THE KUSKO TIMES
VOL. 1. NO. If.
TAKOTNA. At. ASK A. APRIL 16. 1937
PRICE. X CENTS
ALASKA INTERIOR AIRLINE
EFFECTS SUDDEN MERGER
WITH STAR AIR SERVICE
Like a bolt from the sky came the announcement over
KFQD radio station last night that The Alaska Intenor
Airline, recentlv established in the Kuskokwim area, by j
Pilots Don Goodman and Oscar Winchell, effected a merger
Tith The Star Air Sendee whereby the latter acquires the
two new planes and equipment of the former company, j
Goodman and Winchell will be associated with Star as pi
lots Coincident with this announcement, it was^ stated
that Linius McGee is again managerof the Star Air Service. ’
He succeeds Kenneth- Neese as
manager. McGee originally organ
ized the company which later be
came the Star Air Service. He sold
out his interests in the original com
pany to devote his entire time to
m.iung in the Koyukuk area in- the
Nome section, about two years ago.
Biggest Deal Ever Made III North
The radio announcement said that
the merger of the two airlines was
the largest and involved the mast
money of any deal of its kind in. the
history of Alaska aviation.
(Editor’s Note — The following
article was written before the an
nouncement of the merger w*a» made.
However, there is considerable new*
of interest in the article, regardless
of the change which has taken
with the arrival of Pilot Oscar
Winehell Monday, with the new,
large seven-place Bel'anca plane,
the “'Alaska Interior Airline” is
now ready to serve the people of the
Kuskokwim with a fast dependable
service.
New Ship Radio-Equipped
The new ship is radio-equipped
and is a real fast ship. Goodman
and Winch ell. partners in the ven
ture, are making preparations -or
the establishment of a ground radio
station at Takotna and expect to
have it operating within the wery
near future.
A third plane about the size of
mile-eating Cessna, piloted by Don
Goodman, will be shipped North as
soon as it is built at the factory,
Winehell stated. He reports having
a- great trip while in the States.
Brings Passengers
On his initial trip here Monday,
he brought in a load of freight and
two passengers from Anchorage.
On unloading the freight ani one of
the passengers, he took off for Flat
with the remaining passenger. Good
man. coming in later, picked up the
other party and flew him to Folger
where he" is employed by Dave
Strandberg.
Since establishing the Alaska In
terior Airline the first of March, Pi
lot Goodman has been far and away
the busiest aviator in this part of
the country. Although Saving come
to the Kuskokwim only two years
ago last fall, he made friends every
where by his unfailing courteous
manner, his willingness to accommo
date the people at all times and his
reputation for dependability.
OPERATIONS WILL
BEGIN EARLY ON
SPAOLDING CREEK
(By Special Correspondent)
Neis Vibe and Andy Scbwalsdall
will start hydrauTeing and scraping
on ther; 5ground e-n Spaulding Creek
in th**4X/hir district, as soon as the
condition 'cf the ground will permit,
it was anmnced in Ophir this week.
Mr. Vibe returned on Sunday
morning iO'Ophir with Pilot, Jack El
liott after spending a pleasant win
ter in California and Washington.
Mr. Vibe and his partner, Andy
SchwalsdaH, will 'Be operating this
coming summer'"with the dragline
scraper which is now on the ground
on Spaulding. The dragline was in
stalled on the ground during last
summer and was operated for a
short time last fall; doing very well.
They have more than 300,000 feet of
ground already stripped.
Mr. Vibe has also extensive hold
ings on Little Creek, where he has
been operating for more than 20
years, going through all the stages
of the mining game from hoisting
with a windlass to hydraul icing and
scraping with a- sHp-seraping rig.
JOE CLARK ARRIVES IX
TOWN FROM UPPER GANES
Joe Clark arrived in town from
Ganes Creek Wednesday evening.
Joe spent the winter prospecting on
upper Ganes. He informed us that
until now he had not seen a copy
of The Kusko Times. In fact, he
had not seen any papers all winter.
Mr. Clark spent the winter alone..
He has no partner and has been go
ing it alone since his old partner,
Bill McLennan died of a heart at
tack 20 years ago.
