Anchorage 1910 - 1940 Legends & Legacies

Plumb, Charles L. "C.L." or "Les"

1895-1989 | Brick Mason

Charles Lester “C.L.” or "Les" Plumb was born on March 28, 1895 near Green Castle, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, the youngest son of A.A. Plumb and Hannah M. Plumb. His father was a farmer.[1]

Charles L. “C.L.” or “Les” Plumb married Julia “Jewel” Gertrude Augustine in October 1914. She was born in 1896 in Buffalo, New York, to William and Jennie Augustine. She grew up on the family farm, where one of her jobs was to ride horseback into town for the weekly mail. After they were married, Charles and Julia moved to Canada and homesteaded just outside of Calgary. In September, 1915, they moved back to Buffalo, where their son, Earl, was born on December 28, 1915.[2]

The Plumbs tried to adjust to civilized living but the lure of the wild called them again and they returned to Canada, where they homesteaded outside of Cochrane, Alberta until 1926. When wanderlust took over again, Charles and Julia moved to Florida where they ran a small restaurant and gas stop until the Great Depression began.

In 1929, the Plumbs were in Seattle, Washington where they were attracted by the opportunities in Alaska. Her family later wrote: “Jewel, Les and their young son drove into Seattle in early 1929. Jewel insisted that the car’s wheels were singing, ‘To Alaska, to Alaska.’ “[3]

On September 20, 1929, the Plumbs arrived in Seward aboard the steamer S.S. Yukon. From there, they traveled by train to Talkeetna, where Julia Plumb worked as camp cook for the Alaska Railroad during the winter and drove a tour bus in the summer, chauffeuring tourists around Mount McKinley National Park. Charles “C.L.” or “Les” Plumb worked for the Alaska Railroad at the Talkeetna Section and the Mount McKinley Tour Company as a mechanic.[4]

In 1932, the Plumbs moved to Anchorage. Charles “C.L.” or “Les” Plumb continued to work for the Alaska Railroad, and was also hired by the City of Anchorage’s water department. In 1940, he worked as a “pump man.”[5]

Charles “C.L.” or “Les” Plumb was a brick mason by trade. In Anchorage, he was responsible for many residential additions and fireplaces.[6] 

In 1932, Charles “C.L.” or “Les” Plumb began building the family home at 726 M Street, in Anchorage. He purchased the lot for $150 from Albert Johnson, a passenger and freight car builder for the Alaska Railroad. The original house on the site was quite small, and rooms were added by Plumb and his son, Earl, over the next several years. In Patterns of the Past: An Inventory of Anchorage’s Historic Resources (1986), Michael Carberry and Donna Lane provided this description of their home:

“A remarkable amount of effort and care was expended on the structure and the resulting house is very distinctive. Strongly influenced by southern architecture (the Plumbs moved to Anchorage from Florida in 1929), the house was stucco over frame and had an arched entrance door, interior arches and a crenelated two-story tower. (Original plans included a tile roof). Other unique features included hand stenciling using native ferns, hand-built cabinets and oak flooring.”[7]

Over the next few years, Julia "Jewel" Plumb settled in as a housewife and worked at Crocker’s Department Store in the winter. She was a talented, self-taught figure skater. She taught ice skating and gave frequent exhibitions. She also played classical piano, and bought and sold real estate. In the 1950s, she bred and showed cocker spaniels.[8]

In 1949, Charles “C.L.” or “Les” Plumb left Alaska for two years to farm in Dallas, Oregon. He then moved to Reno, Nevada, to work as a boiler room engineer until 1969, when he retired.[9]

In 1953, Julia “Jewel” Plumb and longtime friend Franklin Royce formed a partnership and bought a homestead outside of Ninilchik. In 1955, she and Franklin Royce were married at a small church in the area. Years later, their homestead was developed and is now known as Plumb Bluff Estates.[10]

Charles “C.L.” or “Les” Plumb was a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge. He was also interested in aviation and owned several airplanes and, with his son, Earl, owned a Cessna dealership. He flew as a bush pilot.[11]

Charles Les Plumb died on April 3, 1989 in Seward, Alaska.  Julia “Jewel” Gertrude (Plumb) Royce died on October 7, 1996, at the Palmer Pioneers' Home, just two weeks short of her 100th birthday. She was buried in Angelus Memorial Park in Anchorage. She was survived by her son, Earl R., of Anchorage.[12]

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Julia "Jewel" and C.L. "Les" Plumb on board the steamer Yukon, en route to Alaska, 1929.

Courtesy of the Plumb family.

The home of the Plumb family, 726 M Street, Anchorage.

Courtesy of the Plumb family.

Earl Plumb and his wife, Frieda "Freddy" Plumb.

Courtesy of the Plumb family.

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