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In 1916, during his first year in Anchorage, the Anchorage Daily Times wrote the following.“Joe Spenard caused considerable excitement Saturday afternoon when he attempted to drive his yellow car through the doors of Robarts Pool Hall. He made the attempt for a box of cigars promised him by Jack Robarts if he accomplished the feat: otherwise he was to pay the damages. Joe is still smoking his pipe.”Joseph “Joe” Arthur Spenard was born in 1879 in Ottawa, Canada. Around 1906, he married Edith Lewellyn.Do You Want To Listen to this Story?Mike reads this newsletter for you. Just scroll up and click on the audio button above, sit back and relax. You’ll have your very own Alaskan storyteller.Alaska Here We ComeIn 1909, Spenard and his wife arrived in Valdez where he opened a second hand business. When things were slow, he pushed a hand cart filled with merchandise through the streets. The pushcart developed into a transfer business in 1913 which he advertised as City Express, a delivery and taxi service.The Tent City DaysJoe and his wife moved to Anchorage in 1916 when it was still a tent city where Joe continued his City Express service.He used an REO truck and attached a sign to his radiator with yellow letters.“Time and Tide will Not Wait,But City Express is Never Late”Always a showman, Spenard would run ads like the following that appeared in the Anchorage Daily Times on June 26, 1916.“Of all the cars both big and smallThe Yellow car just beats them allComplete satisfaction, nothing lessIs given by the City Express”Joe Spenard bought a yellow suit with a matching plug hat and wore the rather gaudy outfit on special occasions and as often as he could.On May, 1916, the Cook Inlet Pioneer (later, the Anchorage Daily News) reported the following.“The genial, fun-loving Joe Spenard played the part of Santa Clause to about a hundred school children yesterday. Joe dressed in his famous suit of yellow with top hat to match, took the youngsters in relays for an auto ride through the streets of Anchorage, and judging from the smile Joe wore and the singing and laughter of the children, the pleasure was mutual.”The Tale of Lake SpenardAbout 5 miles out of town was a lake. Known as Jeter Lake (an unofficial title) named after a homesteader named Thomas Jeter. But the lake was in the Chugach National Forest and closed to homesteading. Thomas Jeter had to move.Not long after, the land was opened to homesteading and Joe Spenard took up a 160 acre homestead that included the lake.Spenard set out to develop the lake and surrounding land into a full-scale resort, complete with a roadhouse, bathhouses and a bathing beach. The Creation of Spenard RoadNeeding access to his resort, Joe Spenard persuaded members of the local Anchorage Elks Club to help him cut trees and build a trail from 9th Avenue and L Street across Chester and Fish Creek valleys to the lake. That trail is now Spenard road.Spenard Lake ResortJoe’s Spenard Lake and dance pavilion became very popular with Anchorage residents.But on the night of May 24, 1917, a fire thought to be set by careless hunters, completely destroyed Joe Spenard’s houses, dance pavilion, picnic area and other improvements.Do You Like Alaska Stories?Check out our new weekly “Humorous Stories from ALASKA… and beyond” podcast.Each week, Mike tells you a fun story. Most of the time the story will be about Mike growing up in Alaska, but sometimes the stories will take you on adventures in the “lower 48”.So join the fun. Like Anchorage Memories VIP, it’s free.Check it out - there are 4 fun, Alaska stories waiting for you right now.You can listen to Humorous Stories from ALASKA right now.The End of Their Time in AnchorageHealth problems caused Joe to sell his yellow car and business ventures.The Spenards left for the lower 48 in 1917 for the winter, with plans to return in the spring. But they never did.To Learn more, check out the story of Joe Spenard right now.Spenard Lake Came Back from the AshesThe lake continued to be a popular summer and winter place for recreation for Anchorage residents.In the winter, Spenard Beach Park was a popular place to ice skate. And in the summer, as many as 8 hundred residents and visitors would swim there on weekends.The First U.S. President VisitsIn 1923, President Warren G. Harding became the first U.S. President to visit Alaska. President Harding came to dedicate the Alaska Railroad. While he was in Anchorage, he