Charting an unknown country, exploring a wondrous land, searching for gold, delivering freight and mail beyond where any roads would reach, these were the exciting topics of books which became northland classics, with titles such as 'Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled, ' 'The Land of Tomorrow, ' and 'Along Alaska's Great River.' Wonderful photographs accompany the often colorful writings of Frederick Schwatka, Hudson Stuck, Robert Service, Josiah Edward Spurr, and many others as they tell of adventures, explorations, fortunes won and lost, and the magnificent promise of our great northern lands. Read the words of those intrepid travelers who accepted the challenge of the north and left an indelible mark in their writing of it. Their first-hand observations are invaluable to understanding the history, as when world traveller Frank Carpenter noted while touring the construction of the Alaska Railroad: "I was so fortunate as to see Anchorage in the stump, tent, and shack stage, though it was growing marvelously fast. I give you my notes just as I penned them when I was on the spot, seeing how Uncle Sam's engineers and executives were putting through their big job." Selected excerpts are from the following books: Golden Alaska, by Ernest Ingersoll The Land of Tomorrow, by William B. Stephenson, Jr. The Spell of the Yukon & Other Verses, by Robert Service The Ascent of Denali, by Hudson Stuck From Paris to New York by Land, by Harry DeWindt Through the Yukon Gold Diggings, by Josiah Edward Spurr A Woman Who Went--To Alaska, by May Kellogg Sullivan The Land of Nome, by Lanier McKee Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled, by Hudson Stuck Along Alaska's Great River, by Frederick Schwatka Alaska: Our Northern Wonderland, by Frank Carpenter A Dog-Puncher on the Yukon, by Arthur Treadwell Walden Alaska author Helen Hegener has compiled an engaging journey through the literary history of Alaska and the Klondike, and an introduction to some of the most compelling books ever written about the North.
About the Author: Helen Hegener is the author of over a dozen non-fiction books about Alaska's history, and the great sled dog races such as the Iditarod, the Yukon Quest and the All Alaska Sweepstakes. Recent titles include 'The Alaska Railroad 1902-1923, ' 'Alaskan Roadhouses, ' and ''Alaskan Sled Dog Tales.' Over the past several years she has given presentations about the subjects of her books at the Alaska State Fair, the Palmer Historical Society, the Talkeetna Roadhouse, radio, television, and many other venues. She has also written articles for Alaska Magazine, Last Frontier Magazine, Mushing Magazine, Alaska Dispatch and many other