The story of Monte’s legs has Alaska all over it.
Life there is like nowhere else on the planet. It takes a unique kind of person to live there and love it.
A few months ago, researching our work in progress, my partner and researcher, Chris, ran across a story that ran in the Fairbanks News-Miner on August 15, 1942. She passed it on, thinking there might be a post in it.
There’s definitely a post in it.
The reporter tells us that he got his information from a gentleman named Richard C. Rothenberg. So I’ll tell you that he is my source too.
In December of 1910 and Alaska trapper named Monte ran his trap line on a day when the mercury dropped to 58 below zero. Being a trapper, and an Alaska trapper at that he forged on. And his legs and feet froze!
He made it back to his cabin and sent word back to Fairbanks that he had a problem.
Doc Mathewson broke out his sled, harnessed his dogs and went looking for Monte. He found him, brought him on his sled back to the hospital. And amputated both of his legs.
Kind of a disaster for a trapper.
The Fairbanks community liked Monte and Alaskans stick together. They did a fund raiser and accumulated enough money to get him to Seattle and get him equipped with artificial limbs–$3,800.
Monte travelled by sleigh to Valdez and from there to Seattle by steamship.
Eight months later, in August, he landed, equipped with man made legs, back in Valdez. Leaving his ship behind, he broke in the new equipment by walking to Fairbanks—370 miles. (I know there wasn’t much traffic on the Richardson, but surely someone could have stopped and offered a ride!)
I, of course, don’t know Mr. Rothenburg. But the Daily News Miner clearly found him credible.
And Alaskans are incredibly tough.
I’m deeply ashamed of my suspicion that loyalty to the story trumped loyalty to the facts.