MRS- TIBBS ON THE RUN
Mrs. Dorothy Tibbs went by The
Times office this morning in nothing
flat- Her dogteam had the lead on
her of a quarter of a mile, but, she
was steadily gaining finally catch
ing them a mUe out of town where
they gave up, apparently deciding
that escape was impossible against
such a formidable pursuer.
William Greig was indirectly re
sponsible for the runaway. He was
supposed to be holding the dogs, but
show us the man who can keep his
foot on the brake with two attrac
tive women talking to him. It has
never been done; by man, and it nev
er will be done.
( NEWS EVENTS OF TAKOTNA IN BRIEF FORM S
By The Wandering Reporter
Makes Business Trip To McGrath—
W. H. Alford made a business trip
to McGrath with Pilot. Barnhill last
Saturday, returning home Sunday.
Sniff Returns From Ophir—
Pat Savage returned from Ophir
Wednesday where he has been look
ing over some mining ground. He
spent, several weeks last fall pros
pecting certain ground in that dis
trict.
Does Freighting Job At Ophir—
Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Vanderpool
returned from Ophir by their dog
team Wednesday. While in Ophir
Mr. Vanderpool did a little freight
ing with his dogs for some of the
mining operators of that district.
; Mrs. Barnhill Visits Takotna—
Pilot W. H. Barnhill, accompanied
by his wife, landed at Takotnc Sat
urday afternoon. Mrs. Barnhill stop
ped over until the next day whDe
; her husband made several short
flights to various points in this area.
Bust Hauling Wood—
With the completion of the -work
of helping to break open the Ganes
Creek “cat” road, Jeff Morley and
George Crist© have been busy this
week hauling in wood for E. A. Ad
ams.
ProspfjtoB! Here From Ptwam—
Two young prospectors. Hick
Kraft and A. H. Dibble, who have
been prospecting on Trail Greek in
the PPoorman area, arrived in Ta
kotna from Ophir Saturday after
noon for a short visit. Kraft spent
two seasons prospecting along Trail
Creek while Dibble, who was em
ployed at the Healy Eiver Coal'Mine
last summer, joined Kraft last fall.
They had poor luck, however, and
decided to puD stakes and come over
to this country where most off the
ground is not so deep. They Hiked
the distance of over 200 miles by
easy stages, stopping at cabins al
ong the route. They have rented a
cabin in Ophir where they expect to
^bole up” until they get a chance to
.go to work for the summer.- The
> bovs mushed back to Ophir Monday.
HARD AND UOTILLA BRINGING
NEW DRAGLINE AND EQUIPMENT
FOR OPHIR GREEK OPERATIONS
Ophir Woman Is
Recovering From
Sudden 111 Attack
(By Special Correspondent)
In response to an emergency call,
Pilot Don Goodman landed at Ophir
on Sunday afternoon, taking off for
Anchorage with Mrs. Arne Anderson
for medical attention.
Mrs. Anderson, who became sud
denly ilL Saturday night was brought
in to Ophir Sunday noon and landed
in the hospital at Anchorage in less
than five hours after leaving her
home on upper Ophir Creek. Good
man, upon his return here, reported
that Mrs. Anderson was doing nice
ly at the hospital and would prob
ably be out in a few days, accord
ing to what the doctor told him
when he left.
JOHN BEATON IMPROVING
IN FAIRBANKS HOSPITAL
John Beaten, pioneer mining man
of the Iditarod country, who has been
seriously" iD in the hospital at Fair
banks, is on the road to recovery,
according to recent arrivals.
Mr. Beaton was taken suddenly ill
several weeks ago and was rushed
to the interior hospital in a critical
condition. He was able to receive
visitors for the first time two weeks
aga. Mrs. Beaton flew from Anch
orage to be with him during the crit
ical period. Doctors say Mr. Beaton
should remain in the hospital for an
other month.
His legion of friends will be hap
py to hear that the sourdough is on
the road to recover}-.
