Seldovia Museum Mystery for February and January’s Reveal!
by Jan Yaeger
Maybe it’s the weirdly warm weather, or maybe it’s just that time of year, but around Seldovia, fisherfolk are starting to work on nets for the upcoming fishing season. So January turned out to be a great time to ask about fishing floats. Thanks to Rod Hilts and Rick Harkness, who gave great information about not only the wooden ‘corkline’ line floats pictured in our January Mystery, but about other types of floats as well.
Rick tells us wooden floats were made of Port Orford cedar, favored for its rot-resistance. The floats were given extra protection by hot-dipping them yearly in paraffin wax to seal them, which would help prevent softening and splitting as well as rot. Cotton nets were also subject to rot, and were dipped in ‘bluestone’ (copper sulfate) to deter bacterial and algal growth. Wooden floats were phased out in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and cotton gillnet is also a thing of the past. But Rick brought us a fabulous gift, donating an unused shackle of cotton gillnet as well as several spools of mending twine. They are a great addition to our Museum collection. Thanks, Rick!
If you have a mystery for us, please contact Jan at 435-3245!
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February’s Monthly Mystery at the Seldovia Museum is about… March. Specifically, March 27, 1964, and the Good Friday Earthquake that so dramatically changed the face of Seldovia. Next month brings the 50th anniversary of this event, and we are in search of the stories of those who experienced it. Were you here, or perhaps you remember hearing about that day from a friend or family member?!
The Seldovia Museum would like to mount a temporary exhibit in March and April that features the memories of those who experienced the earthquake, either here in Seldovia or elsewhere. Would you be willing to share your story with us? You can write it down, send an email, or come visit us and just talk. Or if you prefer, we’d be happy to come to you! Contact Jan at jyaeger@svt.org, or by phone at 435-3245, or stop in at the Museum office on the top floor of the ATC. Or you can come by the Museum Tuesdays and Thursdays between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm – our doors are open!
Where were you during the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake?
Seldovia Time
