The legendary lady entered the world in Italy; came, at age four, with her parents to Seattle, Washington; grew up there; got married there. At age 23 she moved with her husband to Hope, Alaska.
The first winter, 1928, they trapped furs and Mary helped other trappers care for their sled dogs; earned puppies for herself. The next winter the couple took over a mining operation in remote Kantishna County. Summers Mary worked the sluice boxes at the mine. Winters she mushed supplies in over the snow.
A 20 something girl from Seattle transplanted to a county so remote that even today it doesn’t have a zip code, learned to survive, to cope with deep snow and temperatures as low as 40 or 50 below, to work a mine, to raise and train and drive sled dogs. Picture a one room cabin, an outhouse, a primitive kitchen…
And Mary didn’t just survive. She didn’t suffer. She liked it! She made her life there. She strode into this incredible place and an incredible life and never looked back. Even as I ask myself what on earth made this incredible woman tick, I realize the most incredible thing of all. In the North Country she was normal!
“Normal” Mary became legendary Mary.
More to come…
That was a good read. I enjoyed it
I love this lady. Ill post more about her this weekend… stay tuned