Publisher's Synopsis
Volume 4, Number 2 of Alaskan History Magazine includes the story of W. A. Dickey, the prospector from New Hampshire who renamed Denali in 1896. Dickey attended Dartmouth College and Princeton University, graduating in 1885, moving to Seattle, Washington two years later, and in 1896 he joined a party of prospectors headed to Alaska. Also in this issue: The history of the community of Deering, on the northern coast of the Seward Peninsula, south of Kotzebue, and the schooner for which the community was reportedly named, which was shipwrecked in September, 1903, after departing Nome with "a cargo of thirty tons of cigar cases and mats, bound for Seattle..."
This issue also includes an excerpt from G. O. Young's classic 'Alaska Yukon Trophies Won and Lost, ' about a hunting party traveling to McCarthy 1919: "That evening Mr. Snyder and I walked down to a lake close by and watched the salmon which could be seen in large numbers in the clear water. We went around the lake to its outlet where we found hanging beside an Indian's cabin large quantities of salmon which were being dried for use as winter food for his dogs. We walked up the railroad track to a tunnel and to the top of the hill over the tunnel, from which we commanded an excellent view of the surrounding country."The Iditarod Trail and its close proximity and relationship to Anchorage is featured in 'Anchorage was an Iditarod Trail Town, ' when the Alaska Railroad created Anchorage in 1915, the Iditarod Trail became the primary winter access route as sled dog teams hauled gold, mail, freight, passengers, and more to all of southwestern Alaska. Also in this issue is the story of Moosemeat John Hedberg, who homesteaded near Kenai and became an Alaskan legend; and an excerpt from L.H. French's book, Nome Nuggets: Some of the experiences of a party of gold seekers in northwestern Alaska in 1900. An excerpt from the article about Nome: " Leigh Hill French, on the far left in the photo above, was a native of New Hampshire, and he held degrees in law, medicine, and engineering. He attained the rank of major in 1898 as commander of the Third Regiment in Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders in Cuba. Upon discovery of gold in the sands of Nome in 1899, French assembled a party of men, secured over two hundred tons of machinery for extracting gold from the bed of the ocean, along with large amounts of coal, lumber, tents, supplies, hardware and more. They set sail from Seattle on June 7th, 1900."
Alaskan History Magazine features stories and photos of the people, places and events which shaped the history of Alaska. The original publication of the magazine ran from May-June, 2019 through July-August, 2021, when the covid-19 epidemic caused its cessation. The fourteen issues originally published are still available in both print and Kindle Print Replica editions. Writers who contributed include past President of the Alaska Historical Society Dr. Gary Stein, Alaskan author Tim Jones, Fairbanks historian Patricia De Nardo Schmidt, mushing historian Thom Swan, writer and geographer Thomas J. Eley, and a lengthy host of writers, scientists, explorers and reporters from Alaska's past. The magazine was edited by Helen Hegener and published by Northern Light Media. The style is confident and informative, thoroughly researched to bring true stories of the people, places and events which shaped Alaskan history to a wide readership.
