Dick Shellhorn

Dick Shellhorn
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Dick Shellhorn is a lifelong Cordovan. He has been writing sports stories for the Cordova Times for over 50 years. In his Cordova Chronicles features, he writes about the history and characters of this Alaska town. Alaska Press Club awarded Shellhorn first place for Best Humor column in 2016 and 2020, and third place in 2017 and 2019. He also received second place for Best Editorial Commentary in 2019. Shellhorn has written two books about Alaska adventures: Time and Tide and Balls and Stripes. Reach him at dshorn44@gmail.com.

Cheerleaders place first in Valdez

Cordova’s Junior High Cheerleaders placed first in competition at the Valdez Junior High basketball tournament on Nov. 7-9.
Another cruise ship is docked below us, as the sun rises on colorful trees along the banks of the Columbia River in late October 2019. Photo by Dick Shellhorn/for The Cordova Times

Cordova Chronicles: Cruising down the Columbia River

Dick Shellhorn recounts a trip down the Columbia River in the wake of famed 19th-century explorers Lewis and Clark.
The demolition of Louis Nelson’s Odiak Slough boathouse in the early ’90s began with the removal of metal roofing. During the process, I discovered parts of the copper still he used to make moonshine over on Hawkins Island. Photo by Dick Shellhorn/for The Cordova Times

Cordova Chronicles: It’s a mad, mad world

Though Mad Magazine is shutting down, the world is still full of mad antics, such as a plan for a $10 billion border wall that can be cut through with a $100 reciprocating saw, Dick Shellhorn writes.
A view of Sheridan Glacier on Jan. 5, 2019 shows ice extending all the way to the bottom of Sheridan Lake Trail. Photo by Dick Shellhorn/for The Cordova Times

Cordova Chronicles: A pair of glaciers in full retreat

Union Army Generals Phil Sheridan and William Sherman were known for their aggressive tactics during the Civil War and retreat never seemed to enter their minds. They emerged as leaders in battles that eventually ended that bloody and tragic conflict. Ironically, two glaciers near Cordova that are named in their honor are now retreating — in a pace that is startling and historic.
Moored at the end of B Float in Cordova’s North Harbor, the 34-foot Vecci will have a new name but is still in tip-top condition. Photo by Dick Shellhorn/for The Cordova Times

Cordova Chronicles: The legacy of a 60-year-old boat

Wandering about today’s Cordova boat harbor, one would be hard pressed to find a wooden craft, writes Dick Shellhorn. Yet tied at the end of Float B in the North harbor is a craft that appears to be fiberglass but in fact was originally wood, a vestige of a different era and style of fishing.
By the early ’60s, our duck hunting craft had advanced to a metal Quachita with 18 hp Johnson, but Dad was still finding great joy in river running. Photo by Dick Shellhorn/for The Cordova Times

Cordova Chronicles: A sport that defies explanation

Duck hunting is a sport that defies explanation, writes Dick Shellhorn — but perhaps that's its greatest charm.
Cordova’s Vincent Nothstine, 30, and James Corales battle for a rebound in junior high basketball action against Valdez on Sept. 27, 2019. Photo courtesy Joe Prax/for The Cordova Times

Cordova Junior High boys sweep series with Valdez

The Cordova Junior High boys swept an exciting basketball series with the Valdez Huskies, writes Dick Shellhorn.
Rock and fill for the Power Creek Project project came from the pit one mile out Whitshed Road, with 40 foot low-boy tractor-trailers making an average of eight trips per day throughout July and August 2019 to haul 29,000 yards of material to construction site. Photo by Dick Shellhorn/for The Cordova Times

Cordova Chronicles: Power Creek repairs completed on schedule

"These days, completion of construction projects on schedule seem to be a rarity," writes Dick Shellhorn. "Yet Cordova’s Wilson Construction did exactly that, wrapping up a $2 million repair job to the far end of Power Creek on Sept. 15."
This summer big ripe salmon berries were available everywhere for both bears and human berry pickers. Photo courtesy of Marleen Moffitt/for The Cordova Times

It’s been a very berry summer

It’s been a very berry summer, and in fact, that’s likely why it has not been a very bear-y summer.
With trademark pipe in place, Dad prepares to start a sometimes-cantankerous Johnson 18 hp outboard in front of Les Maxwell’s duck cabin at Pete Dahl. Photo by Dick Shellhorn/for The Cordova Times

Cordova Chronicles: Ode to a budget guru

Back on July 7, 1958, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act, my father Don Shellhorn was so excited, we built a big bonfire on the edge of the street near our Second Street home. Dad passed away in 1995, but I am sure sparks would have been flying from his pipe quite often if he had been around to read the headlines in the Anchorage Daily News regarding politics and state financial issues this past year.
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