spent part of an afternoon at Spenard Lake.Anchorage’s Largest SuburbIn 1975, Spenard was a separate city and Anchorage’s largest suburb. Between 1935 and 1950, Spenard’s population went from 3,000 to 47,000 residents.In 1949, the first Post Office was established in Spenard. That story follows.You Can Support Anchorage MemoriesYour Anchorage Memories VIP Newsletter is free… and it always will be.But some of our members have asked if there is a way to support our efforts in bringing you these wonderful memories, pictures and stories.We are happy to say that there is a way for you to support Anchorage Memories. As a paid subscriber, you get subscriber only editions of these newsletters. Filled with more great memories, pictures and stories.And we’ve made it super-easy for you to support us.The Spenard Post OfficePhotos and memories courtesy of John Parker1949, the sign on the Quonset building reads “Post Office Spenard, Alaska”.This was the first building on the corner of Spenard Road and Fireweed. A second building was added later on and a building that is now home to Chilkoot Charlie’s.The StoryThe Quonset buildings were purchased from Army Surplus in Seward.John Parker’s father, Ken Parker, went to Seward by train in 1947 to purchase the Quonset building which was then erected on the site above in Spenard in 1948. The building served as the Post Office and Parker’s Store, the first department store in Spenard.1950, John Parker, his brothers Dave and Don and Grandmother Carrie in front of the Post Office and Parker’s Store.The second Quonset building was purchased in 1949 to accommodate rapid growth. At that time, one building was the Post Office and the other was the store.The buildings had to be brought from Seward to Spenard by the Alaska Railroad because the Seward Highway had not yet been built.The Quonset buildings were replaced by a new brick building in 1952.It is still there today.The Only Postmaster Spenard Ever HadJohn Parker’s mother, Nancy Parker was appointed Postmaster in 1948. She was the only Postmaster Spenard ever had,In 47, a new Post Office was built on Fireweed Lane by Bid Irwin.In an article dated August 9, 1949 in the Spenard Advertiser, a newsletter distributed to local residents and businesses, Nancy Parker wrote: “Spenard Business Boom ContinuesA recent survey listed 21 home owned businesses and 4 Anchorage owned businesses in Spenard… Spenard is rapidly becoming self sufficient”What Would Joe Spenard Think?Today, Spenard is considered one of Anchorage’s more “colorful” communities with more than it’s share of characters. It occurs to me that Joe Spenard had a lot in common with modern day Doug Haggar, also known as “Mr. Whitekeys”. And I suspect that Joe Spenard would have enjoyed Mr. Whitkey’s Spenard show “The Whale Fat Follies”. You know, “the show the Spenard Chamber of Commerce doesn’t want you to see.”Did You Ever Live in Spenard?Mary and I lived there for many years. Three of the great things about living in Spenard was being close to Mike’s work at KTVA channel 11 when it was in Spenard, and being close to Gwennie’s Old Alaska Restaurant… and Nikko Garden.Do you want to send us a comment, share a story or just say “hey”? It’s easy to contact us.Check out the Contact Us page on Anchorage Memories right now.Until next timeMike & MaryAnchorage Memories.com Get full access to Anchorage Memories VIP Club at anchoragememories.substack.com/subscribe

When Alaska finally made the transition from territory of the United States to becoming the 49th state - it was cause indeed for happy celebrations in Anchorage.“I remember being in the first grade at Denali Elementary. One day we had to fill out a form. One of the questions asked, “what state do you live in?”. Our teacher told all of us to write “Territory of Alaska”.MaryWant to Hear the Podcast Audio?Did you know that you can listen to Mike of Anchorage Memories as he reads this newsletter?Just click on the audio button at the top of the page and you can listen as you scroll down this newsletter edition.The Statehood ActThe man at the desk is President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Standing and on the left of the screen is Richard Nixon.The Alaska Statehood Act was enacted on July 7, 1958. However, for a variety of legal reasons, Alaska had to wait until January 3, 1959 to officially be welcomed as the 49th state.Read more about the Alaska Statehood Act right now.You Can Share This NewsletterIt’s so easy