Alaska VIP Club

著者： Michael R Dougherty
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  • Interesting facts about Alaska

    www.alaskavipclub.com
    Michael R Dougherty
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  • The Fascinating Story of Alaska's Own, Matanuska Maid Dairy

    The Fascinating Story of Alaska's Own, Matanuska Maid Dairy
    2024/09/08
    Remember the name and the picture on the milk carton of the young lady on ice skates with the fur-trimmed parka? That was as much a part of your life in Anchorage as Gilman’s bread or going to see a movie at the 4th Avenue Theatre.Most of us had a carton of Matanuska Maid milk on the table at breakfast. And we all remember that the young lady on the carton was known as the Matanuska Maid.The dairy got its start in around 1935 as a cooperative created by the colonists who put together the town of Palmer, Alaska.In its first year, the co-op sold 5,458 pounds of butter and 26,000 eggs.By the 1940s, they were producing more than $1 million dollars in annual sales.A 1935 Colony FarmThe photo above shows the Raymond Rebarchek farm in 1935.Hey, we need a Name!Pictured above is Dorothy Ann Sheely Bush in 1993, she was the school girl who won the dairy naming contest. Also pictured is her mom Charlotte Sheely with Dorothy in 1935.The Matanuska colony decided, in 1935, that the dairy cooperative should have a name.A contest was held, and an interesting thing happened.Dorothy Ann Sheely, a local high school student, came up with the chosen name. Instead of Matanuska “Made”, she came up with Matanuska “Maid”. Her prize was $25. And that was a nice sum in 1935.BONUSIn 1960, Matanuska Maid wanted a name for the young lady ice skater featured on their dairy products.Mrs. John Secora of Anchorage came up with the name, “Anuska” which was the contest winner.Notice that Anuska is Matanuska without the “Mat”.Yes, You Can Share this EditionIt’s so easy to share this edition of the Alaska VIP Club with your friends or family or even co-workers… And when you do, they will be so happy that they will write a hit song about you that will make you famous… Well, it could happen.Click on the following link:Thanks for reading, the Alaska VIP Club. This post is public, so feel free to share it.A TV Weather Girl and the Matanuska MaidIn the photo above is Phyllis Hayes.Before Theda Comstock stood behind the KENI-TV channel 2 weather map, astonishing everyone with her ability to write backwards (it was really a camera trick), Phyllis Hayes was presenting the nightly TV weather.But Phyllis had another fun personality.Everyone in Anchorage, and throughout Alaska, wanted to see “Anuska”, the Matanuska Maid in person. So, the dairy chose Phyllis and some other delightful ladies, to dress up in the famous fur-trimmed outfit and meet all those eager Matanuska Maid fans at gatherings, events, and parades all over Alaska.A Fun MemoryWhen Mary of the Alaska VIP Club was a young girl in Anchorage, she used to sit at the breakfast table with her seven brothers and sisters. As they enjoyed their hot or cold cereal, they would read what was on the Matanuska Maid milk carton and scrape off the wax with their thumbnail. Then they would rotate the carton, scrape wax from the other side, then the other, then… well, you get the picture.Did you enjoy reading cereal boxes and milk cartons at breakfast? Do you still read them?Matanuska MaidLike so many things we remember in Anchorage, the 4th Avenue Theatre, Gilman’s Bakery and even KTVA channel 11, Anchorage’s first TV station, they are all gone now.And Anuska, our favorite Matanuska Maid, has hung up her ice skates for good. Our favorite dairy that began in 1935, has delivered its last quart of milk.For our purposes here at the Alaska VIP Club, it doesn’t matter why it’s gone, only that we still have the memories.For so many years, like Gilman’s bread, the 4th Avenue Theatre or KTVA channel 11, Matanuska Maid was ours… and we loved it.BONUSMike and Mary have a new podcast that we think you’ll really appreciate.It doesn’t have anything to do with Anchorage, or Alaska.It’s called, Relaxing Music Moment and you are invited to take a moment for yourself. All it takes is a moment. You deserve a break. And it’s FREE.The music will take you away, the inviting scenes will transport you.And you’ll enjoy reading the short, beautifully composed description of each moment you choose.Take a look at Relaxing Music Moment and… relax.From our North Stars (that’s you)From our podcast about the Alaska Gold RushAvril wrote:“I always find out something new even though I lived there for 12 years. It's truly amazing how these gold rush people lived in tents and survived.” Jeanne shared this:“My maternal grandfather was one of those who left Skagway for Whitehorse to look for gold and his sister, my great aunt, was a “dancehall girl” during the gold rush. My grandfather didn't strike it rich, but moved to Juneau, where he married, and my mother was born. My aunt “retired” to the Bay Area for the rest of her life. Reading your story reminded me of what my mother told me. I never had the opportunity to know either my grandfather or aunt. Just heard the stories.”Tom had this memory:“In the late 1970s while living in Juneau, my brother and ...
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    5 分
  • One Daring Gold Rush Drove the Skagway, Alaska Invasion

