Show roamie around with the NEA one in a series of articles artl cles by albert W epperson who re centhy returned from a trip national editorial As with the to alaska so clation not still bouncing toun cine a 0 40 o were alaska railroad the ang ng on the articles have not been these 6 ata the ta last two weeks ls IS have been crowded they vitt t I 1 I 1 abt at seward at 9 9 am ni june 1 2 aboard theau the aurora rora alaska rail nall streamliner we ve arrived veil a hads ads jut ut 3 pm at anchorage the bustling community of an from rom in 1940 hohage hoi age grew fo in 1950 according to the doug local residents declare II 11 population is increasing at tile the z he about every time a tie e of 0 train arrives from seward ait oit t ach alch la is as often as three times a leek mk i anchorage Is the largest city in the chamber of comerce I 1 proved to the NEA visitors hat I 1 while its city has grown tremendously since the last cou con bention tour in 1939 the people are etal 1119 tho th frontier ler flavor in their lives ilves a flavor which all am ricans would enjoy 1 the chamber gave the NEA a 1 the same entertainment 11 lica or of 1 P hat marked the visit here in 1939 yuk hokans to kans ans in good frontier atje met act the party at the railroad depot this frontier style transportation tit i informal and impressive in the rot iret place when volunteers were aed ed for more than enough ap ired red the railroad depot was buttered lutt ered up with automobiles I 1 lere here were hundreds there wei were e ot lot enough jn in the NEA party un fortunately to furnish riders aldera tor for jl 11 the he vehicles I 1 airplane view of anchorage boom town of alaska territory J at the depot the cars were la S lied with the home states ot of the itte drivers that is their former come tome states elates the states they came from the chamber officials said every state in the union was ren ra very presented ea from all appearances ire tiley are alaskans Alas Ala kana viewed this U thing nothing surprising pointing out at virtually all the adults came won from the states and adopted alasu as their home relatively few are r here because they were born here or inherited something or are stuck roia here the editors were instructed to ride with a 91 driver from their home tle late this Is the alaan method IE 0 breaking the ice in getting fainted uain ted it worked success tully f we felt elt we were with a p per er atal friend nhen lien we selected our ur car and before we left we knew we e were mere root host tor for our short stay in an wag vas wells bowen a na of 0 tooele thoele who had resided 10 m la alaska for or 15 years and had city ot of praise lor for the territory CIP orator ot of a dress shop in an wige he Is also president preal dent of 0 the 11 XI ar ala club and president of the s 0 church branch mission we were surprised to learn that there are approximately members ot of the mormon church in anchorage at lake spenard four miles from town we had daxl a delightful al fresco meal consisting of moose buffalo caribou and bear meat local hunters gave of 0 their precious stocks of wild game to make this unique meal possible farmers in III the matakuska Ma Ala valley just 45 miles milea from anchorage sent down their dairy products and potatoes as their gifts llie meal was attended by many dignitaries including the high command of the mil military italy establishment in alaska we met and con iersel with lt gen william E kepner commander in chief of the armed forces in the alaskan command others included maj gen william D old commanding general of the alaska air command I 1 maj gen julian cunningham commanding general of the army in alaska brig gen walter agee adeer commanding general of elmendorf APE col garnett H wilson commander of fort richardson and capt dan N cone acting chief of staff of the joint command we also met representatives of if the municipal government and of the matakuska Ma valley farm project a lively community producing more than two million dollars worth of farm products each year we saw the ithe valley later in the week the three hour limitation on the visit to Ancho anchorage iRge prevented more than a hasty view of the city which has grown tenfold ten fold told in ten years but the zest and enthusiasm of anchorage people is strong evidence that this city will loom large in future developments of alaska it Is the hub of transportation by rail highway and air it Is the only alaska stop on the international air routes connecting the orient and the occident it Is the headquarters I 1 ot of the air force and the army in alaska and several dozen federal agencies the federal government Is just completing a huge international express airport which makes anchorage the crossroads of the world with airlines of many different nations stopping here the oty city Is bustling with activity in building new and business facilities schools paving streets extending sewer and systems enlarging the municipally owned telephone and electric systems several dozen apartment houses are under construction two of to be 14 stories the first skyscrapers in the territory our hasty view of this progressive and energetic seems to justify a revision by contemporary I 1 editors of the I 1 kemaz ks of horace greeley in I 1 last century today it should read go north young man go north |