Digital Bob Archive

12 September 1980 issue

SEPTEMBER 28, 1918-Local flooding due to heavy rains has caused at least $250,000 damage in the Juneau area, most of it along Gold Creek. A total of 6.32 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, sending the creek over its banks and causing slides along Basin Road, Gastineau Avenue and Thane Road. Along Gold Creek six bungalows were swept away and others were moved from their foundations or otherwise damaged, with total loss of at least $100,000. The entire lower floor of the government hospital was flooded and patients were moved to St. Ann?s Hospital when is was feared the building might be swept away. The Gastineau Hotel was flooded with water from the mountainside and four houses on Gastineau Avenue were totally destroyed and several others were damaged. Alaska Juneau mine property was damaged to the extent of $50,000 and Ebner Mine property to the extent of $5,000. A portion of the Alaska Electric Light & Power Company flume was carried away, plunging the town into darkness from Thursday until Saturday. The Empire missed its Thursday and Friday editions.

JANUARY 9, 1923-Mrs. John T. Spickett was elected president of Pioneer Auxiliary No. 6 at its meeting last night. Other officers for 1923 are: Mrs. Earle Hunter, vice president; Mrs. Griggs, chaplain; Mrs. George Burford, secretary; Mrs. John McLaughlin, treasurer; Dorothy Haley, sergeant-at-arms, and Mrs. E. J. White, historian.

JANUARY 29, 1923-Dr. Robert Simpson has purchased the Leader Store building on Lower Front Street and will move his Nugget Shop there from the Seward Building at Front and Franklin. The Leader Store will move across Front Street to the Brunswick Building at the corner of Ferry Way, (Note the Leader Store building is now occupied by the Miner Publishing Company.)

FEBRUARY 27, 1923-Details of the establishment of a tourist camp near the mouth of the Taku River were given to members of the Juneau Chamber of Commerce last night by Dr. H. C. Devighne, head of the Taku River Trading Company. It is anticipated that the camp will be in operation this coming summer and it will initially consist of one large log building and 15 tents. (Note: The camp, known as Taku Lodge, is still in operation.)

NOVEMBER 10, 1925-Mr. and Mrs. John Malony arrived here this morning on the steamer Alaska and will make their home in Juneau, occupying the Malony house at Fifth and Harris Streets. They were married in Moscow, Idaho, in October. He is the son of the late Judge John F. Malony, a pioneer Juneau attorney, and Mrs. Cora Malony and has lived in Juneau off and on since boyhood.

SEPTEMBER 29, 1927-The sixth annual Southeast Alaska Fair opened yesterday at 1 p.m. in the brand new Fair Building on Glacier Avenue at Eleventh Street. The building has 23 concession booths and 13 advertising booths and a multitude of exhibits. It is estimated that 2300 persons visited the building during the afternoon and evening.

JULY 27, 1929-Sale of the R. P. Nelson Stationery Store to George M. Simpkins, owner of the Simpkins Bindery and Stationery Store, was announced yesterday. The two businesses will be combined at Simpkin?s Front Street location. The Nelson store was one of the oldest continuously operated businesses in the city and was first opened by the late R. P. Nelson some 35 years ago.

JULY 27, 1929-Post Office Substation No. 1, which has been operated at the Butler Mauro Drug Company store on Front street for many years, today transferred to the store of the Juneau Drug Company in the Valentine Building, it was announced by Mrs. J. T. Spickett, postmaster.

SEPTEMBER 9, 1929-Elmer and Buddy Lindstrom had a narrow escape yesterday afternoon when their rowboat capsized off Lena Cove as they were trying to land a salmon. Theirs was the only boat along that stretch of beach and neighbors watched helplessly as the boys clung to the capsized boat which drifted towards midchannel. Then S. Hellenthal, local attorney, came around the point from the north with his outboard boat and picked them up. They were thoroughly chilled but had managed to hold onto the trolling line which had a 15 pound salmon at the end of it.

SEPTEMBER 17, 1936-Douglas school officials were busy during the past several weeks moving the Douglas Public Library books from the City Hall to the school building. It was decided early in the year that the school should have the library.

SEPTEMBER 19, 1936-The last Finnish language service on Gastineau Channel will be given tomorrow night at the Douglas Community Church. The two speakers of the evening are officials of the Lutheran Apostolic Church, the Rev. A. Mickelsen and C. J. Secarlsen. They have conducted services in both the Finnish and English languages at the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Juneau during the past week.

APRIL 13, 1945-The Douglas Variety Store will open on Monday next to the Douglas Post Office. The store will feature men?s, women?s and children?s clothing and will be managed by Mrs. Leigh S. Grant.

JULY 2, 1946-The fourth and newest tug in the Juneau Lumber Mills towboat fleet is the 90-foot TP-123, purchased at government surplus and brought down from Seward by Captain Charles West. The tug will be used to tow logs to the mill here.

JANUARY 16, 1947-A portrait of Wilds P. Richardson, president of the Alaska Road Commission from 1905 until 1917, has been presented to the Territory of Alaska by Mrs. William Ogilvie and will hang in the territorial museum. The artist is J. O. Seybert and its was painted near the end of World War I. Mrs. Ogilvie is a sister of General Richardson and widow of the first governor or Yukon Territory.

JULY 25, 1936-Elroy Fleek, former co-owner of the Alaska Cab Company, has sold his interest to his partner, Orville Wagner and is now a driver for the Glacier Cab Company.