A primary use guide for my research in the Kootaneys of British Columbia. Well written and most directions were precise. It was somewhat out of date, but hot springs change so frequently that the book was not at fault. Still, it gave good reviews and excellent photos. All the maps were well done and easy to read and interpret. A great guide book and the best I've seen for Canada.

Skip Hill, Editor The Hot Springs Gazette

Alaska has always been peripheral, both to America, and to Russia before that. The Tsar's men stripped it of furs as fast as they could for 124 years---the first settlements began in 1743 and the US government bought Alaska in 1867 for $7.2 million, despite much opposition to such a "waste of money". Nevertheless, every place has a fascinating story to tell. I hoped to find such fascination in Gibson's book, but was only partially successful. If you read IMPERIAL RUSSIA IN FRONTIER AMERICA, you will no doubt gain a lot of knowledge about a little known episode in history, but will have to endure much academic trivia. I was impressed by the way Gibson divided the Russian colonization into four periods. The first, from 1793 to 1799, was about exploitation of fur resources, using mainly Aleut skills. During the second period, from 1799 to 1819, the Russian-American Company (on the same idea as the Hudson Bay or East India Company) expanded southwards to California and even made an attempt to gain control over Hawaii. The Indians often attacked Sitka and Russian nautical knowhow was so poor that 16 out of their 28 ships were wrecked. The third phase went from 1819 to 1840 and was perhaps the best of times for Russian America with more inland settlement, less conflict with Alaskan aborigines, and some modus vivendi with foreign competitors. The final phase, to 1867, saw the colonial enterprise weaken. The California fort was sold off to Sutter (of gold mining fame) and Russia's national attention turned more to Asia. What I was fascinated to learn was that at its height, at the very peak of population, Russian America contained exactly 823 Russians ! Not exactly a very determined effort. Russia HAD to sell Alaska because it could no longer supply its settlements there; it held a losing hand of cards. The main focus of this volume is the problem of supply---it is not a general history. Thus, most chapters concern the details of how Russia could or could not manage to supply its faroff colony. This is an interesting problem, but one which I fear does not loom large in the concerns of even potential readers of Gibson's work. The Russians tried sending food and materials overland through Siberia and then by sea. They tried sending stuff by sea around Africa or South America from St. Petersburg. They tried to grow food in Alaska. They tried to set up an agricultural base in California and they tried to send supplies from Hawaii. Finally, they attempted to secure their needs through trade with Americans, British, or Spanish/Mexicans. All these attempted solutions had their own consequences. Nothing worked very well. That's why they had to sell out. The minutiae of all this are laid out very painstakingly. Gibson did a very thorough job of research, but I found it more than a little trying to peruse lists of supplies purchased or sent, numbers of otter caught or amounts of grain grown. His use of Russian misspellings for Hawaiian names ('Voaga' for Oahu and 'Tomi-Omi' for Kamehameha for example) is a little bizarre. Overall, this book would be extremely useful for anyone studying the history of Russian colonization in the far northeast. That's why I have given it four stars. It could be read in conjunction with J.J Stephan's book on the Kuril Islands or with the book on Russia's Hawaiian adventure by Richard Pierce. The comparison which was uppermost in my mind while reading this book was with Geoffrey Blainey's "Tyranny of Distance", about Australia. The topic is exactly the same, but Gibson chose to approach the subject in a more circumscribed manner. Unlike Blainey's work, IMPERIAL RUSSIA IN FRONTIER AMERICA is for a few specialists, not for general readers, but there are many nuggets of fascinating information to be had.

UNABLE TO READ THE FIRST IN THE SERIES, I WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY FIND MYSELF ABSORBED INTO THE PLOT. THE AUTHOR USES HER OWN NATIVE HERITAGE TO COLOR THE LIFESTYLE. THE CHARATORS ARE REAL AND HUMAN AND ANNE STRUGGLES WITH HER NEW FOUND FAITH, ISSUES OF PREDJUDICE (IN A MIXED RACIAL MARRIAGE), AND HER CLASH OF CULTURES (INDIAN IN A WHITE SETTING).

The historic town of Eagle, Alaska, is literally at the end of the road, over a hundred miles of rugged gravel Taylor Highway from the Alaska Highway. Nonetheless, it is a major destination for tourists who brave the road, or who come down the Yukon River from Dawson City, due to its wonderful museum, historic buildings and artifacts, and outstanding guided tours.

