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In September 1946, the Alaska Sportsman Magazine published “Moose Ranch,” an article by Mamie “Niska” Elwell. The story describes Steve Melchior’s moose-ranching operation from the 1920s and features two photographs of Melchior.

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Steve Melchior: Treasured peninsula pioneer with a sketchy past — Part 5

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Stephan “Steve” Melchior parleyed a partially fabricated past into a respected life as a miner and…

A healthy dose of shredded cheddar makes the veggies in this soup palatable even for the most sensitive diner. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

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Something warm and comforting

This mild and nutritious soup is full of fiber and vitamins, plus a healthy dose of shredded cheddar.

Years Ago

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Years Ago

Homer happenings from years past

Gluten-free baked goods are often dry and unsatisfying, but these cakes are moist and sweet. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

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Goodness without gluten

These cakes are moist, sweet, and honestly the best gluten-free cake I have ever made.

Posing in front of Steve Melchior’s cabin on the Killey River in 1912 are (left) packer/cook Ferdinand “Fritz” Posth and hunting guide William “Wild Bill” Dewitt, with two trophy Dall sheep heads. (Photo from E. Marshall Scull’s 1914 hunting memoir, “Hunting in the Arctic and Alaska”)

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Steve Melchior: Treasured peninsula pioneer with a sketchy past — Part 4

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

Years Ago

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Years Ago

Homer happenings from years past

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…

Years Ago

Community

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.