Memories of Armstrong
Bob Wanner started sharing his memories by sending an email message to Bob Davisson – a USAF airman who had served at Armstrong back in 1952-1953. His original message is presented below.
Hello Airman Davisson:
I just read your highly interesting remembrances from your tour of duty with the 914th in 1952-1953. How great to read everything you mentioned. The memories are again beginning to flood my mind. My name is Bob Wanner. I made A/1C up there in 1955-1956 while "flying a typewriter" in the Orderly Room. I was "Morning Report" Clerk for the unit, AFSC 73250 I believe.
Where to begin? You got in on the activation of the site. How interesting to read all of that as the startup was always unknown to me. In fact, this web site of the Pinetree Line was unknown to me until a week or so ago when myself, along with another former 914th Airman Davie England from SLC, were able to finally get together for a journey back in time to our former "home for a year" at Armstrong. This web site was given to us by Bert Lunstrum, the manager of the J&J Store (old Hudson's Bay Store).
I don't know if I am able to remember everything you had to say on the remembrance page, but that I could associate with a lot of what you had to say although I was in Armstrong something like two years after you had departed (March 1955 until March 1956). Most locations and happenings were about the same as you stated. The CNR was the "big" show in town at that time with no way in or out except by rail or by air.
McKenzie Lake was our summer hangout. I even went swimming in that lake a couple of times. The water was cold I remember, but who cares when one is 19-years old. And we had that big American Flyer blue bus to transport us back and forth to town, although I walked most of the time. Was that bus at the 914th in 1953? I thought our Officers had a "Otter" aircraft out at the Airport, but you said it was a "Beaver". I was only invited to one R&R flight in that aircraft that took another Airman and myself to Port Arthur/Fort William for a weekend in 1955. But it was always being used quite heavily by all the Officers to sustain their necessary "Flight Time".
Remember the CNR station beanery? Of course you do. I spent many, many hours in there sipping coffee, eating blueberry pie, and talking with the pretty waitress who lodged upstairs in the station building. And us Airmen would "hang out" at what we called "Teenie's" restaurant on the west end of King Street. We called it that because of one of the waitress working there. Maybe it was called "Mom's Place", I forget. And we would see movies at Lataski’s Hall, I believe that was the large two-story building on King Street just to the west of the Hudson's Bay Store. I was only in the King George Hotel once or twice during my 1955 stay because I was really afraid to go in there at that time.
Being a Personnel Clerk I did not have the clearance to go "up the hill" to the radar operations or even the radio shacks, so I was never in those areas. But all of us made good use of those wooden "Contractors Buildings" up from the base Main Gate. That’s where we saw our movies, and I believe Supply was located up there. I remember I made use of the Photographic Darkroom at lot as that was my hobby to help pass the time.
I remember the good food rations we were entitled to because of our location being considered a "remote site" Those big steaks every Sunday were well exploited. I seem to remember being in one of those big walk-in refrigerators or freezers one time and eating maybe three quarts of fresh strawberries. But I don't seem to remember having to pull KP duty while at the 914th. Maybe civilians were employed for that. Or am I just dreaming?
You mentioned that while you were there that the base cooks squawked at all the fresh caught fish being brought in for processing. Well, I can add one to that that really caused a uproar. Seems that someone from the base was lucky on a hunting expedition in the Fall of 1955 and somehow dragged a full 1200 pound moose back to the base and wanted it dressed. I forget how that episode ended up. But I do remember eating moose steaks soon after that.
I have to ask. Nobody so far has mentioned it or maybe I missed it. But do you remember "shit lake" just to the rear (East) of our base. This is where the primitive sewage system drained out. Maybe it wasn't a problem yet when you were there, but man, it was brown from shore to shore. I believe the adjoining lake was call Red Granite Lake. But that was on the other side of the CNR causeway.
Friday nights in Armstrong in 1955 were "rip roaring" times as I recall. The two Mixed Trains arrived in town from the East and West bringing in a coach load of the Native People who were eager for a night on the town. Discarded bottles were everywhere on Saturday mornings. As I recall some of our Airmen had to participate in all this revelry and had to spend the rest of the weekend sobering up.
