The Daily Alaska empire., 1947-09-24

will be in charge of Mrs. Cecil N1cClain.
 A White Elephant Table-for a small fee you exchange your WE. flor someone else's-is in charge of Mrs. Ted Kettleson.
 Needlework, fine arts and anti ques will be displayed. A wishing well, movies, fortune-telling, rum mage table, fishpond, door prizes, refreshments, special displays by local merchants and special en- tertainment by high school stu dents-every attraction that might bring an added dime to the li brary fund will be included.
 The Rotary Club will hold re- ception next Tuesday evening at the Moose Hall for the teachers of the Public Schools, Sheldon Jackson Junior College and Mt. Edgecumbe School andn the nur- ises from the Orothopedic Hos pital and the Alice Island Sana- torium. Frank Richards, Joel Campbell, E. M Goddard, Charles Whittimore and Clyde Hager were appointed to make all arrange ments for the affair which will follow a brief business meeting at eight.
 Members of the Altar Society will be hostesses at a reception for the Rev. Lawrence A. Nevne, s. J. Thursday evening at the Parish House. The public is cordially m- vited to meet the Rev. Nevue, newcomer to Sitka.
 sitka will lose one Of it's last "Old Timers" and one of it's most
 prominent residents next week when Miss l.. M Mills leaves to make her home in the States.
 The history and growth of Sitka during the past 60 years is mex tricably bound with the history of the Mills family Miss Mills father. w. R. Mills, with a Russian partner, came to Sitka from San Francisco, in 1884 and opened store in a Russian log building where the Sitka Mere now stands. The partner soon left for greener fields and MT Mills was ioin- cd by his son, w. P. Mills, in '85.
 Four years later, MT Mills 9ont for his wife and daughter Mae. They sailed for Alaska aboard sidewheeler, the Ancon. from Port Townsend, and were entertained by the crew enroute with candy pulls.
 The store prospered and was greately enlarged. The Mills built themselves the largest home in town-now occupied by the Salva- ton Army Young w. P. Mills married and built himself home now the Erler Hotel After the death of her parents, Miss Mills sold the family home and built herself a home which she later sold to Katherine Banvard. Her pres Icnt homc. built only few years lago. has keen leased by MT. and Mrs. Rc1ert Hagen. The Chart Ieris homo CT the island at the end Of AEakaoutoff Street was also built hy w. P Mills.
 IT., Ellls bought and enlarged ltcc old Russian dock, now owned ey Northland Transportation, and opened the first oil station fer koats. They bought the old Rus sian grain mill. powered by flum- cd water from Swan Lake, and converted it into sawmill, then later built the present sawmill owned by Columbia Lumber.
 They installed and operated the Sitka water system. They con- structed and operated the light plant at Saw Mill Creek. They SldTeQ III tllt COlloOl uSNloil oiiN ownership of the cold storage plant and the cannery.
 MT and Mrs. w. P. Mills sold their Sitka holdings some years ago and moved to Seattle Miss Mills, accompanied by her com panion, Mrs. Shura Watson, plans to buy car and spend the win ter touring the Western States.
 Her plans beyond that are in definite. but some day she will .2urnd to visit her many friends here.
 i Miss L. M. Mills was honor guest
 at farewell party last Thursday evening at the home of Mrs. Len
 Peterson where 20 of her friends gathered for a last game of pino-
 chle. This group has been playing
 together for years, and as fare
 well gift had gathered pictures and 1 messages from all the old residents
 of Sitka. Mrs Rudy Saryela
 contributed a hand -tooled leather folder on the cover of which was
 worked a picture of Miss Mills 1 boy-,a made hv Mrs Frank Rich