My obsession began on the road to the Alaska Highway… About Us July 3, 2013 Subject: Dad’s Journey I feel a bit presumptuous, so bear with me… Before we left on our journey both Mike and Matt [my sons] had occasion to ask how I felt about leaving work behind and heading off into a …
Tag Archives: North Country
Robert Service, Poet of the Gold Rush
Strikes, Gold Strikes, in the Far North Robert Service lived a long way from Northern Canada—in Glasgow, Scotland. Son of an heiress he got a good education; worked in a shipping office then a bank. He wrote his first poem at age 6. Studied literature at the University of Glasgow. Robert found inspiration in the …
Mushroom Ice
Mushroom ice opposed soldiers in British Columbia and Yukon. In Alaska mushroom ice defeated them. During the winter of 1942/43 commanders positioned regiments along the length of the brand new, rough draft of an Alaska Highway to keep it open for truck convoys from Dawson Creek to Fairbanks. More on Subarctic Ice Against daunting …
Legendary Alaskan, Mary Hanson
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. Hope Today The first winter, 1928, they trapped furs and Mary helped other trappers care for their sled dogs; earned …
Line on the Map
The line on the map that the Corps of Engineers would turn into the rough draft of the Alaska Highway in 1942, started at Dawson Creek, British Columbia and ended at Delta, Alaska. The Corps had no idea what lay in front of them. The land of the Midnight Sun could offer a traveler …
Schemers and Dreamers
Schemers and dreamers, over a century and a half, created ways to travel and transport material through the great subarctic North—a few ways. This difficult piece of the world fought back at every turn. But over time a stream of adventurous; brave; inventive; and, above all, greedy schemers came to do battle with it. More …
Peeing in a Coffee Can?
Peeing in a coffee can, an art “Dusty” Hannon had no interest in mastering, led her to carry her very own chamber pot on the train to Carcross. Well, of course. Everybody in Skagway and in sister town Carcross, for that matter, knew “Dusty”, accepted her logic. Skagway welcomed and took its true flavor from …
Will Rogers’ Brush with Alaska
Will Rogers entertained America through the Great Depression—can’t have been easy. He talked on the radio, he wrote newspaper columns, he appeared in movies; and, whatever the venue, he made people laugh. It’s hard to find humor in his brush with Alaska. More about the Comedian Almost as famous, Will’s friend Wiley Post didn’t …
Alaska Highway Churns Up Stories.
The main artery of the North, the great Alaska Highway churns up endless stories. Blogging Far North History Ron Brooks commented on a post that his father had worked on the highway. I messaged him, and we exchanged emails. Like so many of you, Tom has a treasure trove of information about his dad’s service …
Maternity Alaska Style
Maternity ward? A cabin in Eagle Alaska—in January. If the history of the subarctic north fascinates you, people who choose to live there especially fascinate you. The weather, the terrain, the geology, all downright hostile, draw utterly unique people who choose to live there because of the difficulty and danger, not in spite of …