Matanuska Colony Project

Matanuska Colony Project. Palmer. , Changing Her Mission , November 1943 the St. Mihiel was called to serve the war effort in a different capacity. Once again drafted by the Army, she was sent to Bethlehem Steel Company shipyards in Boston for repairs and remodeling. She emerged in May 1944. bearing the large illuminated Red Cross on her hull and decks. Able to berth 509 patients as a hospital ship, she sailed for the Mediterranean to help nurse allied troops. On a return trip to the United States she grounded off the coast of Bermuda; her patients had to be evacuated as she headed for repairs in Charleston. Back afloat in March, she spent the remainder of the war in the European Theatre., At the end of the war in Europe, the St. Mihiel once again returned to the US for retrofitting and upgrade, this time in a New York shipyard. She then sailed into the Pacific. After journeying for four months she called at Pearl Harbor for minor repairs. Continuing to serve as a hospital ship, she stopped at Saipan, Okinawa, Yokohama, Otaru and Manila before heading back in 1946 to Los Angeles., The St. Mihiel received one Battle Star for her World War II service. She entered the ship yards for the last time in 1957 for dismantling., St. Mihiel Bell's Journey To Palmer , A remarkable story accompanied the bell to its final resting place in Palmer, Alaska. John Hoogakker, the plant facilities director for the University of Richmond, Virginia, was searching for a bell to install in the tower of a new building on campus. His search for a good sounding bell eventually took him to the U. S. Navy salvage yard in Philadelphia, where he found and acquired the bell from the U.S. Army Transport ship the St. Mihiel., Soon thereafter, he was reading James A. Michener's "ALASKA" when he came across the reference to the St. Mihiel as the transport ship for the Matanuska Valley Colonists' 1935 journey to Alaska. Having just discovered a niece in Alaska, be e-mailed her to learn if the Matanuska Colony Project had survived and if anyone associated with it would be interested in acquiring the St. Mihiel bell. Thrilled at the prospect of acquiring the bell: in short order the Palmer Historical Society and community members became involved. Their goal was to bring the bell to Palmer by 2000 for the sixty-fifth reunion of the Matanuska Colony Project., Design Of The Bell Monument , The design of the Bell monument is part of Dan Strouse's legacy. The 300-pound bell is supported by three legs representing the Colonists' home states of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. It is also reflective of the bell's original mounting on the foredeck of the St. Mihiel. The gray prow-shaped base alludes to the USAT ship, the St. Mihiel that provided colonist families' transportation in 1935 to the Territory of Alaska., Great appreciation is extended to John Hoogakker at the University of Richmond, Virginia, whose love of history gave inspiration to visualize the rightful place for the bell was in Palmer, Alaska. Dan Strouse, a Palmer Historical Society Board member, and untiring community advocate was the Project Coordinator in bringing the bell to Palmer. Other community members contributed financial support and know-how to freight and deliver the bell to Palmer., Wayward students who transgressed against University of Richmond, Virginia, rules were given as punishment the task to clean the bell (covered in numerous brightly colored layers of paint). Their accomplishment has been appreciated by all who visit the bell., [Photo captions, clockwise from top left, read] , . [No caption, as hospital ship], . Original colonist parents in attendance for the St. Mihiel bell ceremony, . With great effort by many people, the bell arrived in Palmer and was mounted in its current location in time for unveiling in June for the Colonists' sixty-fifth Anniversary celebration. The monument was formally dedicated on Saturday, June 17, 2000, when original Colonist parents in attendance were the first to ring the St. Mihiel bell in Palmer., . Sadly, Dan [Strouse] passed away unexpectedly before the bell reached its final destination. His memorials were directed to "The Bell Project."