Bibliography

Alaska 1899: Essays from the Harriman Expedition by George Bird Grinnell, Polly Burroughs, Victoria Wyatt, Burroughs Polly (Introduction). (In the summer of 1899, business tycoon Edward H. Harriman organized and financed a scientific expedition in which 25 of America's foremost geologists, botanists, ornithologists, and ethnologists took a two-month steamship cruise along the coast of Alaska. One of the scientists was Grinnell, an expert on Native American cultures. His two essays, prepared for the final Harriman Expedition report (published in 11 volumes from 1901 to 1905) are reprinted here. They discuss Natives of the Alaska coast, and the salmon industry. With introductions by Grinnell's great-niece and by Victoria Wyatt (history, U. of Victoria), and beautiful b&w; illustrations. No index. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, OR.)
Alaska and the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, 1867-1915 by Truman R. Strobridge, Dennis L. Noble. (Not long after Alaska was purchased by the United States from Russia in 1867, the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service (USRCS) made its first appearance in the Bering Sea. Over the next forty-eight years the ships and men of the USRCS firmly established U.S. sovereignty in the area and performed amazing acts of rescue and humanitarian aid-contributions that have received little attention until the publication of this book.)
Alaska by James Michener. (Master storyteller James Michener reveals Alaska in all its awesome, sweeping majesty. From the near-forgotten past, to the highly technological present, from self-defense to self-determination, here are the men and women who tried to tame the land, seize its bounty, and lay claim to the elusive spirit that holds native and visitor spellbound. A stirring portrait of a human community living on the edge of the world, ALASKA claims a bold heritage of survival against all odds. "Michener has done a fine job....Few will escape the allure of the land and people he describes." Los Angeles Times Book Review)
Alaska Day Festival, Inc. by Romaine Hardcastle (Commemorating the Purchase Transfer of Alaska from Russia to the U.S.A.)
Alaska Place Names by Alan Edward Schorr. (An alphabetical listing of the names of natural features in Alaska, as defined by the federal agency for place names up to December 1990. A paragraph cites the location and the origin of each name. Does not include towns or settlements. The "index" is a cross-reference of alternative names. Third edition, 1986. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, OR.)
Alaska's Copper River Delta by Riki Ott, Paul R. Ehrlich. (22 artists from 11 countries present their visions of the vast delta, largest in Pacific North America, together with the mountains, glaciers, rain forests, and wildlife of this largely unspoiled remote area. Published by U. of Washington Press in association with Artists for Nature Foundation, The Netherlands. 10x8<"> Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Alaska's Copper River Delta visits the largest wetland on the Pacific coast of North America - with its associated rain forest, barrier islands, mountains, and glaciers, and its wildlife and human inhabitants - and reveals the Delta through the work of 22 artists from 11 countries. Invited by local residents and the Netherlands-based Artists for Nature Foundation, artists came to the Delta to see spawning runs of Copper River salmon and the world's greatest shorebird migration. They stayed in.
Alaska's History by Harry Ritter. (This book is perfect for a quick overview of Alaska's history. It is a good size for tucking in the suitcase or reading on a plane. Lots of historic photos bring this history to life. This brief history captures the untamed history of Alaska in a very readable format.)
Alaska: The Great Land
Among the Thlinkits in Alaska by C.E.S. Wood, July 1882, Century Magazine.
An Alaska Anthology: Interpreting the Past by Stephen W. Haycox (Editor), Mary Childers Mangusso (Editor), (Twenty-five selected articles trace Alaska's history from the days of Russian-American Company domination to the more recent threat of nuclear testing by the Atomic Energy Commission and the influence of oil money on inexperienced politicians. About half of the articles were included in an earlier anthology, Interpreting Alaska's History (1989), and all have appeared in print elsewhere. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.)
Baranof Island's Eastern Shore: The Waterfall Coast by DeArmond, Robert N. and Patricia Roppel. (Sitka : Arrowhead Press, 1997), 63 pp., paper, order from Cook Inlet Book Company, 415 West Fifth Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501. A guide to the history of part of a large island in southeast Alaska, illustrated with maps, charts, and historical photographs.
