The Daily Alaska empire., 1951-12-07

up Tn ketcnlkan, AlaSKa. 1IeiS just isn't any other postoffice for it to go to.
 The same thing applies to Wran- gell, Skagway, Seldovia and Kodiak, which have no counterparts in the states, although there is Kodak in Kentucky and another in Ten nessee.
 But most of the cities in Alaska and many of the smaller towns share their names with other towns and cities in the 48 states-and for some of them, the sharing is pretty widespread.
 Take Palmer, for instance. It is one of Alaska's younger towns and they couldn't have picked a more popular name for it if they'd hunted through the gazetteer for a month.
 There are IA other Palmers listed in the U. s. Postal Guide-in Ill., inois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mas sachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Neb- raska, New York, Puerto Rico, Ten nessee, Texas, Virginia and Wash ington, and that list doesn't include such places as Palmerdale, Palmer Lake, Palmers, Palmer Springs, Palmersville and Palmerton.
 Another Solid and popular name for American towns is Petersburg, of which there are also IA in addl- tion to the one in Alaska. They are in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Neb- raska. Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsyl- vania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
 Douglas isn't far behind Palmer and Petersburg in popularity It is found in Alabama, Arizona, Ill., inois, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Washington and Wyoming, in ad- dition to a Douglass in each Kan sas and Texas.
 Close behind Douglas, on the fre- uuency list, are Homer and Cordova. Homer can be found in Georgia, Ill., inois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York and Ohio, and Cordova is located in Alabama, Illinois, Neb- raska, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Vir- ginia as well as in Alaska.
 The Postal Guide lists an Anch- orage in Kentucky and another in Illinois. There is a Juneau in Wis consin and one in Pennsylvania. Nome is to be found in North Da- kota and again in Texas, and Sew ard turns up in Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.
 Arkansas has a Sitka and so do Kansas and Kentucky. There is a Valdez in Colorado and another ln New Mexico Fairbanks is located, in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas as well as in Alaska.
 Many of Alaska's smaller towns places like Bethel, Craig, Hope, McGrath and Eagle-also have numerous counterparts in the states.
 In fact, about the only Alaska town names that stand out alone are those that are derived from 1rf- dian or Eskimo words-like Nenana and Panama, Nulato, Kwethluk, Naknek, Egegik and Kwiglllingok.
 Thsre Are Now some 225 places in Alaska large enough to have postoffices, but only a handful ot them have names fitting the state side idea of Alaska or advertising tho many and varied resources ot the Territory.
 Alaska has a postoffice named Igloo, of course, but so does South Dakota. Alaska has no towns named Husky or Malemute, or Sourdough, Dog Team, Mukluk, or even Nugget And while Alaska brides itself on it's pioneers, the half dozen towns named Pioneer are all in the states.
 For some years Alaska's mineral resources have been heralded sole ly by Platinum. Tin City will soon be added. And to Beaver and Moose Pass, in the fish, fur and game department, there have recently been added Clam Gulch and King Salmon, which is at least start in the right direction.
 The Town of Cordova, which was recently hard hit by fire and which, like most other Alaska towns, IS looking for new business and pay rolls, might well consider opening a school in the administration Of small hospitals.
 The directors of the Cordova Community Hospital recently re- ported that the institution showed a profit of $8,00292 for the six months May through October of this year.
 The report is more than com- mendable; it is amazing. Most of the small-town hospitals in Alaska, and many of the big-town ones, are thankful when they don't have to report deficit, and profitable operation is nearly unheard of.