    One Daring Gold Rush Drove the Skagway, Alaska Invasion
    2024/09/01
    While the Klondike gold fields were in Canada, along the Yukon River, the cheapest entrance was through Skagway, Alaska, or Dyea which was located across the Lynn Canal.It’s estimated that 100,000 prospectors, known as “stampeders” packed the docks headed for Skagway and Dyea on their way to the Klondike in 1897.Most left for Alaska by steam ship from Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. Ships traveled up Alaska’s inside passage and into the Lynn Canal, the deepest Fjord in North America and one of the longest in the world. Skagway and the town of Dyea were located off the Lynn Canal.Skagway, Alaska Muddy streets and hastily thrown together boardwalks greeted weary gold seekers as they left the steam ships and made their way into Skagway. Dyea, AlaskaBefore the gold rush, Dyea was a seasonal fishing camp and a port for trading ships with goods headed for the interior of Alaska. The name Dyea means “to pack”.Gold seekers came to Dyea to use the Chilkoot Pass to get to the Klondike gold fields. When the stampeders arrived, Dyea consisted of the Healy & Wilson Trading Post, a few saloons and a rugged tent city. There was also a U.S. military contingent, but they were instructed not to interfere in civilian matters.Dyea is now, mostly, a ghost town.BONUSTake a look at this video about the history of Dyea and discoverThe Chilkoot StepsThe Chilkoot Pass led stampeders into Canada on their way to the Klondike River. The Canadian Mounties required every prospector to bring a full years worth of supplies with them. So, every person had to make many trips up and down this very long pass to get all their goods to the top. As you might imagine, while stampeders were busy making multiple trips up and down the Chilkoot, theft of supplies was rampant.The Chilkoot had steps cut into the pass that the stampeders used to get up the steep grade. It was called the “Chilkoot Steps” and it was a hard climb. Imagine doing that over and over until you had all your supplies on the top. Only to have them stolen.Yes, You can Share this EditionWould your friends or family enjoy this story about the Alaska Gold Rush?You can easily share this edition of the Alaska VIP Club with them.Just click on the following link:Thanks for reading, the Alaska VIP Club. This post is public, so feel free to share it.Enter Jeff, “Soapy” SmithA brilliant con man, Jeff Smith, brought his gang from Colorado to Skagway to take advantage of the men arriving in Skagway with money to buy goods to get them to the gold fields. And to rob miners returning to Skagway of any gold they found in the Klondike.Smith even had men working the steam ships headed to Skagway and Dyea. His men found out who had money, so that when the ship arrived and the passengers got ashore, they could be mugged or conned out of their money.Soapy Smith got the name “Soapy” after a con game. He would sell bars of soap for a dollar with the chance to find 10 dollars, 20 dollars or more, tucked inside the wrapper.However, Soapy had men planted in the crowd who would “find” the soap bars with money, causing the gathered crowd to get so excited that they would buy up all the soap, hoping to find money in the wrappers.Of course, Soapy’s men were the only ones to “find” the money (which they later had to give back to Soapy). The take was always enough for Soapy to play a few games of faro.The Skagway Telegraph OfficeThere was no telegraph service in Skagway. But Soapy came up with a brilliant con.The Skagway Telegraph office had a telegraph cable that went as far as the inlet. Inside the office, Soapy’s men would take your message and “send” it. In the backroom, Soapy’s men wrote the “replies”.People were sending telegrams about how much money they had or how much gold they found. Then Soapy’s men, who were working the Skagway Telegraph Office con, would report to the gang, who would then find various ways to steal the person’s money or gold.One Man LawThieves, thugs, and con men could operate pretty easily because Marshall Rowan was the only lawman in Skagway.Soapy had tried and failed to get Rowan in his pocket. Later, Rowan was shot and killed by a shotgun blast in a Skagway saloon. It is believed that the shooting was set up by Soapy.The End of the Klondike Gold RushIt was over in a short amount of time.Because of the hardships involved, few make it to the gold. As for Soapy Smith, some of his men robbed a lucky prospector. The prospector complained, and a mob formed to run Soapy Smith out of town.But Soapy faced down the mob and in a brief gun fight, Soapy was shot and killed.From our North Stars (that’s you)Did you know that you can comment on each edition of the Alaska VIP Club?You can either reply to this email, or you can Contact Us to say, “I’ve been to Skagway, Alaska.”A Final Word from Mike and MaryDid you strike gold?Just reading about the Alaska Gold Rush was like striking gold… But now you have to make sure that ...
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    6 分
  • How a Quick, Dirty Tent City became Anchorage, Alaska

