Gastineau Channel Memories

Perkins, Marvin (Jerry) & Sandra (McCrea)

Sandra McCrea Perkins

Marvin Gerald Perkins was born May 12, 1924, in Perry, Oklahoma. His father was Nelson Ervin Perkins born Jan. 26, 1905, in Hitchcock, Nebraska. Nelson moved with his family to Perry, Oklahoma, where he lived until his death Dec. 24, 1984.

His mother was Gladys Della (Stewart) Perkins born March 26, 1904. They were married in Perry, Oklahoma. Gladys took Jerry when he was a year old and went into the Oregon country to live with her parents. There she married Roy Weatherald and stayed until her death Feb. 14, 1971, at Terrebone, Oregon.

Jerry came to Juneau on March 17, 1947. The war was over and everyone was coming home. So he flipped a coin - head?s South America, tail?s Alaska.

He went to work March 19th for Curly and Ernie Davis. They knocked on Hanna?s boarding house door and offered him a job with North Transfer Company.

He worked at Bert?s Grocery Store in the meat department, checker on the docks, public roads, 1960-62 on the Chilkat. The next fourteen years was with the Alaska State Ferry System.

He married Sandra McCrea in 1952. They had three children: Glenn A. Perkins born Aug. 5, 1953 (married Vickey Voss); Charlotte Louise Watson, born Jan. 16, 1955, and Martin Allen Perkins, Aug. 5, 1957. All of who went through the Juneau Douglas school system. They grew up at 4 1/2 mile on Old Glacier Highway, then 1964, out at Auke Bay on Glacier Loop Road.

Sandra (McCrea) Perkins came to Juneau with her parents in 1945. I can remember when we headed for Alaska from Seattle on the Alaska Steamship Aleutian. It was quite an adventure for Sally and I, who were 11 and 12 years of age.

The ship was large and plush. My brother, who was 2 years old, had measles so Mom had to stay in the cabin with him. So, Sally and I were able to really enjoy the food and everything. Sally ate all the way to Alaska (sea air made her hungry!). My stomach, on the other hand, was not that hardy. I learned to Swedish waltz all the way to Juneau.

When we docked in Juneau, I still can remember the beauty of the mountains and how the houses hung on them. Thank heavens dad was there to meet us because after living in flat farm land you can imagine our thoughts all the way up to 10th Street on Starr Hill.

Sally and I went to school above the old post office from 7th grade to graduating high school in those two schools. We would climb 74 steps, four times a day going back and forth to school.

In grade school, we used to take our sleds up to Chicken Ridge at Basin Road and slide five blocks down behind the Baranof Hotel while drivers who were dodging us were losing their minds. Then while we were down behind the hotel where there were steps from the hotel to the mine, we would run our hands up and down the hand rails as they were smooth as glass from the miners? hands.

The Harborview School is located today where Smith?s Dairy was and marked the end of town. We would picnic and swim over in Douglas at Treadwell beach and watch out for the Glory Hole!

So many memories in the 35 years I lived in Juneau. I left Alaska in 1974, with Marvin and we now live in McLoud, Oklahoma.