to share the fun and information about life in Anchorage, Alaska with your friends and family.And when you share Anchorage Memories VIP Newsletter with them, they will be so happy that they will buy you the car of your dreams… well, it could happen.The Federal Building FlagA huge U.S. flag with a large 49th star was hoisted up on the outside wall of the Federal building on 4th Avenue to celebrate statehood.If you look closely at the flag, you will notice the large star.Everyone either walking or driving down the street enjoyed looking at the flag.The BonfireThere were lots of celebrations in Anchorage when Alaska became a state.Everyone lined the street for a parade, and there were other events all over town.But the celebration everyone seems to remember was the bonfire pictured above.“My family and I attended the statehood bonfire celebration. I was only in the first grade at Denali Elementary and didn’t really understand what was going on.Our family lived in downtown Anchorage, so my parents, 5 brothers and 2 sisters all walked to the bonfire. I remember how excited and happy everyone was. When they set the wood pile on fire, I remember the bonfire became big and hot.Later, when we got back home, we talked about it and I started to understand more about why everyone was celebrating and that we had become the 49th state in the U.S. It was a proud and happy day I’ll always remember.”MaryDid You Remember Your Brownie Camera?Check out Anchorage resident Dick Hoffman’s memories of the Statehood celebrations.Alaska Wins StatehoodCheck out this story about the Alaska Battle for Statehood right now.Did You Know This?At first, the United States Congress feared that Alaska would be unable to raise enough taxes because of it’s small population, and that Alaska would become a welfare state.Then, 6 members of the Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Committee in the U.S. Congress went to Alaska to conduct public hearings to see for themselves how Alaskans felt about the idea of becoming a state.Alaskans decided not to let them forget that they wanted to become a state.Alaskans sent Christmas cards with the following wording:“Make Alaskan’s future bright. Ask your Senator for statehood and start the New Year right.”And Alaska’s women got into the act in an impressive way.They made bouquets out of the Alaska flower, the “Forget-Me-Not” and sent them to members of Congress.Following all this, a lack of interest could no longer be used to prevent Alaska’s statehood.What Are Your Memories?It’s been a lot of years since Alaska first became a state and the 49th star was added to the U.S. flag.When I was in the 3rd grade, our family had returned to the “lower 48” for a time and I was attending school in Texas. Our class had a project where we were studying the 48 United States.At one point my teacher asked which state I was from and I proudly said “Alaska.” My teacher then informed me that Alaska wasn’t a state. I became upset and said “but we lived there.” The teacher informed me that Alaska was a Territory of the U.S.I became even more upset and thought to myself - “how could mom and dad take me out of the country like that?” Later that evening, mom and dad told me all about how Alaska was a part of the U.S. and what being a territory meant. After that, I was OK with it.Some years later, when Alaska became the 49th state, I was very proud.A Fun New Facebook GroupDo you enjoy reminiscing about those good old days when you were growing up?We’ve put together a peachy keen, super-fun Facebook group that you’ll love.It’s called Baby Boomers Remember When and it’s all about your fondest memories. And, this group isn’t just for Alaska baby boomers… it’s for baby boomers everywhere.So, your baby boomer friends from all over can join in the fun.Check out Baby Boomers Remember When right now.Are you kidding me?We were having so much fun enjoying this edition of Anchorage Memories VIP, that it’s hard to believe it’s time to say good bye until next time.Did you learn something new about Alaska Statehood? We did.And how is your summer going? We know how fast those beautiful warm and sunny days in Anchorage come and go during the all-to-short summer. So we hope you’re able to enjoy it while you can.Remember to share this Anchorage Memories VIP newsletter with friends and family.Until Next TimeMike & MaryAnchorage Memories VIP Newsletter Get full access to Anchorage Memories VIP Club at anchoragememories.substack.com/subscribe