Thursday, April 14, 2011

Volume 98; Number 44

www.bladepublishing.net

A community newspaper serving Browerville, MN and surrounding areas. USPS 067-560

75¢
Marge Iten experienced life in Minnesota, Commissioners review final
Alaska Territory, and Washington state Historic Courthouse
during her 89 years drawings
By Rin Porter These were wonderful trips,
Marge Iten is nearly 89 years where they saw many sights By Tim King
old, but her good health has and learned a lot. In those Final drawings for the renovation of the historic Todd County courthouse were
allowed the Browerville resident days, there were no motels or reviewed by the Todd County Commissioners at the Tuesday April 5 meeting. Following
to keep busy sewing, traveling, restaurants along the 7,000- presentations by the project’s architects and engineers, commissioners agreed to sell
and visiting. She walks to the mile route, so the Itens traveled the bonds necessary to proceed with construction at their April 19 meeting. A success-
grocery store to shop and carries in a small camper. ful April 19 bond sale will allow for a May 17 construction bid letting and an early to mid-
her purchases home in a back- Marge’s older son, Ed, June start on construction.
pack. Never one to do the con- loved Alaska and thought hunt- Earl Fuechtmann, renovation project’s engineer and construction manager, told
ventional thing, Marge has led a ing and fishing would be his commissioners the estimated cost of the project was a moving target. He said the goal
life of travel and adventure. life. Mark thought so too. There was to keep the cost at, or below, the estimated cost presented to Todd County early
Marge was born to Raymond were trips made just for hunting in the project. That cost was $4,393,744.33. Construction estimates as of the April 5
and Colletta Heaser near Winona and fishing with Marge and the commissioner’s meeting were almost $48,000 below that, Fuechtman said.
in 1922, the second of six chil- children. Jerry also went on In addition to estimated costs, commissioners reviewed floor by floor drawings with
dren. Her two sisters and three some of the trips. the architect, Johona Harris. She pointed out her firm is making a substantial effort to
brothers were kept busy with Marge and Jerry also trav- preserve and restore the courthouse’s historic character while at the same time mak-
farm and household chores. eled to Europe and the Middle ing it useful for the public and county employees. Historic features such as terrazzo
When she was eight, the family East and saw many interesting flooring, original doors, woodwork, and a skylight will all be preserved and restored.
moved to Aitkin, Minnesota. things. Finally, commissioners listened to a presentation by the consulting engineer for the
There she completed the ele- The children attended the geothermal heating and cooling system that will be used in the renovated building.
mentary grades at a country Browerville schools and then Commissioner David Kircher pointed out the building had been difficult to heat in the
school, and high school at Aitkin. went away to college. Marge past. He said a priority for the commissioners was to be sure that employees had a
Not many professions were worked in the Browerville hos- warm and comfortable environment in which to work. The engineer assured Kircher the
open to women in the 1930s, and pital until it closed, and then in system was somewhat over designed and would be adequate for the buildings heating
Marge decided that becoming a the nursing home in Clarissa needs. He also said the new windows in the building would greatly improve the heating
nurse was her best bet and for nearly 20 years. She retired efficiency of the building. He encouraged cthe ommissioners to have the county main-
would give her the most opportu- when she was 74. tenance personnel trained in the workings of the geothermal system.
nities. Her parents were very Within a year of her retire- 9-1-1 SYSTEM
supportive. Her father told her, ment, Jerry died. After a few In separate action commissioners approved an approximately $10,000 project to
“You can do anything you want to Marge Iten with a few of the dozens of years of living by herself, move the 9-1-1 telephone system out of the courthouse and into a new location. The
do. But if you get into trouble, get African violets that she cares for each year. Marge moved to Seattle to live work will be done by Granite Electronics of St. Cloud. The cost of moving the phone
yourself out. Don’t call me.” with her daughter Janice in system is between $39,000 - $40,000 less
tribes of Alaska, but she got married and than was originally estimated. That, in large Continued on page 16.
Marge chose Duluth for her nurse’s Continued on page 16.
never got to work as a nurse-pilot.
training, and finished school near the
Shortly after she received her commer-
beginning of World War II as a registered
nurse. Her father was in the military service
and the family moved to Seattle, where
cial pilot’s license, Marge and her husband
Bob Steinbrecher had a baby, so Marge
Hundreds attend Spring BBQ
became a mom.
Marge found work as a nurse. She had
Marge met Bob on a trip to Hawaii spon-
wanted to go to Hawaii where she had
sored by the Elks Club of Alaska and the
another job offer, but the U.S. government
Elks Club of Hawaii. After the 10-day trip,
would not permit it because after December
they continued to see each other and were
7, 1941, Hawaii was a war zone.
married in Anchorage, where both were
So Marge enlisted in the U.S. Army as a
working. Bob was a mechanic for Reeve
nurse and an officer. Her Army postings
Aleutian Airways. He and several friends
were pretty easy: Palm Springs, Carmel-
owned a small float plane together. Bob did
Monterey, and San Francisco, California.
the maintenance for the plane.
Toward the end of the war she worked on
Marge and Bob went on many hunting
hospital trains escorting wounded soldiers
and fishing trips alone or with their friends.
to the hospitals nearest their home towns.
They loved the wilderness and became
After World War II, Marge went to
acquainted with many native people as
Alaska Territory to visit her sister and
they fished and hunted together. Marge
stayed to take a job in a hospital in Kodiak.
learned to dry fish in the native way. But in
Kodiak is an island located south of the
1954, just a year after their son Ed was
south coast of Alaska near the beginning of
born, Bob died.
the chain of Aleutian Islands. Marge decid-
After his death, Marge and her two chil-
ed she wanted to learn to fly airplanes and
dren returned to Minnesota and moved to
become a bush pilot in Alaska. There were
Browerville. Five years after Bob died,
no training facilities in Kodiak, so in 1948,
Marge married Jerry Iten. They had a son
she moved to Anchorage, a seaport on the
Mark. Jerry was the mortician at Iten
central south coast of Alaska.
Funeral Home, which he owned with his
Under the G.I. Bill, Marge took flying
brother Hans.
lessons in Anchorage. She became the
Marge and Jerry built a home on the
first woman in Alaska Territory to pass the
west side of Browerville on an acre of land.
test for a commercial pilot’s license. By
They had a big garden and plenty of room
1951, she was allowed to fly paying pas-
for kids and dogs to play. Hundreds of friends and family members attended the Spring BBQ held at the Browerville
sengers. Marge’s plan had been to join the
Jerry, Marge and their children made Community Center on Saturday for the Goligowski family. Many volunteers helped organize
Alaska Native Service as a nurse-pilot,
three trips from Minnesota to Alaska along this community event. In addition to a great meal, door prizes and even a few gun raffles were
bringing health
the Alaska Highway during the 1960s. available. Above: Ed and Doris Goligowski take a break from visiting to grab a bite to eat.
care to the native

WEEKLY WEATHER REPORT

Wed. Apr. 6 Thur. Apr. 7 Fri. Apr. 8 Sat, Apr. 9 Sun. Apr. 10 Mon. Apr. 11 Tue. Apr. 12
Partly Cloudy Showers Showers Showers Showers Snowers Sunny
51°/32° 47°/36° 49°/34° 50°/34° 47°/33° 44°/33° 53°/36°