Winnemucca

8. Alaska at Lasta

May 22, 1986 marked my first encounter with Alaska, namely Ketchikan. Ketchikan is a long, narrow city built along a steep shoreline. Half the city is climbing the hillside and the other half is on pilings in the water. It is picturesque with lots of character and is well kept. If you live and work in Ketchikan you are either into fish, timber, or tourists. At the time I arrived the NORDHAM of the Holland American Lines was discharging hordes of tourists into downtown Ketchikan for canned tours of the area. I watched the process for awhile. The average age of the tourists appeared to be about seventy.

I camped for the night in a very unique spot. It was the end of the road . . . literally! The road goes north from the city about sixteen miles and then comes to an end in a small campground. Beyond this point is wilderness. That was as far as civilization had gone and nobody lived beyond that point. Where I came from, civilization predominated and wilderness was the exception, but in this area it was the other way around.

The following day I did a good business with several galleries in town and I also met Dr. Phil and Katy Zeidner. Katy’s sister Jan was a customer of mine in Palo Alto and when she heard that I was planning a trip to Alaska she gave me her sister’s phone number and suggested I call when I got there. I’m glad I did. They were very pleasant and filled me in on what it is like to live there. They were deeply involved in community affairs, and pointed out that there are so few people and so many traditional community roles to play that you can just about play any part you want and nobody tries to stop you or compete with you. Katy compared Ketchikan to the cult movie The King of Hearts.

The Zeidners told me about an old fashioned melodrama that was an annual tradition. It was called The Fish Pirate’s Daughter. The play involves a number of naughty characters including a madam with a heart of gold and her entourage of “working girls.” It just so happened that the play was being presented that evening and they suggested that we meet at the Frontier Saloon, which doubled as the theater, take in the play, and then have dinner. That sounded good to me so we agreed to meet in the bar beforehand and have a drink.

Not having a whole lot to do for the rest of the day, I arrived at the rendezvous quite early and decided to pass the time nursing a drink at the bar. Since I was so early I was practically the only person there and I hadn’t been there long when in walked a gal dressed in a period costume who I assumed was participating in the play that evening.

Well, she spotted me right away, sashayed up in a seductive manner and confirmed that, yes, indeed, she was in the play as one of the “working girls.” Presumably she was testing her “character” on me. She was no spring chicken but she was attractive and wearing a generous amount of makeup. We had a lively and highly suggestive conversation, and I couldn’t help but be impressed by the ease with which she handled her “part.” In fact, as we continued to banter I began to wonder “Is this play-acting or is this real?” Finally, the conversation got around to where we were from and I said I was from the San Francisco Bay Area. “Oh,” she said, “I’m from Nevada. . . Winnemucca, Nevada.” She placed a slight emphasis on Winnemucca, and accompanied it with a knowing look.

“Ah yes, Winnemucca,” I replied, placing the same emphasis on the town’s name and doing my best to imitate her look. Now I was convinced she was an absolute natural for her part, extremely well cast.

By this time people were starting to arrive for the play and she had to go get ready. The Zeidners arrived and we enjoyed the play together. It was, as advertised, old fashioned and quite entertaining. Ms. Winnemucca appeared authentic in her small part. In past years Katy had played various parts in the production, but had decided to sit it out this year. Afterward we went to dinner in a restaurant that adjoined the Saloon. While we were eating I noticed Ms. Winnemucca making several accompanied trips up a staircase at the back of the restaurant. She was still “in character.”

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