAMER YUKON "WILL BE
THE FIRST SHIP TO SAIL
The first Alaska Steamship Com
pany vessel scheduled to leave Se
attle Sunday or Monday for Seward
vili be the SS Yukon. The North
Star will follow Tuesday making a
;i'ip Westward with freight and mail
:or Kodiak.
?HRISTIANSON RETURNS HOME
Jack Elliott, piloting a Star plane,
anded in Takotna Monday, bringing
Jus Christiansen home. Mr. Chris
iansen was just released from the
Anchorage hospital where he under
vent a major operation He reports
eehng greatly improved.
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