A*L*A*S*K*A
The Alaskan page content is taken from the memories of Sharon
and her children, B. J., Mike, and Dawn-Michele. Sharon headed
north in November of 1966 and remained in Alaska until November 1979.
She lived in Anchorage, Chugiak (just outside of Anchorage), on
St Lawrence Island (located in the Bering Sea), and Aniak
(an Indian village)on the Kuskokuim River. While there she worked
for the State of Alaska, and flew with the Civil Air Patrol. B.
J. was nine months old when he traveled north with his Mom and
Dad, Bill. Mike and Dawn-Michele were born there.
The events and adventures are real; but, because this isn't a book they will not be in chronological order and will be told in random order - as the memories come to mind.
We hope you enjoy learning about life in the Great Land, take in a little history, and just plain have fun as you travel with us on our cybermemory trip
GENERAL ALASKAN STORIES
Vitus Bering, a Danish explorer, working for Russia was the first European to land in Alaska. Alexander Baranov, first governer of Russian America, set up headquarters in Archangel, near present day Sika, in 1799.
Secretary of State William H. Seward bought Alaska from Russia for 7.2 million dollars in 1867, a bargain some called "Seward's Folly". In 1896, gold was discovered and the famed Gold Rush was on.
And the people came.
ANIMAL STORIES
We will share stories of animals that belonged to us or were a part of our Alaska expreience in this section.
In 1970 we were living in Chugiak, just north of Anchorage. We had moved our mobile home to a park in a wooded area. The lot was in the back row and there was a bank that dropped off to the wooded area beside the yard. Bill had left the service and taken a job that required travel so we had purchased a citizen band radio and set up an antenna to keep in touch. Because of the winds that blow down Cook Inlet we had double wired each of the guywires at the corners of the antenna for extra security.
One morning, about 2AM, we were awakened by a terrible noise outside the house. Bucky the Pooh, our dog, was barking and scratching to get out. The children were crying; and I was trembling in fear. At first I thought it was an earthquake, but earthquakes don't make noises like that.
When we shined the flashlight into the yard we saw just what was going on. There in the yard was a young moose snorting and stomping with his antlers caught between a set of guywires! Moose have very poor eyesight, and as he tried to cut across the yard to the woods he had not seen the wires and became caught. We immediately called the authorities; and the next set of authorities we were told to call, and the next.......... Finally we reached someone who said they would call someone to come out and help us. He told us not to go out and try to help the moose ourselves. Believe me we weren't even thinking about that idea.
The moose was getting very angry by now (I'm sure all the neighborhood dogs barking and people coming to see what was happening didn't help). He had been there over an hour by now. A little after 3AM there was an even louder rumble, then a crash - - then silence. The silence was deafening. We looked out and saw what was left of the antenna trailing over the edge of the yard into the woods and no sight of the moose.
Gathering courage, we went into the yard. No sounds of the moose were heard. We collected what was left of the antenna and moved it out of the way. And then we waited for the authorities, and waited. At daylight a truck arrived and we told the men the story. They went into the woods in seach of the moose and to see if he needed aid. The moose was never seen. They told us there were no signs of injury left on any greenery - just signs that a moose had moved as rapidly as possible through the woods.
Before we replaced the antenna, we got permission to put up a good strong fence. One nearsighted moose taking a shortcut was enough for us.
ST LAWRENCE ISLAND STORIES:
St Lawrence Island is about 180 miles from Nome, Alaska and the western end, at Gambell, is 38 miles from Siberia. There is a theory that the island is the remnant of the Land Bridge that allowed the crossing of animals and later humans from Asia to the Americas. The island natives are Siberian Yu'pik and related to the Siberian Natives rather than the Inupik peoples of the mainland. It is thought that St Lawrence Island has been inhabited for several thousand years. The natives had little contact with the rest of the world until European traders began to frequent the area. In 1880 a famine reduced the population from about 4,000 to 500 people. In 1900 a herd of reindeer was moved to the island, where it thrives on the south side today.