Sells Drill To Strandberg—
It is reported here this week that
Eric Hard sold a drill to Dare
Strandberg who will use the drill on
! his recently acquired holdings on
• Candle Creek.
Taking Out Winter Dump—
John Geskey came in from Ganes
Tuesday and returned Thursday
morning. John and his partner, Orn
Gridley, have been taking out a win
' ter dump on Lower Ganes, on Nig
gerhead Flat. Their property adjoins
that of John Rieck.
Makes Easiness Trip To Ophir-—
Ruby McCormick made a business
trip to Ophir behind Woodrow Van
[ derpool’s dogteam Monday. She ar
! rived back by plane Tuesday. Buby
! reported a very fiDe trip. She stated
! that this was her first dogteam ride
and she certainly enjoyed it, despite
the fact that h was exceedingly cold
riding. While at Ophir, she made a
hop to Flat with Pilot Oscar Win
cheFI in the new Bellanca.
_
Mrs. Libby Seriously 111—
! Pilot Savory started for Anchor
age yesterday afternoon on a mer
cy flight with Mrs. Dan Libby of Ta
kotna. The pilot was unable to make
it, through the pass on account of
the weather and was forced to re
turn to McGrath. Mrs. Libby has
been quae sick for the past four
days. Her condition became steadily
worse, until it became imperative
• that she be taken V> a hospital. The
‘ sick woman is the wife of Dan Libby,
well known mining man of this sec
tion.
Start Thawing Second Boat—
Capt. E. W. Miller and First Mate
Ted McAdams have moved the boil
er down to the M. S. Whippoorwill
and started thawing the boat free of
j ice yesterday. They will continue
. working a straight shift, with Mike
McRoberts firing the boiler nights,
until the job is finished. The first
mate has cleaned up the living quar
ters on the M. S. Alaskan and is
now residing on board the boat, keep
: ing the water pumped out and doing
a fittTe general overhauling during
his spare time.
(By Special Correspondent)
A large dragline, two bulldozers two electric welding
outfits, building materials, and oils comprising the main
items of entirely new equipment, sufficient to last through
two seasons, will be shipped in early this season by Eric Hard
and Gus Uotilla to be used on their ground on Ophir Creek,
Mr. Hard announced on his return to Ophir Monday from
an extended trip to the States. It is understood that from
10 to 15 men will be employed this season. Hard and Uotil
la are said to have secured options on all of Ophir Creek.
OATES FINISHES FREIGHT
HAILING FROM McGRATH
Joe Oates has completed the large
freight hauling contract for bringing
merchandise and other material from
McGrath to the local Northern Com
mercial Company store. The freight
er operated two shifts in the haul
I ing during the last ten days in or
| der to complete the job before the
road gets impassable.
Mr. Oates reports that he has
i three or four jobs lined up and that
he will start this week on a log-haul
ing contract for one of the mining
outfits in the Ophir district.
Should Have Banner—
Tbe Ophir and Takotna region
should 1 ave a banner year as far as
a plentiiul water supply is concern
ed, local mining operators state. An
exceptionally heavy snowfall blank
eted this region and heavy rains in
January- resulted in a solid frozen
mass that will stay in the mountains
; until late in the season.
Send in your Subscription to The
KUSKO TIMES today.
Peterson Returns To Yankee—
John Peterson, who has been in
twn for a few days replenishing his
supplies, retimed to his home on
Y’ankee Creek Monday.
Repo Buys Warehouse Here—
John Repo made a purchase of the
old Lowrie warehouse from E. A.
Adairs. Mr. Repo plans on overhaul
ing vhe building and repairing it
in pr.paration for using it for a
storage wa’fhouse for supplies
L-rought in to 'iakcma by bo-r.
Nordstrom Here From McGrath—
A1 Nordstrom of McGrath, was a
business visitor in Takotna Sunday,
arriving with Pilot Barnhill. He
came over tf get some too’s he left
here last fall and win start work on
a building to be constructed for Pete
Michels, which will be located near
the N. C. store in McGrath.
Getting Freight Hauled Rapidly—
The Ganes Creek caterpillar com
pleted breaking the road open to Ta
kotna ami is busy hauling freight
to the dredge. John Repo was in
town over the week-end helping load
the diesel equipment on the sleds.
