Photo courtesy of Fayrene Sherritt
A new road sign in Hope bares the name of Robert Mathison who settled in Hope in 1898.
By Maggie Holeman
Special to the Turnagain Times
On a late fall afternoon drive through the new Percy Hope Subdivision off the Hope Highway, I noticed the two new streets were named “Matheson” and “Whisker's Alley.” My curiosity was piqued, and I decided to look into what characters these names could possibly be attached to.
I did some digging in the library and came up with information regarding a Robert Mathison, spelled with an “I”. I did confirm this was the same person as the inspiration for the street name. Funny, the Borough got the spelling wrong.
Robert Mathison had settled in Hope in 1898, and was the uncle of another local and well-known miner, Carl Cark. (Clark Road). Carl has a daughter who currently lives in Hope.
Having come from Texas with the lure of gold, Mathison established himself in Hope and encouraged the Clarks to join him. In l913, the Clark family arrived in Hope. Eventually, Carl Clark, age 12, began to work on his uncle's mining claims on Resurrection Creek and did so for many years.
Robert Mathison became well known for the 385 ounces of gold he collected in 59 days of placer mining. He provided a comfortable living for his family in nine years of working his claims. He certainly left his mark on Hope. Mathison's great niece currently lives in Hope.
Having found several articles on Mathison, I switched my attention to Whiskers. Now my city background told me something had to be written in order to be special enough to name a street after this man. So I searched. And searched.
Finally, I called Marcus Mueller of the Kenai Borough Planning and Zoning section.
“What's the process for naming streets?” I wanted to know.
“Well,” Marcus started, “It's actually arbitrary. We could name it anything but to give respect to the community, I asked a few locals for some suggestions.”
As Marcus continued his explanation, the word “arbitrary” finally sunk in. Of course! I wasn't going to find anything in writing about this person. I needed to talk to the locals who knew Whiskers.
“Who gave you the information, Marcus, about Whiskers?”
“Oh, I couldn't tell you my source!,” he said, like I was going to die if he revealed it.
After I hung up, I made a few phone calls myself to sources.
Emerson G. Barrett, also known as Whiskers by the unruly bristles of hair that surrounded his face, came to Hope in the late l950s. He had been a machinist and was rumored to have played the violin in the Detroit Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. Why he ended up in Hope was a mystery. Also a mystery was how he supported himself while here, moving from one small cabin to another. Maybe he was an eccentric and lost his way. Maybe he came here to find some course of direction. Certainly, as I sifted through his limited history at the museum, he was a skilled cartoonist and wrote poetry that had been published.
As with many characters of Hope's past, he came and went like a ghost whisperer. He left behind not a famous name, but vestiges of the oddities of his life during the brief window of time that he was here.
And really, what better name for an Alaskan street is “Whisker's Alley?”
Maggie Holeman owns and operates Black Bear B&B. Tel. 782-2202.