Elva Scott of the Eagle Historic Society & Museum has presented a collection of essays about the history of Eagle and the pioneers who built it. Here you can read about Erwin (Nimrod) Robertson, the only man who ever ate a grizzly bear with its own teeth, and Judge James Wickersham who brought law and order to the lawless frontier.

A must-read for anyone interested in history.

One of several books by Alaskan teachers set in the post-WWII era. It takes place on the far end of the Aleutian Chain. The writer/ teacher is an older woman who goes back with her husband (a Norwegian-Eskimo) to the area where he grew up. Perhaps because of his ties to the area the author and her husband seem to avoid many of the bumps that other teacher/ authors write about in their Alaskan memoirs. The forward is invaluable in orienting the reader to the changes that have taken place in Akta since the author's stay in 1946. I especially like the way the chapters were divided by months and named according to their Aleut descriptions and translations. The author covers how she individualized teaching in a one room schoolhouse and gives other hints that could be useful even today for a teacher in bush Alaska. With the exception of the forward this book covers only one year in 1946. Those persons who have interest in WWII, especially the occupation of the Aleutians by Japanese forces, or interest or plans to visit the Aleutians will appreciate this book. It was written in an obviously caring way.

A fascinating account of the two years spent at and around Pt. Barrow, Alaska by the Royal Navy captain and crew of the HMS Plover. Tasked to mount a search from the west for the survivors of the ill-fated Franklin expedition, the Plover overwintered at Pt. Barrow for two consecutive years. In so doing, Maguire and his crew became the first Europeans to reside among the approximately 900 Inupiat Eskimos who then inhabited three villages along an eight-mile stretch of the coastline in this remote northwest corner of Alaska. Maguire's journal seems to be an honest account of his relationships with the Eskimos, which vacillated between strained distance and close friendships. It seems that the relationship at any given moment largely depended on the Eskimos' practice of stealing valuable items from the Plover. For instance, while frozen in the ice for the winter the Plover's sails went missing from the vessel's nearby storage shack. Maguire had to threaten force (using the ship's cannon) to secure the return of the canvas, which was in the process of being cut up in the village. On the other hand, Maguire represented the enlightened and educated leadership found in the British navy, and his fair treatment of the Inupiats was remembered among them as long as 35 years after his departure.

Joe takes his experience, local knowledge, some lore, as well as the technical "Sailing Directions" to put together an excellent feeling for what life along the Inside Passage is like. Transient, wet, varied, moving. Joe spent his young adulthood transitting this area from Seattle to the fishing grounds in Southeast and beyond. The book gives a good account on the differences in life between Alaska (fishing, logging, etc) and Seattle. This book is a good introduction to the Inside Passage, life on a fishboat, being away from loved ones, and the risks encountered at sea.

Enjoy cruising mostly inland waters that present more dangers than one imagines. This is a view from the cabin of a working boat, but translates very well to cruisers and sightseers who are planning a trip up the Inside.

This story is of an Alaskan pioneer family in Juneau, AK in the early 1900's. Their struggles, life experiences and livelihood -working a dairy farm against the elements of the wilds. It is a fresh and easy book to read for all ages. This book was written by a wife, mother and grandmother with much love for her family. She worked through her native language (German) to write this book in English - going to night classes for many years at the community colleges - in both Juneau and Seattle during her retirement years. She was a very proud and hard working lady!

"The Last Frontier" is an interesting collection of feature stories that originally appeared in "Alaska" magazine from 1935 until the present. They were chosen by the current editors of the magazine. The subject matter is quite varied, featuring outdoor adventure tales, life among the native people, wildlife exposes and much more. The stories are as varied as the people who inhabit the last great American wilderness.

The caveat I would note for anyone interested in reading the book is that most of the stories are quite short, and because they were published for a then-contemporary audience, someone not familiar with local history or geography might sometimes get lost in the narrative. Also, "Alaska" started out as a sportsman's magazine, so a lot of the early stories are about hunting and trapping, which some people might not enjoy.

Those cautions aside, "The Last Frontier" is a decent read for those who likes outdoor adventure stories.

Fascinating look at life in Alaska in the early 1900s from the perspective of one very game schoolteacher. Author was a true adventuress in an era before women were allowed to be much other than wives and mothers. An interesting read.