Shawna Hotch of Klukwan is credited with helping inspire an investigation into deaths of Native students at Chemawa Indian School in Salem, Ore. An Oct. 14 story in Indian Country Today says Shawna, an alumna of the school working there as the student archives assistant, suggested archivist Eva Guggemos dig into the school’s history. Along with Chemawa teacher SuAnn Reddick, Eva created the website, “The Deaths at Chemawa Indian School,” chronicling an estimated 270 student deaths there between 1880-1945. The remains of 50 students have not been located. The two women went public with their research following recent disclosure of deaths at boarding schools in Canada. Shawna is the daughter of Dan and Tammy Hotch.
Linda and Larry Geise counted 236 trick-or-treaters at their door on View Street Sunday evening. Linda figured the numbers went high because Scott and Candi Bradford on Lynnview Drive, who typically draw the biggest crowds, were out of town. The neighborhood is so popular on Halloween that youngsters call it “Trick-Or-Treat Street.” Linda said she gave out healthy fare including Cliff, Kind and Lara bars. This year’s crowd still lags behind one in the 1980s of 251 youngsters, she said.
Caleb Chincoya and Ian Hartstack of Kansas City, Mo. recently visited Presbyterian Church pastor Dana Perreard. Caleb and Ian were students at the University of Dubuque when Dana served there as associate chaplain. Caleb and Ian had a great time and made amazing dinners and coffee while they were here, Dana said. Dana’s childhood best friend Aaron Sutherland of Eugene, Ore. also visited and was excited to enter the coho derby. Dana said his guests enjoyed looking for bears, driving out the Haines Highway and fishing at Chilkoot Lake.
Resident Bill Holton grieves the passing of his uncle, former Virginia Gov. A. Linwood Holton, who died Oct. 28 at age 98. Linwood served 1970-74. Virginia’s first Republican governor in nearly a century, he pushed for racial equality by attacking segregation and enrolling his three white children in predominantly Black public schools. He raised taxes to clean up the state’s waterways and expanded women’s access to abortion. “He lived a life of exuberance and working for the people,” Bill said. By law, Virginia governors are limited to a single term in office. Linwood also served as U.S. Undersecretary of State for Henry Kissinger.
Linn and Mary Asper combined a fall trip to a family cabin in Michigan with surgeries they each needed. Mary said having a familiar place to stay and an uncrowded hospital made their medical visits much less stressful. For two months they stayed at a 100-year-old family cottage on Mullet Lake, near the top of the Michigan “mitt.” Haines resident Deborah Vogt also has a cabin in the area.
Director Carolyn Goolsby reports the Haines Borough Public Library has again been nominated for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for libraries. The award goes to institutions that make “significant and exceptional contributions to their community.” U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski made the nomination. The library has previously been a finalist for the award. Winners will be announced next spring.
Vanessa and Steve Wishstar and their children Hunter, 6, and Raven, 2, are in Florida following a 4,000-mile trip south. Their journey in a 32-year-old RV reads like a script to a madcap travel movie. Their 24-day odyssey through Canada and middle America included mechanical breakdowns in Fort Nelson, B.C., Kansas City, Mayflower, Ark., and Transylvania, La. After the final breakdown, they gave away their rig and waited for Vanessa’s mom and stepdad to make a 13-hour drive from northern Florida to pick them up. In Canada they paid $7.50 per gallon for gas and their vehicle went only seven miles to a gallon. The Wishtars were among families displaced by last December’s Beach Road landslide. “We left because we needed a reboot, to get a paying job, for emotional sanity and to live in an actual home even if it’s very temporary,” Vanessa said this week.
Open gym has resumed at Haines School. Adult volleyball and weight room are offered 8-10 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the gym is open for adult basketball and weight room. A sign-in is required for COVID-19 tracking.
Chilkat Valley Preschool is selling holiday wreaths, garlands and centerpieces as a fund-raiser. Prices range from $26 to $35 for creations of noble fir, incense cedar and berried juniper. Contact the school by Nov. 11 to order.