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

by Tricia Brown, Nancy Gates

Overview

“As someone who loves knowledge of 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

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780882408118
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	11/01/2012
Edition description:	First Edition, Illustrated
Pages:	162
Sales rank:	524,735
Product dimensions:	7.52(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.35(d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS INCLUDE:

How to skin a caribou

How to bake bread (with recipe)

How to build an outhouse

How to smoke fish (with recipe)

How to build a cold-frame

How to walk in snowshoes

How to make the most of your water

How to build a campfire

How to keep moose out of the garden

How to store winter vegetables

How to repair a fishing net

How to notch a log

How to harness a dog team

How to catch a king salmon (with recipe)

How to adjust the woodstove flue

How to keep your sourdough alive (with recipe)

How to pan for gold

How to brew tundra tea

How to make zucchini bread (with recipe)

How to grow a 60-pound cabbage

How to sharpen an ax

How to patch a leaky boat

How to build an outdoor shower

How to press wildflowers

How to paddle a canoe

How to load a packhorse

How to winterize your car

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“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

Editorial Reviews

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

From the Publisher