He returned to Ganes Monday morn
ing.
What! No McGrath News?
Mrs. Dorothy Tibbs, McGrath cor
respondent for The Kusko Times,
brought Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Greig
back home from McGrath via dog
team, arriving in Tako.nm shortly af
ter dark, Monday evening. They re
ported near’v piling up over a load
of wood which had been unloaded
right in the trail on the outskirts of
Takotna. This is Mrs. Tibbs first
trip to Takotna in several months
so she decided to remain for a few
days as house guest of the Greigs,
returning home today. (We tried to
induce her to go back to McGrath
earlier in the week to write up the
news of that hustling metropolis, I
but she was harder to handle than
all of St. Patricks snakes, so we
gave it up as a bad job. Therefore
it will be necessary for you Me
Grathites to wait until the next is-,
sue to find out what you have been
doing for the past week.—Editor). '
Mr. and Mrs. Hard returned Mon
day, Pilot A1 Monsen bringing them
over from Fairbanks in tie PtA.A.
Pilgrim. On the return trip from
Seattle, they stopped off at Juneau
and flew from there with Pilot Rob
bins to Fairbanks.
Visit Friends and Relatives
They flew from Fairbanks to Ket
chikan when they left on their trip
in January. It was a combined hon
eymoon and business trip, the couple
having taken the vows in Fairbanks
just before leaving. After spending
some weeks in Seattle, they motored
to Oakland with Ben Dahl, spending
several days with Mrs. Hard’s sis
ters in Eureka, California, enroute,
visiting the big lumber mills and the
Redwoods.
The trip was continued on to Los
Angeles, stops being made at Wil
lows, Delhi and Bakersfield. After
several days in Bakersfield, Mr. and
Mrs. Hard motored to Los Angeles
with Mrs. Hard’s son, Tom Shaver.
Their time was limited in Los An
geles; a day was spent at Catalina,
Huntington Park and the Planetar
ium in Griffith Park.
The return trip was made by plane
to Seattle with the United Airlines.
Making Heavy Purchases
They met many Alaskans at the
Savoy Hotel in Seattle. They were
ail busy the last two weeks complet
ing their machinery purchases. Many
big outfits were bought in Seattle
this winter for all sections of Alas
ka.
Mrs. Hard's son. Tom Shaver and
wife accompanied the Hards to Ophir
where Mr. Shaver will be associated
with Mr. Hard this summer. Mr.
Shaver has been Engineer for the
Shell Oil Co., at their Poso Creek
field at Bakersfield. They will live
in the John Staten place on Ophir
Creek.
Uotiilas Will Build Home
Mr. and Mrs. Gus Uoixila will be
in Ophir within the next few months
where they will build a home. They
hope to have building material come
in on the first trip of the Tapper.
While in Seattle on the return
trip, Mr. and Mrs. Hard were enter
tained by Mr. and Mrs. Art Allen,
on a two-day trip to the Grand Cou
lee Damsite. It was truly a wonder
ful trip to see that mammoth under
taking under way. Mr. Hard said he
got tired counting draglines, cranes,
etc. when he reached 26.
All of the miles traveled by plane
were very enjoyable and the Hards
are more than ever air-minded.
TWENTY MEN ARE
NOW WORKING ON
CRIPPLE CREEK
(By Special Correspondent)
Harold Strandberg, superintend
ent of the Cripple Creek Mining Co.,
at Folger, on his way to Anchorage,
trade a short visit in Ophir Tuesday
morning.
Mr. Strandberg stated that they
have about 20 men working on the
property on Cripple Creek, gett 4
ready for the summer work.
After a couple of hours visiting in
Ophir, Mr. Strandberg left with Don
Goodman, accompanied by Julius
Shafrich, who for many years, has
served as engineer on the Riley In
vestment Company’s dredge at Flat.
Leave For Home In Flat—
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Savage flew
to McGrath with Pilot Savorv yes
terday morning. They expect to
continue their journey to Flat from
that point after attending to some
business -these.