Alaska

Nome carries a rich and blended history of cultures and people who have shared their Arctic ingenuity to thrive in this remote gold rush town on the coast of northwest Alaska.

News of the 1898 discovery of placer gold impelled thousands of prospectors to board steamships and head to the tent city of Nome, where miners worked shoulder to shoulder on the gold-bearing sands. The town swelled to encompass 20,000 people with dozens of stores and businesses, along with newspapers and photographers who captured the flurry of activities across the tundra and sea. Bering Sea storms, fires, and fluctuations in the gold industry have reshaped this northern town that continues to persevere due to a resilient community who believes there is no place like Nome.

Nestled against the slopes of Mount Juneau and Mount Roberts, Juneau grew in lockstep with Alaskan expeditions to be the resilient, unexpected capitol it is today.

Juneau has not always been the capital of Alaska. In fact, Juneau has not always been Juneau. But the place nestled against the slopes of Mount Juneau and Mount Roberts, originally named Dzantik'i Heeni, has always been picturesque and welcoming. After a successful strike triggered nearby mining claims in the 1880s, a makeshift camp grew on the waterfront to serve the needs of adventurers and gold-seekers. As numbers increased, the settlement was called Rockville, then Harrisburg, and finally named after Joe Juneau, one of the prospectors who, guided and advised by Tlingit leader Kowee, had made the original strike. In spite of efforts to move the capital to a central location, Juneau has remained Alaska's capital since 1906 and continues to invite settlers, adventurers, and explorers to visit and appreciate its beautiful setting and rich history.

Completed in 1911, the Copper River Northwestern Railway allowed Alaska's mining industry to flourish. Copper and gold prospecting townships and camps spread rapidly in the following thirty years. Far-flung glacier-side bunkhouses and angling stations dotted the wild landscape, with workers coming from all around the world to seek their fortune. The sudden closing of the Kennecott copper mine in 1938 left many of these industrial and residential structures abandoned. Leaving with only what they could carry, the miners left plates on tables and sheets on beds. Preserved by their remoteness and Alaska's harsh freezing temperatures, the sites retain many of these precious artifacts. Most still lie where they were left, almost a century ago.

Photographer Paul Scannell has spent years hiking to the region's precariously perched mountain-top copper mines and remote gold mining sites with the aim of capturing America's slowly disappearing frontier history. His fascination with dereliction and its haunting beauty grows with each new adventure. Observing nature reclaim its territory, for him, holds irresistible drama. This book maps a personal journey, driven by loss and defined by discovery and healing. It is a collection of his photographs, travel notes and observations.

Cordova's part in Alaska's early history and contribution to the fishing industry, culture and growth are uncovered in this fascinating history.

Cordova is built upon a rich foundation of bounties from both the sea and the land; add to that the traditions of many cultures of people and the result is a novel Alaskan community. Natives lived near the shores of the lake, and coastal areas of Prince William Sound guaranteed a food source with the return of the salmon each spring. Salmon also attracted others; by 1887, two canneries were operating in the Odiak Slough area. By 1915, Cordova became known as the ""Razor Clam Capital of the World."" High in the Wrangell Mountains lays the rich Kennecott copper lode; Cordova's deepwater port was selected as the most accessible terminus for copper ore shipment. A 196-mile railroad delivered the first train loaded with copper ore to Cordova in 1911, beginning an era of prosperity and growth. Cordova has since survived the loss of the railroad, devastating fires, nature's earthquakes, and man-made oil spills.

A fascinating look into the history of Eagle River's beginnings and vibrant community.

Eagle River's written history begins in 1898, when the valley was explored by W.C. Mendenhall of the US Geological Survey. Since that first journey, a vibrant community has grown just 10 miles from Anchorage, still retaining its small town characteristics. The early years include the Iditarod Trail, the building of the Alaska Railroad, and a fox farm around Fire Lake. World War II brought many families to the area, and some of these families started homesteads in Eagle River. By the 1960s, Eagle River had a shopping center, post office, and schools--earning it a place on the map. The 1970s and 1980s saw an explosion in growth as Pippel's Field was built up with businesses and housing, the Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce was organized, and the Bear Paw Festival was started.

A thrilling ride alongside the daredevil aviators who first braved the unknown of Alaska's wilderness.

Bush pilots are known as rough, tough, resourceful people who fly their aircraft into tight spots in the worst of weather. Alaska's bush pilots are all of that and more. Acting as pioneers in a land with 43,000 miles of coastline and North America's largest mountains, Alaska's bush pilots were and are visionaries of a lifestyle of freedom. Flying came late to Alaska but caught on quickly. The first flight was made over a three-day exhibition at Fairbanks, July 3-5, 1913. James Martin first flew that aircraft, owned by him and his wife, Lilly, and investors Arthur Williams and R.S. McDonald. Ever since, Alaskan bush pilots have found that they were calculators of their own fate, flying in fragile aircraft over vast stretches of tundra or through towering mountain passes. This book examines the pioneer aviators and the aircraft types such as the Stearman, Stinson, and Lockheed, many of which were tested and crashed in the far north regions of Alaska.