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Photo courtesy of Shirley Watson.

"Reverend Parham and his wife Mazie moved to Alaska to homestead off Plack Road in North Pole. He was a journeyman carpenter who helped build the J C Penny store and the University of Alaska Fairbanks library. He was also the founder and senior pastor at Lily of the Valley Church in Fairbanks. Reverend Parham died in Fairbanks on June 1, 1997. He was 82" ~  Alaska Magazine 1997, v63 no.7  p91

Tape H91-29

Pictures of the Rev and his wife


Click on a section below to hear audio.

Reverend and Mrs. Leeroy Parham talk with Susan Fisher on May 16, 1991 about ...

1) Introduction and coming to Alaska.
Stockton, CA/ truck driver/ streets/ church/ store -- credit/ groceries/ money -- making|

2) Coming to Alaska.
California -- leaving/ working -- around the clock/ working -- construction/ ticket -- borrowed money/ Weeks Field/ work -- carpenter|

3) Reverend Parham comes to Alaska and his wife remains behind.
store -- managed/ children -- three girls/ store -- closed down/ communication -- Alaska, California/ writing letters/ family -- bringing up to Alaska/ house -- building/ 21st Street/ street -- building|

4) Living in their new house in South Fairbanks, Alaska.
kerosene lights/ power plant/ community -- safe/ work -- opportunities/ California -- friends thought he was crazy to live up in Alaska/ making a living|

5) Living and working in Alaska.
stateside/ staying/ working/ construction -- jobs/ respect/ Sunday -- no working/ jobs -- doing|

6) Carpenter's Union.
Union -- 1243/ local carpenters/ working/ tent -- slept in before he built a house/ weather -- cold all day/ cold weather -- didn't bother him|

7) Becoming homesteaders.
Territory of Alaska/ Cushman Street/ land -- getting/ land -- homestead/ acres/ land -- working it/ Stockton, CA/ debt/ Fairbanks -- you can make lots of money|

8) Homesteading.
money -- need it/ shipyard/ small plane -- took to Fairbanks/ opportunity/ Mrs. Parham's parents -- homesteaded in Arkansas/ parents -- ten children/ property -- try to won/ homesteading -- Alaska/ Big Delta -- first tried homesteading/ timber -- big|

9) Homesteading and making money.
Fairbanks -- small timber/ making money/ Chicago/ Detroit/ parents -- listening to/ marriage -- leaving after/ construction work/ bank account/ own boss/ money -- in your pocket/ store/ preaching/ getting established|

10) Leaving Big Delta and moving to North Pole.
Wainwright/ Moose Creek -- homesteading/ 160 acres|

11) Building a house on the homestead and getting the children to school.
house -- building/ homesteading/ moving into house/ children -- busing to school|

12) Getting the children to school.
protection -- learning to shoot/ Whitey and Vista -- dogs/ Badger road/ children -- go on bus/ rifle/ homesteading -- families/ McCormicks -- friends with eight children/ food -- sharing/ road -- built together|

13) Getting electricity on the homestead.
GVEA/ McCormick -- neighbors/ Golden Valley/ electricity -- monthly payments/ power plant/ bed springs -- homemade contraption to get power|

14) What kind of animals were on the homestead and what kind of crops were planted.
animals -- hogs, chickens, rabbits, goats/ barley oats/ homestead requirements -- grow crops/ fruit -- sold/ lettuce/ greens/ potatoes/ cabbage/ corn -- never generated/ cucumber/ experimenting with different crops|

15) Jobs in the winter season and coming in to Fairbanks.
janitorial/ cleaning businesses/ Polaris/ Northrup Building/ paneled truck/ church/ Aunt Peggy/ van -- no heat/ coals -- used to heat truck|

16) Weather at the homestead.
temperature -- very cold|

17) Mrs. Parham talks about life on the homestead.
happy/ growing up -- wanted to homestead/ crowds -- didn't like them/ hard work/ chickens -- killed before winter|

18) Raising hogs and the wild animals seen on the homestead.
hay -- kept hogs warm/ wild animals -- killed hogs/ wolf/ bobcat|

19) Wild animals on the homestead, processing meat and storage.
bobcat -- killed/ shotgun -- 20 gauge/ moose -- killed/ rabbits/ birds/ meat -- plenty of/ store -- Badger Road/ Mr. Poke -- made ground up meat/ meat -- cured/ stateside -- smokehouse/ storage-- dig hole, permafrost/ meat -- combination of rabbit and moose|

20) Location of Mr. Polk's store and North Pole.
Six mile Badger Road/ North Pole/ Millers/ Cunninghams/ Santa Claus House|

21) Richardson Highway, getting water and digging a well.
road -- not paved/ Hot Springs/ Fox -- getting water/ water -- well/ laundry/ well -- digging it/ drilling|

22) Pumping water and farming equipment.
life -- easier/ tractor/ Badger Road/ Main, Carl/ wrecking yard -- bought first car|

23) Planting crops and the flood.
oats/ barley/ harvesting/ meat/ Fairbanks/ getting ready/ water -- at house/ flood -- telling everyone|

24) What happened to the family when the flood came.
helicopter/ water/ scared/ boat -- bring back to house/ helicopter -- picking them up/ dogs -- some drowned/ animals/ school -- evacuated to/ hotel -- stayed in/ food -- hauling|

25) The flood and coming back home.
homestead -- returning to/ Hunter School/ Ryan School/ homestead house -- two story/ damage/ insurance/ Main Junior High/ food -- pickup|

26) Ministry.
Kotzebue -- preaching in/ working/ summertime/ preaching/ Kotzebue -- 1955|

27) Preaching in Kotzebue.
construction/ preaching -- old loghouse/ Eskimos/ audience -- Russians, Eskimos/ Kotzebue -- impressions/ tents/ dogteams/ boats -- brought food/ sleds -- used to haul food/ life -- hard/ fish -- salmon|

28) Native people fishing in Kotzebue and coming back to Fairbanks.
fishing hole/ construction -- work/ church -- building it/ preaching/ Lily of the Valley Church of God in Christ (pictured here)/ South Barnette Street|

29) Preaching on the streets.
pool hall/ Sundays/ electricity/ preaching -- three, four years|

30) Preaching on the streets in Fairbanks and in churches.
preaching -- jail/ hospitals/ read scripture/ praying for people/ donated -- work, money/ First Church of God and Christ/ Methodist Church/ Baptist Church/ Noble Street|

31) Lily of the Valley Church and its congregation.
funding -- to build church/ church -- expanding/ singing preaching/ testimony/ bible classes/ classes -- home and foreign mission/ encouraging people/ healing/ mission workers/ helping people|

32) Helping people.
blessing/ church -- enjoying/ church -- temple of God/ truth/ ministers/ missionaries/ preaching the word of God|


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