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Capt. Karl Kircheiß, a decorated German sailor, visited Steve Melchior in Seward in 1932.

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Steve Melchior: Treasured peninsula pioneer with a sketchy past — Part 3

AUTHOR’S NOTE: An adulthood constructed on a web of lies eventually led Stephan “Steve” Melchior to leave his…

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Years Ago

Homer happenings from years past

These fudgy brownies are a classic, decadent treat. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

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Dessert for a thoughtful reader

These classic fudgy brownies are dense and decadent.

This is the most famous photograph of Steve Melchior, as a copy of it resides in the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. The Melchior family owns a very similar photograph, with a note in pencil from Steve Melchior on the back. The note, written for family members back in Germany in the late 1920s when Melchior was suffering from rheumatism, says, “That is the only way I can get out because my legs won’t walk anymore. I don’t like driving a car, and the dogs take me wherever I want to go. The one in the front is called Bill (in German, Wilhelm), and the one on the left is called Waldman. The black one on the right is called Nick or Nikolaus. Three good, loyal workers, my bodyguard.”

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Steve Melchior: Treasured peninsula pioneer with a sketchy past — Part 2

AUTHOR’S NOTE: By at least his early 20s, Steve Melchior had begun to fabricate a past that would…

Years Ago

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Years Ago

Homer happenings from years past

This nostalgic sauce is so shockingly simple, you’ll never buy a bottle again. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion

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America’s favorite culinary representative

The original recipe for ranch dressing was invented and perfected in Alaska, out in the bush in 1949.

Homer’s Cosmic Creature Club performs at the 2024 Concert on the Lawn at Karen Hornaday Park. (Emilie Springer/Homer News file)

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July events to provide entertainment and fun on lower Kenai Peninsula

Events include the Highland Games, Concert on the Lawn, local art camps and the Ninilchik Rodeo.

Between 1879 and 1892, Stephan Melchior (far left, middle row) performed his mandatory Prussian military service. He was a member of the Eighth Rhineland Infantry Regiment No. 70 in Trier, Germany. (Photo courtesy of the Melchior Family Collection)

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Steve Melchior: Treasured peninsula pioneer with a sketchy past — Part 1

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Although I could not have written this series without the assistance of numerous individuals, I want…

This cake stacks colored crepes for a brilliant rainbow breakfast. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

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Crepes of a different color

This rainbow cake celebrates Pride with layers of colored crepes.

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Years Ago

Homer happenings from years past

“Bibim guksu” or “mixed noodles,” are traditionally served with a thin wheat flour noodle called somyeon (somen). (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

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Spicing up summer

With my hectic work behind me, I have settled into our summertime routine… or, more accurately, the lack…

Frank Rowley and his youngest child, Raymond, stand in knee-deep snow in front of the protective fence around the main substation for Mountain View Light & Power in Anchorage in 1948 or ’49. This photo was taken a year or two before Rowley moved to Kenai to begin supplying electrical power to the central peninsula. (Photo courtesy of the Rowley Family)

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Let there be light: The electrifying Frank Rowley — Part 2

AUTHOR’S NOTE: A similar version of this two-part story concerning the life of Frank Rowley and the ways…

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Years Ago

Homer happenings from years past