Alaska Homesteader's Handbook: Independent Living on the Last Frontier

Alaska Homesteader's Handbook: Independent Living on the Last Frontier

The Alaska Homesteader's Handbook is a remarkable compilation of practical information for living in one of the most impractical and inhospitable landscapes in the United States. More than forty pioneer types ranging from their mid-nineties to mid-twenties describe their reasons for choosing to live their lives in Alaska and offer useful instructions and advice that made that life more livable. Whether it be how to live among bears, build an outhouse, cross a river, or make birch syrup, each story gives readers a window to a life most will never know but many still dream about. Fifty photographs and 150 line drawings illustrate the real-life experiences of Alaska settlers such as 1930s New Deal colonists, demobilized military who stayed after World War II, dream-seekers from the '60s and '70s, and myriad others who staked their claim in Alaska. “As someone who loves esoteric knowledge and timeless homesteading and survival skills, this book fascinated me. In addition to being an interesting read, the book could also serve as a preparedness manual.” –Leon Patenburg, The Sportsman Pages blog Tricia Brown is a writer, editor, freelancer, program and book developer, journalist, quilter, mother, grandmother and wife. Her work has been nationally honored for compassionate, insightful depictions of Alaska natives and for children's literature. She began her award-winning literary career in journalism, and in 1984 was the founding editor of Heartland , the Sunday magazine of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner . Later she wrote for the Anchorage Daily News , then shifted into editing the popular monthly magazine Alaska , with a readership of more than a quarter million. She lives in Alaska. Nancy Gates has gathered information and compiled the updates for the Alaska Almanac for the past nine years from her home office in the state.