Alaska Cabin

My first memories date back to Anchorage, Alaska when we were living in a 20 by 20 cabin. This was probably in 1950. We lived in the cabin for a while while we waited for quarters on base to be ready. Dad said the rent was $90 a month.

My memory is that the cabin had a main area with a sink and a big black stove. Dad said that there was one outlet that he had to chip the ice off every morning. The bedroom was partially separated by a wall half way down the room. the stove was in front of the wall. Billy and I slept in shelves in the wall. The outhouse was to the right of the cabin door. The pump was to the left. I remember taking a bath in a galvanized tub in the middle of the main room.

I tried to help mom by bringing in water from the pump. I could only manage to carry about an inch of water in bucket. That required two hands and all of my back.

There were at least two cabins. One day there was a puppy tied to the clothes line. It was crying in pain. When I looked the stump of its tail was bleeding. I asked the woman what happened and she told me that they had the tail bobbed. When asked why she said that this breed always has its tail bobbed. It may have been a doberman. I thought it was cruel to do so for appearances.

At the time only one road was paved in Anchorage. We had a big Packard and I remember riding with mom driving down roads where simple potholes where the smooth part of the road. Everything was muddy and rough. At no point was the car ever level.