Les' Chevy Truck With "Locals" From Juneau to Gustavus, Alaska.
Photo taken with load tied to dock in Gastineau Channel, Juneau, Alaska. Lt. to Rt. Marvin Chase (Archie's brother), Archie Chase, Leslie "Les" Parker high on truck bed, Glen Parker on far right. Click for more information on Marvin Chase (not seen in many photos) & family.
This is a rare photo of Marvin Chase. He was the son of James and Nora Chase, brother to Jennie Parker and Archie Chase. It was reported that Marvin played a Bass Fiddle and was very accomplished.
In late 1925, Marvin moved to Juneau with his parents where he enrolled in high school. Previous to coming to Juneau, he and nephew Gene Chase helped his parents, James and Nora, operate a fox farm in Tebenkof Bay, Alaska. Marvin graduated from Juneau High School in 1928 and for some years following graduation the Chase family resided in the Juneau area where they owned the popular Service Motor Company, doing repairs on "anything that didn't run".
Their daughter Jennie, and son-in-law Bert Parker were constantly trying to entice James, Nora, and Marvin (Gene had already joined his father Archie and new stepmother Manda in Gustavus in 1930) to close shop, and move to Gustavus. James & Nora would spend their summer vacations with Bert and Jennie in Gustavus, with the Parkers trying very hard to make their stay irresistable and permanent.
All of the vacationing fun that Bert & Jennie invented like hunting, socializing and a lot of "big talk" worked. In 1936, James and Nora sold their Juneau business and along with Marvin moved lock, stock, and barrel to Gustavus, Alaska. It was reported that their family of 3 lived for a while in the community's 1 room school house as there was not enough students that year to warrant a teacher.
Nora & James then moved with son Marvin to the partially built log cabin started by Sam Buoy's son Charles (who was killed in WWII) located just north above son Archie's place along Salmon River. They worked several years to "prove up", but in the end had to give up the land (about 1941) due to a dispute totally out of their control. There was some unfinished business regarding the original homestead application when Charles Buoy died, and the National Park Service, as well as a disputed Indian allotment laid claim on roughly 3/4s of their land.
This was hugely discouraging as they had attempted to fulfil the demanding homestead requirments. Several years of back breaking work had been sacrificed expanding the log dwelling, putting up out buildings and clearing the land. But as seemed to happen so often with the early pioneers, when one door closed, another door opened.
In 1936 Harry Hall died, leaving his homestead to his surviving brother Jake. Jake lived in Gustavus on Harry's homestead (neglecting to pay some taxes that were due the territory) for the next several years before he took ill and died on April 2, 1943. In 1943 James, Nora, and Marvin were able to "buy" the Harry Hall homestead by simply paying the sum of the taxes owed.
Every story has a story it seems, and this one was truly a grand mystery! It went something like this: When Harry Hall was on his death bed in Juneau, Alaska, he struggled to communicate to Jennie Parker and May White about some money he had hidden somewhere in his home or on his homestead. As much as they tried, no one was able to make any sense of it.
As it would today, the whole community became involved in trying to guess and second guess just where it could be. Hours were dedicated to following the most likely leads. Jake himself had no idea where it was and had great interest in its location and amount. But after weeks and months of no results, the fervor died down and it was generally felt that perhaps Harry, afterall, was not in his right mind at the time of the disclosure.
Back to 1943, and the Chases are in their new (Harry Hall) home. GHAA has no information how it happened, but one day the Chases discovered a previously missed loose brick in the chimney, and lo and behold, there was the money Harry had tried to reveal in a weakened state on his death bed.
GHAA also has no information on what the sum of the money proved to be. But it was reported to be well above the amount James & Nora had "paid" to purchase their lovely log home with "back taxes". So although James & Nora Chase lost Charles Buoy's abandoned homestead in what turned out to be a "bad news" story, they were repaid well with favorable circumstances in the end.
Details are few, but it is known that Marvin Chase had at least 2 sons, one of which named "Chuckie" was raised in Gustavus. It is possible that both sons were in Gustavus. Marvin was married when he was in Valdez after 1952. It is uncertain (to GHAA) if he had a wife in Gustavus.
One other story of Gustavus, Alaska historical importance---the Chase family and the Gustavus Post Office were inseperable for well over half a century. Jennie (Chase) Parker was Strawberry Point, Alaska's very first postmistress in 1925. In 1942 her mother Nora succeeded her until Nora's death in 1950. Marvin Chase (Nora's son) then became postmaster in 1950 until 1952 when he moved to the Valdez, Alaska area. Marvin's nephew "Gene" Chase (Archie's son who returned to Gustavus from fighting in WWII in 1948) then became the Gustavus, Alaska postmaster in 1953 until he retired in the 1980's. Archie Chase was the official "mail carrier" for many years meeting the mail planes at the airfield in his Riverside Lodge, "U. S. Mail" marked vehicle.
Thus the Chase family has become almost legendary in the Gustavus, Alaska archives as being the "keepers of the mail" for all these many years.
GHAA Note: GHAA is uncertain which year Nora & James, along with Marvin Chase lived in the Gustavus school house. It may have been before they moved into Charles Buoy's place, or after they left that homestead, but before they "purchased" Harry Halls. The exact timing will be clarified and updated as soon as it can be determined. It is known that May White and her children moved to Juneau in August of 1939, and did not return to Gustavus until the summer of 1941. Divorced from Bill at this time, and in Gustavus with her children, Bill Jr. age 7, Alice age 9, Ed age 12, and Anne age 14, May once again left Gustavus late in 1942 (or possibly January 1943), and did not return until about 1947 when most of the children were grown and gone. Thus, either 1939/40 or 1942/3 school year may be the most likely time that the Gustavus, Alaska school could not support a teacher. The school would reopen when the airport workers arrived with children soon after.