Twenty-Seven Years in Alaska is the story of one woman's adventures in the remote wilderness of the north. From canoe camping next to unnamed lakes, to kayaking in Alaska's pristine waters, she describes her many encounters with the bears, moose and other animals that make this wilderness their home. With her partner David she helped to build a cabin on a remote piece of property, off the grid and accessible only by boat. Illustrated with the photos she took along the way, her story is sometimes comic, and sometimes tragic, but throughout its pages she speaks with the voice of one who loves nature and the wilderness.
"In more than 80 photographs... Hidden Alaska celebrates one of America's last great natural wonders, from its spectacular mountains and watersheds to its native peoples and wealth of wildlife. Encompassing 40,000 square mile and eight river system, Bristol Bay is a remote realm"--Jacket.
At the Fairbanks International Airport's main terminal, we went to the ticket counter to pay for our plane trip. The young lady working asked us if we were going to Lake Minchumina for trophy fishing. She continued to tell us that a lot of people go there for the big fish. I made the mistake of telling her that we were going on a hike to the federal land settlement area to find land to stake a claim. Her mouth said nothing, but her eyes screamed "crazy person." I resisted the urge to try and explain further because it was obvious her mind was made up. I said no more and walked away with my dignity (somewhat) intact.
Here is a fascinating portrayal of the life and ministry of Bill Gordon, dynamic and unorthodox leader of the Episcopal Church in Alaska for twenty six years. It is a story, too, of a changing Alaska, beginning in the 1940s and taking us to the post-oil pipeline era of the 1970s. Upon Bill's election as bishop in I 948 at the age of 29, the Gordons moved to Fairbanks and Bill assumed control of the enormous Missionary District. Undaunted, he learned to fly and soon was spending six months of his year traveling among the far-flung Indian and Eskimo villages in his single-engine plane. He had many dose calls in the Alaskan wilderness, crashing no less than six times. Tireless in his dedication to his flock, Bill could be a tough taskmaster. Priests who came north to his parishes soon learned to "rough it" like their bishop, who was often content with a pot of beaver stew and a sleeping bag in a one-room hut. Bill marched to a different drummer on many issues, openly opposing the Vietnam war at a time when very few of his parishioners and fellow bishops did. In the mid· I 960s he began an ambitious and controversial program to raise up native clergy-priests whose only training was on the spot. This meant changing the canons of the Episcopal Church, but Bill prevailed, ordaining twenty-seven native men and women in the early 1970s, In 1974, after serving for twenty-six years as a bishop, Bill saw his work completed and resigned, leaving an indelible mark on Alaska and the Episcopal Church.
The collection consists of a 255-page typescript manuscript written (probably in 1938) by Katherine G. Kane, titled My Twenty Seven Years in Alaska and the Aleutians. The text is illustrated with mounted photographs, including both snapshots and commercial images. Twelve additional photographs were enclosed in an accompanying envelope. The text contains transcriptions of correspondence, reports, and news articles pertaining to Kane's tenure in Alaska. The manuscript bears some penciled notes, possibly made by an editor to whom the manuscript had been offered for publication. Facing page 245 is a typescript poem, "I believe," signed and dated "Carrie Jacobs-Bond, 1943." For table of contents and list of photographs, see Detailed Description of Collection.
