Stories at the Cemetery 2012 (Pt. 2)

One of the most charismatic actors of the evening was Richard Benevides. He portrayed Cecil Wells – an Alaskan businessman and entrepreneur in the first-half of the 20th century. Wells was one of the first car salesmen in the Alaskan territory, finding success by importing cars to Anchorage so that customers could actually see and touch the vehicles before driving them, rather than purchasing them out of a catalog. His Wells Garage was later sold by one of his ex-wives and became Alaska Sales and Service – a well-known (and apparently long-lived) local car dealership which still exists today.

Lucky in business but unlucky in love, Wells was murdered in 1953; presumably by his young (4th) wife and her lover. Benevides/Wells was quick to point out that the lover was “A musician. A DRUMMER. A JAZZ DRUMMER!” and warned the girls in the audience to stay far away from those sorts.

Linda Benson’s portrayal of Ella Romig was also a real standout. Romig is one of those mysterious historical local names – there’s a Romig Middle School in Anchorage, but I couldn’t tell you who it was named after. It turns out it was Joseph Romig, Ella’s husband. She told the story of how she and Joseph came to Bethel, AK as newlyweds – and as a doctor and a registered nurse – in 1896. It was a shock for a young woman from Pennsylvania to suddenly find herself in a remote native village, caring for people of a culture she had no comprehension of. She spoke of her initial horror at the filthy living conditions of the Aleuts. To call the adjustment difficult would probably be a gigantic understatement, but after a time she found herself learning the Yup’ik language, loving the people, and loving the life they had made there. The family (now with three children) returned briefly to the Lower 48 to live in San Francisco, but the 1906 San Francisco earthquake was all the convincing they needed that Alaska was their real home, and that’s where they wanted to stay. They moved back to Alaska, this time settling in Anchorage, where Joseph eventually became mayor for a term.

Stories at the Cemetery 2012 (Pt. 1)

For the second year in a row, a group of local actors have put together several historical monologues based on the lives of some of our deceased Anchorage residents and presented them at their gravesides. It’s a unique way to learn about local history, and it brings meaning to the gravestones and their unfamiliar names.

Actor John Fraser portrayed Wayne Hussey, AKA Margaret 1 Empress of Alaska, AKA Large Marge. He was one of the first openly gay residents of Anchorage, and was a well-known and well-loved member of the community. He was a leader in the adult basic education department at the Anchorage Community College, and he helped to establish the Imperial Court of the Empire of all of Alaska (where he reigned as the first Empress in 1971). At his death in 1983 (at age 49), an enormous procession of Hell’s Angels accompanied his casket to the cemetery.

Alaskan Outline

The metal outline of the state of Alaska on the side of a downtown Anchorage office building. Retro-cool.

Anchorage Ghost Tour

I believe in ghosts. I have no reason not to. I’ve never seen one, but I’ve heard enough spirity, ghosty stories in my life that the idea seems plausible enough. So while I’m not an adamant nut on the subject, I’m also not a hardened skeptic. With all this in mind, I embarked on the Ghost Tour of Anchorage yesterday evening.

For an hour and a half we walked around downtown Anchorage and learned about its seedy history. The murders and strange incidents were weird enough, but with a layer of ghostliness added on top, it was fairly creepy. One of the eeriest locations was in the ladies’ restroom in Tower 2 of the Hotel Captain Cook, where a woman had taken her life in the mid-70s. According to our guide, the stall where she had shot herself was violently haunted. So much so that it had been sealed from the inside by the hotel staff. Nevertheless, it seems to unfasten itself regularly.

We accidentally kicked the stall open. I don’t think that was supposed to happen.

We learned of ghosts haunting various theaters, alleyways, restaurants, and bars. There were ghosts of prominent Alaskans, ghosts of children, ghosts of people done wrong. I loved the guide, who was a gentlemanly old soul in a fantastic top hat and tails.

Ghosts!

Seth is such a skeptic.

Our tour ended at the Historic Anchorage Hotel, which is haunted by the ghosts of 32 souls (verified independently by two separate mediums). Alaskan artist Sidney Laurence haunts this location, and knocks his framed photo off of the fireplace mantle if people say unflattering things about him in the lobby.

Ingrid-the-ex-Exchange-Student poses with our Guide.

Pack Moose Express

We couldn’t help ourselves.

 

Summer Sausage

M.A.’s Gourmet Dogs, a hot dog stand in downtown Anchorage, is apparently quite a tradition. The M.A. in question has been at it for 20 years, showing up when the snow melts and hawking dogs throughout the summer. There are actually two hot dog carts in the plaza. His is the one with the line 20 people deep. The other one requires no waiting at all.

Molly, Angie, and Nikole, who all work downtown, also have a tradition of making a lunchtime visit to M.A.’s each year once he opens up shop and an appropriately warm and sunny day comes along. Today was that day, and they invited me to come  and enjoy some sausage with them.

It was indeed some wonderful wiener. The options included M.A.’s Italian Sausage (made specially for him by Alaska Sausage and Seafood), Reindeer Sausage, Kosher Beef and Kosher Polish, among others. I will have to go back and try each one.

It was also a beautiful day – perfect for sitting outside and slurping sausage. The hot dogs disappeared too quickly, but none of us had the stomach capacity to survive a second, so instead we went across the street and checked out the Alaska Cake Studio. All in all, not my healthiest lunch ever, but certainly a delicious one.