Carrie M. Willard Among the Tlingits: The Letters of 1881-1883 by Carrie M. Willard, edited by Borg Hendrickson, (Sitka: Mountain Meadow Press, 1995), 240 p., paper, ISBN 0945519206, P.O. Box 318, Sitka, AK 99835-0318. Letters by a Presbyterian missionary wife, written from Fort Wrangell, Sitka, and Haines. LC 95-75342.
Carved History: A Totem Guide to Sitka National Historical Park by M. Knapp
Carving Totem Poles & Masks by Alan & Gill Bridgewater
Coming into the Country by John McPhee. (Residents of the Lower 48 sometimes imagine Alaska as a snow-covered land of igloos, oil pipelines, and polar bears. But Alaska is far more complex geographically, culturally, ecologically, and politically than most Americans know, and few writers are as capable of capturing this complexity as John McPhee. In Coming into the Country, McPhee describes his travels through much of the state with bush pilots, prospectors, and settlers, as well as politicians and businesspeople who have their eyes set on a very different future for the state.)
Early Views: Historical Vignettes of Sitka National Historical Park by Griffin, Kristen. (Anchorage: Alaska Support Office, National Park Service and Sitka National Historical Park, 2000), 127 pp., paper, request from National Park Service, Alaska Regional Office, 2525 Gambell Street, Room 107, Anchorage, AK 99503-2892. Containing over seventy illustrations, many in color, this is a history of the smallest and oldest federal park unit in Alaska.
Earning a Place in History: Shee Atika, the Sitka Native Claims Corporation by Metcalfe, Peter. (Sitka: Shee Atika Incorporated, 2000), 88 pp., paper, request from Shee Atika, Inc., Sitka, AK 99835. Illustrated history of the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act as it relates to one of only four urban corporations established under it.
Faces, Voices and Dreams: A Celebration of the Centennial of the Sheldon Jackson Museum Sitka, Alaska 1888-1988 by Peter L. Corey (Editor)
For God and Tsar: A Brief History of Russian America, 1741-1867 by Nordlander, David J. (Anchorage: Alaska Natural History Association, 1994), 25 p., paper, ISBN 0-930931-15-7, 605 West 4th Avenue, Suite 85, Anchorage, AK 99501. Illustrated booklet by the historian at Sitka National Historical Park.
From Sitka's Past by DeArmond, Robert N. (Sitka: Sitka Historical Society, 1995), 259 p., paper, ISBN0964485214 (330 Harbor Drive, Sitka, AK 99835). wln95-071507. A selection of 49 newspaper columns on historical topics, by a noted journalist and historian.
From the Land of the Totem Poles by Aldona Jonaitis, University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1988
History of the Kettleson Memorial Library, the Public Library of Sitka, Alaska, 1923-1998 by DeArmond, Robert N. (Sitka : [Kettleson Memorial Library], 1998), 36 pp., paper, 320 Harbor Drive, Sitka, AK 99835-7553. Illustrated history of the library, its various locations, and the people who made it possible.
Ka.gun.da, George James Beck: Alaskan Pioneer Teacher, Missionary, Leader by Mary Giraudo Beck. (Mary Beck's collection of legends from Tlingit and Haida folklore provides an excellent look at not only the mythology but the values and culture of these Southeast Alaska Natives. Anchorage News: Rich legends of Haida Tlingit culture are tapped with good results by Mary Beck in Shamans and Kushtakas. (She) presents her stories in an effective, entertaining manner. Homer News on Heroes and Heroines.)
Looking at Totem Poles by Hilary Stewart (Illustrator), Norman Tait. (Clear and lively descriptive information on 110 easily accessible poles in outdoor locations in coastal British Columbia and Alaska, each with a drawing. Introductory chapters give background (with photos) on their making, history, and lore. A well-researched and nicely put together guide. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, OR.)
Northwest Coast Indian Art: An Analysis of Form by Bill Holm (A book for researchers, excellent information, but quite dry.)
