DEC 28, 20 .. SEPTEMBER 2020 (9 of 12) VISIT TO MANLEY HOT SPRINGS, ALASKA

Now a promise made IS a debt unpaid. Robert W. Service

I solemnly promise, that come January 1, 2021, this series of Posts covering our September 2020 visit to our cabin in Manley Hot Springs will be complete!

It did not help that I fell and (rather seriously) injured my right arm Sunday the 27th of September. We then left Tuesday the 29th of September arriving home in Anchorage on Thursday the 30th. Had I not fallen and been 100%, I feel I would have written these Posts in October. As the French would say, C'est la vie (such is life). What happened was I saw doctors and began physical therapy (still ongoing) and my momentum posting these photos simply ceased.

Onward! 

In this Post, we will take a look at some of the local Manley (call them) attractions of interest. Things we see as we routinely drive around Manley.

In Part 8, I showed the Tanana River and the road to and from.

As you return from the Tanana River, in order you pass the Hot Springs Hall, The Manley Hot Springs School, and the Post Office.

HOT SPRINGS HALL

This very pleasant building is the home for various community activities. These include a monthly meeting of the community council members along with general members of the public as well as arts and crafts devotees and you-name-it. In 2003 it served as a temporary home-away-from-home for the participants of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race to Nome. 

In the above and below photos, notice the basic color of Hot Springs Hall is light grey. These two photos were taken during this visit in September 2020.

The next photos below were taken during previous visits when its basic color was blue.

On the extreme right edge of the above photo, notice our Volunteer Fire Department Truck shown below.

On the extreme left edge of the above photo, notice our Community Ambulance shown below.

Yes we have winter in Manley.

THE GLADYS DART HISTORIC SCHOOL

This attraction is on the other side of the Bridge and you do not pass it as you drive back into Manley from the Tanana River. As you will see below, it belongs here in this Post.

The Dart Family (Chuck and Gladys who have now passed away) came to Alaska in the middle 1950's from Minnesota to settle and raise their family. Mrs. Dart became the school teacher. These photos are of the historic, old, one-room school house, where Mrs. Dart taught many generations of Manley youth.

Young and old, girls and boys, IF you-gotta-GO you-gotta-GO!

After you pass Hot Springs Hall, you come to the new school.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

And so, as the Bible (above) states, the time had come for a new school.

THE MANLEY HOT SPRINGS 

GLADYS DART NEW SCHOOL

I don't know when the 'new' school was built, but in the following photos you can see the 'new' school.

As you can see (by the snow in the below photos) I did not do a photo shoot during this trip. The school and grounds were closed due to Covid 19 precautions.

After you pass the new school, you come to..

THE MANLEY HOT SPRINGS POST OFFICE AND TRADING POST

The Post Office and one of our two small stores are housed in one building.

Now we step through the door and into the Post Office.

There is NO local mail delivery in Manley. Everyone gets their mail at the Post Office.

Now we walk next door into the Trading Post.

Our humble little Trading Post is not Walmart. But Walmart is 160 miles away in Fairbanks and 160 miles home or a 320 mile round trip. More than once the Trading Post has bailed me out of a jam when I really needed something small but very important.

So far (knock on wood) there have been NO Covid 19 cases in Manley. Patti and I took with us our recent negative tests and we did social distancing, having contact with only four other people (two of which came to Patti's rescue when she could not get me into the cabin after my fall). The other two have never had symptoms.

Above I mentioned we have two small stores in Manley. The above Trading Post and another small general store.

THE MANLEY VILLAGE MARKET

OUR MANLEY HOT SPRINGS CHURCH

In name only, two denominations (Roman Catholic and Baptist), participate in services at our small church.

Both denominations have ceased to be active. At one time a Roman Catholic Deacon came out regularly from Fairbanks to conduct services. Then two different Baptist churches in South Carolina sponsored ordained Baptist Preachers, one of whom lived in the community for three years. The other came out from Fairbanks.

Currently a lay member of the Baptist Faith, who lives in the local community, conducts (in my opinon) very satisfactory services using both on-line video as well as compact disc audio services that originate in large congregations in the lower 48 states.

In the rear of the church, we have a VERY pleasant social room for various church related activities.

As I've said above, some of the photos in this Post are from my photographic archives.

And again, there you have it, another look into our community in Manley Hot Springs, Alaska.

Smiling Cap and Patti