It’s a must read book for readers who are interested in history, adventure, the northern “Wild West”, memoirs o r just a plain good story.
This book is amazing. It begins innocently enough with Bill Collins coming home from college and getting talked into going to Alaska by his friend Rupe Arnell.
“… I could sure use a job. I had spent a lot of money at college. They’d had a typhoid epidemic and I was unfortunate enough to get sick after the infirmary was filled up. I’d had to pay my own hospital bills. And there was nobody at home. It was a puzzlement. Rupe was mighty convincing…”
And from there on this book takes off. It tells of adventures we cannot imagine anymore in our interconnected world. The young men work any job they can get, picking up scrap metal, loading ships, and working different jobs in the railroad workers’ camp. Quite a few disputes are getting settled the good old fashioned way; luckily Bill boxed in school and always comes out on top. Alaska attracts all kinds of interesting people and there aren’t only Americans but Russians, Swedes, Finns, Italians (cooks) … men, who seek the adventure and wanted to make money.
Also interesting and beautiful are the descriptions of the landscapes. As a dedicated environmentalist I wonder if it is still like this.
“… In Alaska at the time of year it was daylight most of the night. In fact you could see all night. When we got through with our work and our supper, I’d go out, wander around, and look at the country. One time I walked over a hill and I looked for, gosh, a mile or so either way and there were ripe red raspberries all over the place. I couldn’t believe it. They were apparently native to that country….”
This book features too many adventures to even touch on all. I cannot imagine a person, who begins reading this book and would not want to finish reading it. Also featured is the famous story of the man, who, when planes could not fly in icy conditions, did the double run with his dog team, bringing the vaccine to Nome, AK to stop the diphtheria epidemic.
His experiences shape Bill and he falls in love with the country. He is not that interested anymore in attending college to become an engineer. Side note: His story of how he and his buddy wire up a hotel in Alaska so it’ll have a 25V bulb in every room, is hysterical.
I wished I had been there, with Bill, when he saw his first Orca, I have always wanted to see one.
Loved this book!
Gisela Hausmann, author & blogger
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