Any automobiles or trucks or anything else that rolled had to be brought into Armstrong by the railway in those days before any access roads were finally built. I remember quite a few around town however, mostly old bombers but a few almost new. One in particular I seem to remember was a "54 Chevy Bel Air" painted blue and white that belonged to someone at the 914th. I can remember unloading vehicles on the ramp of the CNR freight station from flat cars. I believe the nearest road where vehicles were loaded on the flat cars to reach Armstrong was a Sioux Lookout.
My arrival in Armstrong was on March 30, 1955 from a rail trip that started about 35/40 hours before from Selfridge AFB, Michigan. No sooner was I settled down in Barracks #4 and assigned to the Orderly Room for duty when I somehow contacted the Chicken Pox on my first visit to the town. I was placed in isolation somewhere on the ground floor of the Officers Barracks in what was the Medical Room I guess for about a week or so while I fought off the sickness. And was I sick! My reward upon recovery was that I could have anything I wished from the Mess Hall. Quickly the two quarts of Chocolate Ice Cream were consumed.
After that bout with sickness I settled in for a really great year tour at the 914th. Many friends were made there and I had a most enjoyable stay. At least for the summer months. I was spoiled I guess having arrived in the Spring of the year. When the ever so cold Winter months arrived that November I failed to enjoy the outside as much. It was not uncommon to experience 40-below temperatures for weeks at a time in December, January, and even February. Then the time passed very slowly and I was damn good and ready to depart the 914th in March of 1956.
But, all in all, it was an experience that I have strongly remembered as maybe one of the best years of my life. Maybe it was because at age 19 everything just seemed to work out right and this had been a new adventure away from home for the first time in my life. It certainly wasn't a "wasted year" for me. I wish I could now remember the names of those at the 914th that I served with. Its been close to 50-years now since those good days and a lot of names have escaped me. Thank goodness I took a load of photos, but not nearly enough. And why is it that I didn't mark down more of the names on the backs of the photos? I don't know.
Airman Davie England (A/1C in Supply) and I returned to Armstrong in September of 2001 on the 13th, a couple of days after that unbelievable terrorist attack struck our nation. We had driven for the first time on the 150-mile macadam road from just East of Thunder Bay after having started out from Detroit, Michigan two days before.
This road brings you into Armstrong from the McKenzie Lake area a little to the Southwest of town. Our first impression was that the town is basically little changed although some houses and buildings are gone and some are just now covered with more vinal siding. Biggest thing missing is the large redbrick CNR railway station. Now only a concrete slab remain, although the CNR did build a newer, large crew bunkhouse along the railway close by. The Hudson’s Bay store is now the J&J Store, Lataski's Hall is gone, and the old King George Hotel is now disguised as the Chateau North Hotel with a detached Motel to the East side. The Can-op Gas Station and Minimart are located just behind the Chateau North/King George Hotel. Just down King Street towards the 914th site, the Canadian Legion looks nothing like it did back in the 50's (I believe that one burned down), and Harry Mundell's log cabin General Store/Post Office/Fur Buyer is long gone. The Post Office is now back on Queen Street. Lots of new housing takes up the two furthest back streets, where nothing but bush stood in the 50's. A large expanse of new Native Persons housing takes up more land to the rear (North) of town out beyond the old sandpit.
In going out and up the hill on the new paved road to visit the site of the 914th, we were in for a few letdowns. Most buildings and locations are still there as I remember from the 1950's although Barracks #4 opposite the HQ Building is gone. Some sort of building had replaced it down through the years, but it to has been gutted. All the buildings as we remember them have now been completely abandoned, mostly due to extensive vandalism done during the Winter of 2000/01, just this year.
The current site owner, Jack Lunstrum was kind enough to give us a complete tour of the site including the insides of all the buildings at the base of the site as well as up the hill at the radar operations area. We walked through the Airmen’s, NCO, and Officers Barracks, the Mess Hall in all four corners, everywhere possible to try to have a look. Jack has done extensive alterations on the buildings over the years, but wanted to show us signs of how the buildings looked during our 1950's stay. I understand from Jack that the site was doing very well as a Motel/Restaurant and living area for quite a number of years when more of the logging industry was about town.
