A Creek, a Hill & a Forty book just published
My newest book, A Creek, a Hill & a Forty: The early years of Alaska’s Matanuska Colony, seen through a colonist’s letter home—Margaret Miller’s story, has just been published. The book is a firsthand...
Tagged: Alaska
K-6 gillnetter is a reminder of Kenai’s long fishing history
One of the earliest commercial transactions involving Alaska salmon occurred in 1786. In that year two British ships stopped in Cook Inlet, which was then under Russian-American Company control, to trade Hawaiian yams for...
Old Town section of Homer experiences a renaissance
“Old Town” Homer is located on the benchlands of Kachemak Bay’s north shore, southwest of modern Homer’s business district. The Sterling Highway delineates the area’s northern boundary, with Bishop’s Beach to the south, and...
Old depot is a monument to Seward’s survival as a railroad town
The old railroad depot in Seward is testament to the travails the city has gone through as a railroad town. Although constructed in 1917, the depot’s history can be traced back to the advent...
Palmer train depot served as a link between Matanuska Colony and the rest of Alaska
Prior to construction of the Alaska Railroad through the Matanuska Valley, there was little development in the area that would one day be Palmer. One of the first white men in the valley was...
Lemeta neighborhood is eclectic mix of rustic cabins and modern homes
The late 1940s through the 1950s were a tumultuous period for Fairbanks. Military personnel and civilians poured into the area at an alarming pace as the Cold War with the Soviet Union heated up...
Slaterville: from hayfields to housing developments
The development of the Slaterville area, on the north side of the Chena River across from downtown Fairbanks, started soon after the city was established. It is a residential area now but began as...
The Alaska Native Brotherhood, one of Alaska’s oldest Native rights groups
Three years before the 1915 Tanana Chiefs Conference, another significant event in Alaska Native history occurred, the birth of the Alaska Native Brotherhood in Southeast Alaska. Indians in SE Alaska felt the effects of...
Bobby Sheldon’s auto-buggy was first automobile built in Alaska
The vehicle in the drawing is an automobile built by Robert. E. “Bobby” Sheldon at Skagway in 1905. Bobby was born in Snohomish, Washington, in 1883. In 1897 he and his father landed in...
Sitka’s Orthodox cathedral rose from the ashes after 1966 disaster
The Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in Sitka (originally Novo-Arkhangel’sk, meaning New Archangel) is perhaps the most well-known example of Alaskan architecture from the Russian-American period. The first church services in Novo-Arkhangel’sk were...
