The Sidney herald., 1957-09-19
MIR. and Mrs. Lee
Corkrin Write
From Fairbanks

From Fairbanks
The following letter received
by Mrs. Grace Corkrin from hei
| son and his wife, Mr.. and Mrs
Lee Corkrin, who make theil
home in Fairbanks, Alaska, will
be Of interest to their many
friends here. Mrs. Corkrin will
be remembered as the former
Regina Provost daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Pete Provost Of Sidney
Fairbanks, Alaska
Labor Day
Dear Mother and All,
Guess I'd better use this holt
day to catch up on my personal
correspondence.
Hunting season is on for moose,
caribou and sheep. Nearly every
one is taking advantage of the
double holiday to get their win
ter meat.
We've had no frosts yet, how
ever, we are losing seven min
utes of sunshine per day.
1 spent a week in Nome and
while there l saw some natives
making their skin boats"
can't imagine anyone travelling
from St. Lawrence or Little Do
mede islands to Nome in them
but they do it all the time. It's
a distance of one hundred and
twenty-five to one hundred and
fifty miles.
There are a great many hot
springs here in Alaska. One sew
enty miles from Nome and near
Fairbanks, China, Manley and
Circle. With China only fifty
miles away and a road being I'M
der construction between them, it
will be a popular spot in time.
Regina will add to this and tell
you of our trip to Circle Hot
Springs.
Going to Circle Hot Springs
was quite an experience. They
are located about one hundred
and sixty miles northwest of
Fairbanks. We saw gold dredging
operations on our way up there.
We visited a very unique road
house, miller House" it is call
ed. 1t is run by an elderly couple
who has lived there for forty
five years. The lady has a store
and post office in the front part
of the building; while the back
part is a large area used as 4
living and dining room combined
where they serve meals. In this
room, she displays antiques and
ivory articles, baskets made by
the natives; there are many pot
ted plants with a small green
house in the rear. Pat didn't &C.
ognize the stove and telephone
as such.
The Circle Hot Springs resort
was founded by a Mr.. Leach (now
deceased) who was panning for
gold and found these hot springs.
The place has de~teriorated since
his death. They say he raised
beautiful flowers as well as a
large garden.
Our cabin was extremely rus
tic and I'm afraid expected too
much for twenty dollars per day
without meals which were $3.50
for adults and $500 for chill
iren. The meals were served
style with at least eight
vegetables on the menu from their
own garden. We swan three
lines a day and that warm water
-elaxes one so you don't want
10 do much else but son battle
afterwards.
We drove to Circle, thirty miles
farther north and took pictures
Of the Yukon, the granddaddy Of
all the rivers up here. 1t wasn't
very wide at this point but it
S twenty miles wide in some
The inhabitants here are
all Eskimos. They have a guest
book that contains names of
from all over the U. S.
The wild flowers have finished
now but we did see an
rose that is like an over
sized b~uttercup, very dainty and
pretty, on our drive to Circle.
The lupine which vary in color
from orchid to purple grow pro-
and are a tall spikey plant,
and an Alaska cotton plant has
blossoms that resemble a tuft of
cotton. The leaves r turn
ing all autumn colors and it's
ike Indian summer; very lovely
here now.
Leland came home for the holi-
lay and will be leaving for COL
.ege around the 18th of this
month.
They just opened a new twelve
alley bowling center here. There
S wonderful thick carpet in the
and an accoustical ceiling.
We bowled a few lines yesterday
and after seven years / car still
BOWL. My score in the second
game was 125 - l beat both Lee
and Leland and believe me, I'll
never let them live that down.
Time to feed this family.
Love,
Regina, Lee,
Leland and Pat.