Written from my notes...Mom's Life Story...Chapter 2

In Akhiok village there are no stores. Moser Bay is to the north and Lazy Bay is to the south. There is one store seven miles south at the cannery in Alitak and one store seven miles north in Moser Bay.

 Alitak Cannery 1989 - photo by Judy A. Peterson

 

 Moser Bay, AK 1989 - photo by Judy A. Peterson

 Its an all day walk over tundra and across beaches to get to the store in the north at Moser Bay and you have to beware of the large Kodiak bears. Mom walked there once.

Mom and her friend Gladys made a plan to walk to Moser Bay but knew their parents wouldn't let them.

So mom woke up early one morning and walked and walked wearing boots and warm clothes.

My mom Vonnie - not sure of location in this photo

Halfway to Moser Bay was Larry Matfay's fish camp. They didn't think to bring food. Larry's fish camp was a shack with tin ribs and driftwood nailed together.

Larry Matfay, old Akhiok barabara 1989 - photo by Judy A. Peterson

Larry's fish camp was open, so mom and Gladys went in looking for food because they were so hungry. They found some hard candy and ate it which made them happy.

They had walked over land to get to the cabin but then walked on the big long beach the rest of the way. They passed a white man's camp but didn't go in. 

Moser Bay, AK 1989 - photo by Judy A. Peterson

By the afternoon they arrived at Moser Bay and the whole village was in an uproar! Their parents thought they had died. People were always drowning.

Moser Bay Cannery 1989 - photo by Judy A. Peterson

The winter watchman got on the phone right away to tell their parents that they were okay because everyone was looking for them...

"This is KOT Larsen Bay calling AOB Alitak. Are you reading me? Over." 

Every morning at 9am and then at 4pm all the villages call in to make a weather report to Kodiak. The land to sea radio operator was a woman named Dottie. Mom said her brother Duffy would know the real call numbers but she just made them up for her story.

Everyone in the village had their radios on in the boats and in their houses.

Dottie replied, "AOB 99 Alitak back to KOTB Larsen Bay, I'm reading you...I'm reading you. There's two girls (age, name) missing from Alitak village. They just disappeared. Nobody knows nothing. Been calling up everywhere. Have you heard anything? Over."

The winter watchman replied, "We got your two missing girls here. They just walked into the cannery here. They'll be riding home in an outboard skiff. Over."

There were white people watching all the drama with mom and Gladys in the Moser Bay cannery that day.

Mom's step-dad Scotty was one out of two winter watchmen when they lived in Larsen Bay.

Archie Brunton, nicknamed "Scotty"