Visitor appreciates the Skaguay Alaskan

My wife and I were recently in Skagway for the day on our southbound Alaska cruise. I picked up a copy of the Skagway Alaskan and I just want to complement you on what a great product it is. I have been retired for 10 years, but I was the general manager of a small 25,000 circulation newspaper in northern Illinois. I worked there for 33 years, mostly in sales and marketing and worked my way up to the GM.

I always like to complement small local newspapers, because I know how hard the industry is these days. Your product has some great editorial content, very informative and well written. The sales staff is doing a great job with their advertising sales. Overall, it’s just a very nice product, kudos to you and the staff on doing an outstanding job.

Skagway is a vibrant little community, with very friendly shop owners and if I was younger, I would come up there for the summer and find part-time work. I don’t think I would be able to handle winter there, lol.

Thank you for letting me go on and on about your product. You should be very proud of it.

Ed Bushman

Illinois

 

Skagway, can you help answer this question?

Dear Editor,

I visited your beautiful town on a cruise last week (I was there on July 7) and was told the story of Soapy Smith and Frank Reid while on a bus tour which also included a stop at the Gold Rush Cemetery where I was able to see both of those gentlemen’s graves. We were there the day before the anniversary of their 1898 Juneau Wharf shootout and our tour guide mentioned that locals still visit the graves of both Smith and Reid on the July 8 anniversary date, but, of course, our ship had already sailed off by then.

Do you know if that part of the story we were told is true? That some town residents do still visit the graves each July 8? I purchased a book on Soapy Smith in one of your bookstores while there and also visited the Jefferson Smith Parlor with the parks department tour. As a US History teacher, I found the whole story quite fascinating. But I was hoping to have that additional question answered.

Thank you for your time.

Craig Sanders

Ridge Point High School, Fort Bend ISD

Sugarland, Texas

 

 

The case of the two-hour typo revealed

Dear Editor,

We visited Skagway on July 2 of this year and picked up a copy of your [Skaguay Alaskan] paper.  I spent time doing the word search in the back of your paper. I, nor anyone in my party could find Yakatania Point.

I’m usually pretty good at these searches and was frustrated enough to bring it back to Wisconsin and continue looking for it.

After much frustration I looked up the word to see if it actually existed and realized it is spelled incorrectly.  There is a “u” instead of an “a” after the k. I’m assuming that error caused it not to be in the puzzle.

I’m retired now, however when I worked, I earned $75/hr.  Upon calculating my time in searching for this erroneous word you, Mr. or Ms. Editor, owe me $150!

If you can show evidence to the contrary, I’d be very open to reviewing it.  If not, pay up! 😂

Best Regards,

Ron Leifer

Wisconsin

Editors note:  I appreciate Mr. Leifer reporting the error. The incorrectly spelled word is in the puzzle – incorrectly spelled, of course. I offered him a year’s subscription to The Skagway News for finding the “hidden mistake” (sic) and for making me grimace and smile at the same time. Love the fun.