    How a Quick, Dirty Tent City became Anchorage, Alaska
    2024/08/18
    In the spring of 1915, over 2,000 prospective workers and merchants assembled at the mouth of Ship Creek.And more were arriving every day.Shore Access was DifficultPictured above, unloading a bargeSteam Ships anchored in Cook Inlet sent out small launches that brought passengers to shore on Ship Creek Flats.It was a muddy mess. Horse and foot traffic slogged their way through mud over corduroy log paths and the few hastily laid out boardwalks.A “tent City” quickly sprang up. It was filled with a rag-tag collection of tents and temporary wood buildings. The conditions were rugged and unsanitary.Overcrowded and UnsanitaryBy June 1915, tent city was dangerously overcrowded and unsanitary.Harry and Katsuyo Kimura arrived in tent city from Seattle and took over a hand laundry. There was no running water, and the clothes that were brought to them to be cleaned were full of lice.Years later, the Kimura family went on to build Snow-White Laundry and Cleaners and the very popular restaurant, Nikko Garden. Just to name a couple.But back in 1915, the AEC, Alaska Engineering Commission ordered that by mid-August, all tents had to be moved off Ship Creek Flats and relocated up onto what is now known Government Hill and the new town site.What Caused This Rush? It Wasn’t GoldFrom May through June 1914, 11 survey parties were sent from Seattle to Alaska.The purpose of these 11 survey crews, was to determine possible routes for a proposed Alaska Railroad.BONUSTake a look at this information about the Alaska Railroad Survey Crews and enjoy.Yes, You can Share this IssueYour friends and family will say, “Wow” when you share this Tent City edition with them. And when you do, they will be so happy that they will name a bright star in the night sky after you… Well, it could happen.Click on the following link:Thanks for reading Anchorage Memories VIP Club Podcast! This post is public, so feel free to share it.U.S. President Woodrow Wilson DecidedIn April 1915, needing coal for the Pacific Fleet, the Federal Government decided to access the coal fields of the Matanuska Valley in Alaska. President Woodrow Wilson made the decision that the Alaska Railroad would run from Seward to Fairbanks. The route would take the railroad past the coal deposits of the Matanuska Valley and would end in Fairbanks.Then, in 1915, the United States Congress authorized construction of the only Federally owned railroad in the history of the U.S.Construction headquarters would be established at the mouth of Ship Creek at Cook Inlet.And because Cook Inlet could be dredged to accommodate larger ships and was a protected boat anchorage, the area was chosen as the Alaska Railroad mid-point.The goal was to lay 470 miles of railroad track. The StampedeIt was like a gold rush without the goldWhen it was announced that the AEC, Alaska Engineering Commission, was going to hire workers, thousands of people began arriving at Ship Creek Flats. Some were looking for jobs, some for lucrative business opportunities.Almost overnight, a rugged tent city sprang up among the tree stumps. And the work began.Who Drove the First Spike?Martha White, who was born in a cabin just off Cook Inlet, was selected to drive the first railroad spike.BONUSClick on the following link:See how the railroad gave birth to Anchorage and discover.The Plateau Above Ship CreekA town was beginning, so lots were then laid out for a 240 acre town site under the supervision of Andrew Christensen of the General Land Office. First House Built in AnchorageLocated in Elderberry Park at 420 M Street in Anchorage, a home was built in 1915 by Oscar Anderson. Aside from a few log cabins, It was the first wood home built in Anchorage. His home still stands today as an Anchorage tourist site.Oscar Anderson claimed to be the 18th person to set foot on what is now Anchorage. He lived in his house until his passing in 1974.BONUSTake a virtual tour of the Oscar Anderson House and enjoy.How did they arrive at a Name for this New “Town”?An election was held on August 9, 1915, to decide on an official name for the town that was springing up before their eyes.Names to consider included:Alaska CityGatewayHomesteadAnchorageLane (named after Secretary of the Interior, Franklin D. Lane)MatanuskaShip CreekTerminalWinalaskaThere were 538 votes cast.The winner was Alaska City with 146 votes.Lane came in second with 129 votes. Third choice was Anchorage with 101 votes.Then Governor J.F.A. Strong wanted “Matanuska”.The Alaska Engineering Commission (AEC) wanted the name “Ship Creek”.Enter the United States Post OfficeYes, the U.S. Post Office gave the town the name Anchorage.They appointed Roydon Chase as the first postmaster, and all mail was then sent to “Anchorage, Alaska.”The new name was quickly added to maps and news stories covering the building of the railroad and the town.Cook Inlet Pioneer and Knik NewspaperSo much was happening that a newspaper set up shop in town. From it’s ragged ...
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    9 分

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Interesting facts about Alaska

www.alaskavipclub.com
Michael R Dougherty
社会科学 世界
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