When the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was passed in 1971, the villages of Gambell and Savoonga decided not to participate, and instead opted for title to the 1.136 million acres in the former St Lawrence Island Reserve. See map
Our family moved to the Island in the fall of 1970 and lived at Northest Cape for almost two years. We had many wonderful friends and enjoyed exploring the island, and learning about another culture.
"How would you like to live in an Eskimo village" Those words would start a great two years in our lives. After I said yes, we collected as much gear and supplies as we could think of - like pioneers going west we ended up abandoning some of it along the way. You would not believe how much stuff it takes to live a simple life!
I had sent most of the things ahead so they would arrive before we did. Most people move by moving van - we moved by US Mail. We arrived at the landing strip on the island one windy day - myself, three tired and cranky kids, and one small Terrier/poodle mixed dog, along with 33 boxes of supplies (not one of which held the necessary items that had been sent ahead). That was life in Alaska. The other boxes did come in on the next plane, four days later.
We drove down to the village in a company truck. On the way the children's father, Bill, explained the village was empty because everyone moved away when the Air Force closed the site and the company took over. The people still stopped by as they hunted or traveled south. There were many small native type houses on the road and a large two storied house on the beach. We stopped and got out. Turning his back on the large house, Bill pointed the other way at a small native house and told us that would be our new home.
Our house consisted of tiny two rooms and an attached shed. The doorway was about 4 foot tall and you stepped over a board to enter. The ceiling was 6 feet at the highest. The main room (when we furnished it) had three beds around the room, a suitcase for a utility table, an oil stove and a table to hold the camp cook stove. There was a hook hanging from the ceiling to hold the lantern. The other room had a table for doing dishes, and shelves to store things on (which we did not use for food because the Lemmings got into everything that wasn't wrapped in aluminum foil in a metal box. It had a partition to hide the "facilities". The walls were covered in Battleship Gray heavy cardboard. Oh yes, the house had been built from the wood of packing crates.
Did we fit?, Did we really have to look out for Polar Bears?,
Did Mabel Toolie ever live in an Igloo?, What happened on the Night
of the Bear? How do you make the Northern Lights dance? Visit again
these questions will be answered.
FAMILY STORIES:
In November 1966, we were transfered from Klamath Falls, Oregon to Elmendorf AFB, in Anchorage, Alaska. The government moved our mobile home by barge and we set out to travel the Alaskan Highway in a very old car. We had it checked by a mechanic, and everything was working when we set out. We had B. J., who was 9 months old at the time, in his port-a-crib in the back and his clothes and food stored where the legs of the bed rested on the back floor. Our two cats, Bill and I sat up front. We were on our way! We made it as far as Dawson Creek, Canada, where the Alaska Highway starts, and the heater went out. The mechanic said it couldn't be fixed in Canada so on we went without a heater. Now let me stop here for a minute and tell you that no matter where I move it is always the worst winter in "whatever" number of years and this was no exception. We traveled with a thick sheet of ice covering the car and on the side windows, with just enough scraped off to not create a dangerous situation. B. J., who was bundled and very warm, entertained himself watching his breath go up as he breathed. The cats climbed inside my coat and kept themselves and me warm.
The scenery was beautiful and we didn't have the problem with trucks kicking up rock, as we had been told might happen - all the rocks were frozen and couldn't move. When we finally made it to Alaska; we stopped in Tok. When we went out the next morning to start the car, it wouldn't even turn over, even with an engine heater. It was -60 degrees F, with a nasty wind chill factor. We had to wait another day to continue. We finally made it to Anchorage and stayed with our sponsor family until our mobile home made it to Anchorage. The barge had been iced in while going up the Inland Passage and didn't arrive until the day before Christmas. That was our welcome to Alaska.
New stories will be added as we remember them so check back often.
Alaska pictures Here are some of our Alaska pictures, we will have more soon.
Here are some great links to Alaskan Pages
Official Trail Sled Dog Race Home Page Interesting information about the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.
Alaska Community Information Summaries Learn about different Alaskan communities.
Alaska Zoo Visit the Alaska Zoo and see some Alaskan animals and their friends.
Alaska Raptor Rehabilition Center The center in located in Sitka AK and treats,
rehabilitates, and releases wild birds. The have a wonderful Alaskan slide show.
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