Remembering the end of World War 1 exactly a hundred years ago has made me think about the people who built the roadhouse and what Alaska may have felt like, so far away from the fighting. The picture with this note shows Ed and Frank Lee in 1905 when the Lee family relocated to Washington state from the Mid-West. Ed is on the far left and Frank is next to him, resting his hand on Ed’s shoulder. They were in their mid- to late 20’s in 1905 when gold was discovered in the Upper Susitna area, a full ten years before Talkeetna was officially a town. The Lee brothers were old enough by the time the Great War began calling soldiers from the United States that joining might not have been a consideration. Their sights were set on the gold fields to the north. The War began and nearly ended about the same time they built the roadhouse on Main Street, 1914 – 1917, to house their freighting operation. When I look at the logs and I think back a hundred years I wonder how much of the rest of the world’s troubles may have been on the minds of those who were peeling and stacking the big timbers. By 1920 the Census shows four lodgers at the Roadhouse representing Wisconsin (Frank Lee), Italy, Sweden and California. Other names on the record, not living at the roadhouse, show folks living in Talkeetna who were from Austria, Germany, Canada, Denmark… I can only imagine and hope that Alaska seemed like a safe haven where only a person with a want could live their life freely through hard work and the support and respect of community. Whew…. yes, that’s what goes through my mind when I get to flip rooms upstairs, staring at the exposed logs and moving fast over creaky floors. Anytime you may be at the Roadhouse feel free to venture upstairs if you haven’t before and imagine for yourself some of the stories the walls might tell.
With all that said…. we are most definitely in busy-meeting-winter mode:
Monday… November 12
- 10am Open Exercise at Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 98
- 10am Friends of the Library at the Library
- 4pm Fitness Class: Senior Chair Fitness at VFW Post 3836
- 5pm Fitness Class: Low Impact Rock Aerobics at VFW Post 3836
- 5pm Book Club at the Latitude 62
- 6pm Middle School Basketball at Talkeetna Elementary
- 6:30pm Denali Arts Council Board Meeting at the Museum
- 7pm Talkeetna Recycling Works at Conscious Coffee
Tuesday … November 13
- 9:30am Breakfast Book Club meets at the Library
- 10:30am Strength & Balance at Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 98
- 11am Yoga: Aerial at VFW Post 3836
- 11:30pm Senior Lunch: Fish Sticks at Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 98
- 12:45pm USSC General Membership Meeting at Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 98
- 1pm Recycling at Talkeetna Transfer Site until 5pm.
- 1pm Yoga: All Levels at VFW Post 3836
- 4:30pm KTNA Board Meeting at KTNA
- 6pm Open Exercise at Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 92
- 6pm Yoga: Aerial at VFW Post 3836
- 6pm Yoga: All Levels at Studio Z Yoga Yurt
- 6:30pm Teen/Adult Indoor Soccer at Talkeetna Elementary
- 7pm Talkeetna Bachelor Auction Sign-Up Meeting at the Latitude 62
Wednesday… November 14
- 9:30am Yoga: All Levels at Studio Z Yoga Yurt
- 10am Open Exercise at Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 98
- 11am Yoga: Gentle Yoga at Studio Z Yoga Yurt
- Noon Crafter’s Day at the Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 98 Parks Hwy.
- 1pm Talkeetna Water & Sewer Board at Talkeetna Library
- 2pm Yoga: All Levels at VFW Post 3836
- 3:30pm Toddler Gym at Talkeetna Elementary
- 3:30pm After School Roller Skating at Talkeetna Elementary
- 4pm Fitness Class: Senior Chair Fitness at VFW Post 3836
- 5pm Fitness Class: Low Impact Rock Aerobics at VFW Post 3836
- 5pm Talkeetna Historical Society Board Meeting at the Latitude 62
- 6pm Yoga: Aerial at VFW Post 3836
- 6:30pm Talkeetna Historical Society Annual Membership Meeting & Party at the Latitude 62
- 8pm Trivia Night at the Fairview Inn
Thursday… November 15
- 10:30am Strength & Balance at Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 98
- 11am Yoga: Aerial at VFW Post 3836
- 11:15am Storytime at the Talkeetna Library
- 1pm Yoga: All Levels at VFW Post 3836
- 6pm Middle School Basketball at Talkeetna Elementary
- 6pm Open Exercise at the Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 98 Parks Hwy.
- 7pm VFW Auxiliary at VFW Post 3836
- 7:30pm Performance: All the Great Books at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar
- 7:30pm Teen/Adult Basketball at Talkeetna Elementary
Friday… November 16
- 9:30am Yoga: Level 2 at Studio Z Yoga Yurt
- 10am Open Exercise at Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 98
- 3:30pm Yoga: Tai Chi at VFW Post 3836
- 6pm Denali Nordic Ski Club Board Meeting & Social at the Grove
- 7pm Free Friday Night Movie at Talkeetna Elementary
- 7:30pm Performance: All the Great Books at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar
- 9pm Live Music: Russ at the Fairview Inn
Saturday… November 17
- 10am Holiday Bazaar at Trapper Creek Elementary
- 10am Upper Su Health & Wellness Fair at the Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 98
- 10am Mobile Blood Drive at the Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 98
- Noon Sabbath School, 2pm Worship: Sunshine 7th Day Adventist
- 7:30pm Performance: All the Great Books at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar
- 9pm Live Music: TBA at the Fairview Inn
Sunday… November 18
- 9am Sunday Worship at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church
- 10am Sunday School, 11am Sunday Worship: Assembly of God; Montana Creek Baptist Church
- 11am Track Workout Group at SuValley High
- 3pm Trans Day of Remembrance at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar
- 6pm Alcoholics Anonymous at the Talkeetna Library
- 6pm Open Exercise at Upper Susitna Senior Center, mi. 92
- 7pm Concert: Shook Twins at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar
We always recommend double checking with the particular venue/host organization to verify all events and happenings are still a ‘go.’ Things change fast…sometimes faster that we can update! Good places to find event information for Talkeetna – besides right here! – are the Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce Calendar of Events page and KTNA’s website under Today’s Announcements.
Take care!
Trisha
Lady of the House