Tustumena Lake, Kasilof Library, Historical meetings
Kasilof River flows out of Tustumena Lake, which has a 114 square mile surface. Skilak and Kenai lakes combine for 60 square miles of surface area. At 950 feet, Tustumena Lake is not only deeper than its neighbors, it’s deeper than Cook Inlet!
Kenai Peninsula has 11 public libraries. The one in Kasilof is housed in Tustumena School and they are holding a book fair this week. Hours are Mon-Thu 9:30-6:00, and Fri 9:30-noon. Katja Wolfe is the public librarian and Rosy Thompson is the school librarian. The public library hours are normally Mon, Tue, and Thu, 2:30-6 p.m.
Kelly Hagelund and Willow King had baby Brynn on February 3. She was born at the Women’s Way Midwifery in Soldotna and joins siblings, 6-year old Caius and 4-year old Adarra. The family lives on Capella Drive, across from Kasilof Storage. Kelly is an electrician and has been working for Kiner Electric on the Soldotna Hospital project. Willow is a connoisseur of cannery work. Her dad, Rich King, is a Cook Inlet drift fisher who has seen some water under his bridge. Willow grew up in awe of Wards Cove cannery, in Kenai. She has spent the past few summers working at the old Wards Cove plant, now leased to Kenai River Seafoods. This summer Willow will wield a spoon and a spatula as she heads up the galley.
Kasilof Historical Association will be hosting the Peninsula Historical Association spring meeting May 3 in the Kasilof Community Church building. Members from Seward to Kenai to Homer will be attending. The featured speaker is Linda Chamberlain, PhD, MPH, of east Homer. She is an authority on dogmushing mail delivery and will speak on that subject at 1:00. The public is invited.
April 10 the McLane Center was bulging with history as early homesteaders took turns reliving events. Among the speakers were: Joan Lahndt, who was born in a Kasilof cannery building in 1927; Pat McElroy, who homesteaded in 1958 and ran into some impromptu situations while welding, firefighting and bear hunting; Ruth Johnson had never seen a woodstove when she left Chicago in 1942. Now she knows the ups and downs of woodstoves better than Santa Claus. Grant Phillips hired Morris Coursen in the deep-snow spring of 1956. Morris dozed a trail from the Sterling Highway to Grant’s homestead near Ciechanski Road. This became the first road on that side of the Kenai River and much of it was eventually adopted into Kalifornsky Beach Road. Stan McLane was born in Seldovia in 1922 and raised in Kasilof. Marge Madden filed on a homestead in 1954, but her children caught polio and delayed her move to Kasilof until 1958. Katie Vasilie Macleod was a nurse with doctors Gaede & Isaac in 1968. She was the head nurse when the hospital opened in Soldotna, and became a nurse at Tustumena School. Bob and Mary Haeg went to live with the bears at Chinitna Bay in 1975. They have retired to Kasilof.