However, during the past several years, all this has declined and then the terrible vandalism that took place this past Winter of 2001 proved to be the last straw for Jack. He said he didn't even cut the grass this Summer. Everything as we remember it is now trashed.
Up on the hill the scene is the same. Abandoned completely. The three radar dome concrete bases remaining had originally been rebuilt from the two domes we remember from the 1950's, but all that equipment and the domes themselves are long gone. The operations buildings, radio station, guard shack all abandoned but still standing. Trash lays all over the area. Attempts were made over years to make use of the operations buildings for a truck maintenance building, but all that is gone.
There is one occupied building remaining that stands just to the East of the original motor pool building. It is a later constructed (wood, I believe) building that was not there when I served at the 914th. I believe only one family lives there. And down the North side (behind the Main Gate guard shack is still an occupied Mobile Home Park. Also the people of Armstrong now use the 914th water well and a new pump house to supply the town's water. Sewage I'm not sure of. As well there is some sort of small industry located in that area. Not sure what is done there.
The roads still go into the radio receiving and transmitting sites. I believe I saw a very tall radio tower now located on top of the tallest former radar dome concrete shell.
The townspeople are still as friendly and hospitable as they were in the 50's. Everyone wanted to meet us and say "hello" as well as to show us around town. Ken Mundell drove us out to the Armstrong Airport where we found no buildings or hangers yet standing of what we remembered as being there so long ago. Several of the houses located there back in the 50's had been moved back into town. That's an operation I would have liked to have seen being done.
The road to the Airport new extends many more miles out into the bush and is heavily used by those huge logging trucks. In town all of the CNR railway buildings, the old roundhouse, maintenance buildings, freight house, coaling tower, ice house, you name it, its all gone. Everything across the tracks to the South of town are gone, its just empty land. It’s still the Mainline of the CNR and the diesels still stop for a new crew there, but all the excitement is gone.
Talked myself out. So glad I found this web site and your contribution to it. Enjoyed reading all that you had to say. It all brings back a load of good memories. Look for some photos and such that Ren says he will find time to post on the site.
Best wishes,
A/1C Robert E Wanner
Bob Wanner then continued by sending me an email message – which I add to this article.
This is all getting so much better all the time. The memories are swarming for me and I am very elated (happy) to have finally caught up with you and your web site. I'm gaining so very much insight by reading what you have written down. I must be like you, Armstrong and the radar site are ingrained in my memory of things great in my life. Nineteen was surely one of the best years of my life.
As you know, all of my photos are on its way to you. I couldn't come up with my misplaced 201 (Personnel) File, but it’s got to be here somewhere. Please do include on your site anything you find of interest that I may reminisce about in all this correspondence. Things keep coming to mind about events at Armstrong so they may not be included all at once. But these thoughts are as I remember them. I wish I could remember more names. The 201 File would help with those. I'm almost angry with myself for not being able to locate it.
You know I was up there this September (the 11th, that awful day, until the 19th), but only in Armstrong on the 13th and 14th. It takes a while to make that drive from here. Total mileage to get up there and back was 3,448.7 miles. Well worth it. We even got a plane ride from Lake McKenzie so that we were able to take photos of the base and town from the air. That was nice.
I have a black and white negative here of an Airman with two pups (puppies) we adopted at the 914th in 1955. I'll have a copy made for you. Anyway here's a bit of a story about them. Maybe a little off color, but it comes to mind when I look at that negative. It seems one of the Airmen brought the two young pups back to the base one fine day to be our mascots or at least to provide for them. Someone must have approved this move as the pups were there as long as my tour lasted, at least. What happened was that one of the pups (being well fed) continued to grow to dog adulthood normally and became a fine looking animal. However, his twin's growth was all together different. Seems he remained a very smallish, malnutritious, scrawny looking little mutt. Reason, everyone got a kick out of continually feeding him beer and whiskey and other things he should not have been consuming. They got a big kick of seeing this poor dog stagger around the post throwing up and all the rest of those evil doings. They both had names, but these have escaped me. That's just another little story about life on the site.
Its been great talking with you.
Best wishes,
A/1C Bob Wanner