Gustavus Historical Archives & Antiquities

Maintaining the historical integrity of Gustavus & surrounding areas by collecting and preserving important early documents, photos and artifacts

 HOME  ABOUT GUSTAVUS  ABOUT GHAA  GUESTBOOK  CONTACT  DONATE
 HOME
 SEARCH
 DOCUMENTS
 PHOTOGRAPHS
 ARTIFACTS
 BOOKS & ARTICLES
 FACT OF THE MATTER
 AUDIOS
 GHAA FAVORITES
 POPULAR SEARCHES
 WHATS NEW
 HISTORIC PROFILES
 OTHER RESOURCES
 SITEMAP
Homesteader Charles L. Parker's Plea: Return Gustavus, Alaska Lands!

Partial copy (unseparable) of two campaign letters to expose National Park's Gustavus land grab of 1939 blocking progress & destroying good faith homesteader's livelihoods. Establishment of a bear refuge in a cattle raising community seen as effort to drive out remaining pioneers.


...dock located on the north shore of Icy Passage. That also was allowed to rot away as the Territory was not interested in maintaining a dock for a few pioneer settlers.
To sum this up, do you know what it means? When the Park Department muscled into Gustavus land in 1939, they as effectively blocked our progress and destroyed our livelihood, as though they had used caterpillars to '•••
Gustavus land was surveyed for the sole purpose of agriculture and stock raising, our family of pioneers took up our land in good faith and patented our land and homes according to the laws of the land.
This move of taking over Gustavus land by the Park Department in 1939 was absolutely direct misrepresentation on the part of the government and has cost our family close to one half million dollars.   It should have been enough when the Park Department hogged all the unpatented land, on the Gustavus land area, but when they also established a bear refuge in an established cattle raising country,  I knew that the bureaucrats were out to get us, to drive our little band of pioneers out of business  for good.  Imagine anyone so low that he would recommend establishing a bear refuge in the finest established cattle raising country in southern Alaska, and forcing a handful of real Alaska pioneers out of business.

I will conclude this article by stating that no bunch of bureaucrats can drive me out permanently and, as we used to state in the Marine Corps at times, the “situation is in doubt" but eventually we will have the “situation well in hand.”.
Sincerely,
CHARLES L. PARKER, 8R.

 

Homesteader Charles L. Parker's Plea: Return Gustavus, Alaska Lands!

Partial copy (unseparable) of two campaign letters to expose National Park's Gustavus land grab of 1939 blocking progress & destroying good faith homesteader's livelihoods. Establishment of a bear refuge in a cattle raising community seen as effort to drive out remaining pioneers.


...dock located on the north shore of Icy Passage. That also was allowed to rot away as the Territory was not interested in maintaining a dock for a few pioneer settlers.
To sum this up, do you know what it means? When the Park Department muscled into Gustavus land in 1939, they as effectively blocked our progress and destroyed our livelihood, as though they had used caterpillars to '•••
Gustavus land was surveyed for the sole purpose of agriculture and stock raising, our family of pioneers took up our land in good faith and patented our land and homes according to the laws of the land.
This move of taking over Gustavus land by the Park Department in 1939 was absolutely direct misrepresentation on the part of the government and has cost our family close to one half million dollars.   It should have been enough when the Park Department hogged all the unpatented land, on the Gustavus land area, but when they also established a bear refuge in an established cattle raising country,  I knew that the bureaucrats were out to get us, to drive our little band of pioneers out of business  for good.  Imagine anyone so low that he would recommend establishing a bear refuge in the finest established cattle raising country in southern Alaska, and forcing a handful of real Alaska pioneers out of business.

I will conclude this article by stating that no bunch of bureaucrats can drive me out permanently and, as we used to state in the Marine Corps at times, the “situation is in doubt" but eventually we will have the “situation well in hand.”.
Sincerely,
CHARLES L. PARKER, 8R.

 

www.gustavushistory.org
Preserving The History of Gustavus, Alaska.

Copyright 2007. Gustavus Historical Archives & Antiquities. P.O. Box 14, Gustavus, Alaska 99826 (907) 697-2242. All rights reserved.
No part of this webpage of Gustavus, Alaska History may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronical, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from Gustavus Historical Archives & Antiquities. This webpage may be printed only for personal or classroom use.