6About Time,’ Says
First White Child
Born In Alaska
By BOB WOOD
first white child torn .in Alaska
— now a spry 89-year-old Ari
zonan — wishes she could be in
the new state for the big statehood
celebration.
She was born June 11, 1869,
at an Army post on Kodiak Is
land — where her soldier father
was sent two years after Alaska
was bought by the United States
from Russia.
And it’s about time Alaska was
admitted to the union, Mrs. Mary
Platten added sharply.
There is no record of any white
child being born while Russia
owned Alaska. The Russian col
ony consisted of a handful of sol
diers and trappers.
Her father was transferred six
months later, but she still has a
deep interest in her birthplace.
Known in this northern Arizona
community as Aunt Mary. Mrs.
Platten has lived in Arizona 78
years. She homesteaded her own
ranch in 1911, a year before Ari
zona became the 48th state in the
union.
She later married Frederick
Platten, a bemedaled cavalryman
and Indian fighter who died 20
years ago. Aunt Mary continued
to operate her ranch until three
years ago when she decided to
move to Williams and take life
easy.
Now she keeps busy chatting
with neighbors, giving recitations
for church and school groups, and
recalling the old days before “the
country got too soft.”
“Why,” she added, “Only three
Bell Proclaims
Statehood Here
A bell which has rung its tones
to the inhabitants of Nome for
more than fifty years, had a share
in ringing the joyous news of
Statehood Saturdy morning at
6:45 a.m.
Shortly after a patriotic program
in Washington, D. C., when Pres
ident Dwight D. Eisenhower pro
claimed Alaska the 49th State, nd
after Governor William A. Egan’s
speech from Juneau, Mr. Olaf
Halvorson rang the bell.
It is hoped that some day in
the future when a museum is built
in Nome, that this bell, which
rang for the first early pioneers,
prospectors, miners and has now
proclaimed a new State, will be
preserved on display for poster
ity. It would be symbolic of the
Liberty Bell in Independence
Hall, Phildelphia.
years ago they made me rodeo
queen in Williams. I wanted to
ride a horse. The officials wouldn’t
let me. I had to drive a buggy.”
Aunt Mary recently took her
first airplane ride. Her reaction:
“Now I’d like to take a trip in
that atomic submarine.”
The New 49 - Star
United States Flag
WASHINGTON, UR — The na
tion’s new flag, unfurled Saturday
by President Eisenhower, will
have the usual 13 red and white
stripes and 49 stars arranged in
7 staggered rows of 7 each. Al
ternate rows of the stars are
indented.
The President, after proclaim
ing Alaska the 49th State, signed
an executive order giving the new
design for the United States flag.
By law, the order said, the new
49-star national flag becomes the
official ensign on July 4, 1959.
“Display of the new flag before
that time would be improper,” the
order said. “This does not mean
that after July 4, 1959, it will be
improper to display the 48-star
flag.
“With limited exceptions, agen
cies of the federal government
will continue to display the 48
star flag so long as it is still in
good condition and until existing
stock of unused flags are ex
hausted. It is appropriate for all
citizens to do the same.”
The new flag was placed in a
standard beside a standard carry
ing the 48-star flag for the cere
mony.
A special four-man committee
composed of the Secretaries of
State, Defense and Treasury and
the chairman of the Commission
| of Fine Arts, selected the new de
| sign from more than 1900 sug
| gestions.
! '
The Navy’s newest aircraft car
! rier USS Independence, has seven
air conditioning plants (sufficient
to completely air condition two
Empire State Buildings).
Cold Wave
Claims 15
i By The Associated Press)
The winter’s coldest weather
powered by 40-mile-an-hour winds
rolled eastward to the Atlantic
Seaboard today. The Arctic out
break covered most of the east
ern two-thirds of the nation.
The icy winds hit 66 miles an
hour near Hartford, Conn.
The cold air spread southward
into Gulf coastal areas. Readings
in the 20’s and 30’s penetrated
northern Florida.
A vast area of subzero cold ex
tended from the Rockies and
Great Plains into the Appala
chians. The coldest spot was Hib
bing, Minn., with -39.
The cold and snow was blamed
for at least 15 deaths. At least
three persons were found frozen
to death. Others died from over
exertion while shoveling snow and
in traffic accidents on ice-slicked
highways.
Most of the Deep South braced
for below freezing weather.
Schools closed in some Texas
communities.
Temperatures dropped to 25
WEATHER FORECAST
Fair and colder tonight and
Tuesday. Lowest temperature ex
pected tonight -10 to -15. The
high tomorrow -10.
degrees below zero Sunday in the
Texas panhandle.
Oklahoma had its coldest wea
ther in 12 years over the weekend.
One of the lowest readings was
-19 at Guymon and Oklahoma
City’s -4 was the coldest since
January 4, 1947.
Temperatures moderated in the
Rocky Mountain states after the
coldest weather in 25 years. It was
below zero in Denver for 41 con
secutive hours.
The coldest spots Sunday were
Big Piney, in remote western Wy
oming, and Hibbing, in the north
ern Minnesota iron range district.
The mercury plunged to -43 in
both communities.
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