Notes on Russian America. Part I by Khlebnikov, K.T. (Kiril Timofeevich). Novo-Arkhangel'sk Fort on Baranov Island (Sikha ), transcribed by Svetlana G. Fedorova, translated by Serge LeComte and Richard Pierce, (Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press, 1995), 308 p., cloth, P.O. Box 756240, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6240. Translated from the Russian edition of 1985. wln92-029763.
Of Landscape and Longing: Finding a Home at Water's Edge by Servid, Carolyn. (Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, 2000), 192 pp., paper, ISBN 1571312382, 1001 Washington Avenue South, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55415. Essays describe author's personal outlook and perspectives formed while living in Sitka.
Sitka by Rennick, Penny, and L.J. Campbell. (Anchorage: Alaska Geographic Society, c 1995), 144 p., ISBN 156661029X, P.O. Box 93370, Anchorage, AK 99509. LC 95-40004.
Sitka at War: World War II by Sitka Community Schools. Seniors and Sitka Sound Youth (SASSY) Program. Stories shared by Sitka's elders (1994) and Conservations with Sitka Elders Conservations with Sitka Elders (1993). Students in freshman English class record experiences of Sitka's pioneers in these 2 slim volumes.
Sitka Man by Al Brookman. (For six decades, Brookman lived his dream: his home a fishing boat, his estate the waterways and island wilderness of southeastern Alaska, his family table supplied from land and sea.
Sitka Tribe of Alaska Historic Preservation Plan by Theodoratus, Dorothea J. (Washington, DC : US Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, 1995), 124 p., paper, (free from Alaska Regional Office, National Park Service, 2525 Gambell Street, Room 107, Anchorage, AK 99503-2892). LC96-203471. Contains much on Tlingit history of this southeast Alaska town.
Sitka: A Short History by Jack Calvin (A nice short history with some lovely wood engravings.)
The Alaska Airlines Story by Archie Satterfield. (From the grease and glamour of flying to board-room maneuvering, and from the glaciers of Alaska to the deserts of the Middle East, this is the story of Alaska Airlines, one of the most adventurous and adaptable airlines in American history. The story begins in the early 1930s when every pilot in Alaska qualified to be called a bush pilot, and when they had to be extremely resourceful. Alaska Airlines began as McGee Airways, then Star Airlines based in Anchorage. Then through a series of mergers and sales based more on financial desperation than on careful planning, it became legendary in many ways, some not the kind of legend on which to build a reputation.)
The Alaska Pipeline (Building America) by Craig A. Doherty, Katherine M. Doherty. (The incredible story of an 800-mile-long pipe, built in the frozen north, and designed to deliver about 2 million barrels of oil each day. 'Building America' chronicles the massive undertakings that mark some of the greatest triumphs of human engineering.)
The Alaska Purchase (Spotlight on American History) by Daniel Cohen (The story of how Alaska came to be part of the United States includes the long and troubled history of Russian exploration and exploitation as well as the eventual acquisition by the United States. The tale is complex and is made more so by the lack of maps, over reliance on text, and inclusion of too much detail. Occasional historical illustrations and photographs, some in color, are included. Bib., ind. -- Copyright 1996 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.)
The Alaska Purchase in American History by David K. Fremon
The Alaskan, November 1885-March 1887: Newspaper Excerpts of Genealogical and Historical Interest by Richardson, Elizabeth, editor. (Ward Cove, AK: The Author, 1997), 152 pp., paper, P.O. Box 662, Ward Cove, AK 99928. Articles from a weekly Sitka newspaper, with an added name index covering 1,500 entries.
*The Last of the Bush Pilots* by Harmon Helmericks. (Great stories of Alaska aviation history. Many early aviators and pioneers of Alaska are mentioned in this book.)
They Don't Speak Russian in Sitka: A New Look at the History of Southern Alaska by David Wharton
Voyage in a Dory: From Sitka to Tacoma by Oars, Sail and Tow Rope by DeArmond, Robert N. (Sitka : Arrowhead Press, 1999) 88 pp., paper, ISBN 1929292007, available from Hearthside Books, 8745 Glacier Hwy, Juneau AK 99801, 1-800-478-1000. The Southeast Alaska historian describes his 1931 adventure.