Synopses & Reviews
Swedish missionary Albin Johnson arrived in Alaska just before the turn of the twentieth century, thousands of miles from home and with just two weeksand#8217; worth of English classes under his belt. While he intended to work among the Tlingit tribes of Yakutat, he found himself in a wave of foreign arrivals as migrants poured into Alaska seeking economic opportunities and the chance at a different life. While Johnson came with pious intentions, others imposed Western values and vices, leaving disease and devastation in their wake.
Seventeen Years in Alaskaand#160;is Johnsonand#8217;s eyewitness account of this tumultuous time. It is a captivating narrative of an ancient people facing rapid change and of the missionaries working to stem a corrupting tide. His journals offer a candid look at the beliefs and lives of missionaries, and they ultimately reveal the profound effect that he and other missionaries had on the Tlingit. Tracing nearly two decades of spiritual hopes and earthbound failures, Johnsonand#8217;s memoir is a fascinating portrait of a rapidly changing world in one of the most far-flung areas of the globe.
Review
"Simply put, Mardy Murie is a national treasure. Her life has made a certain kind of life possible for the rest of us. Generations to come will feel her imprint, though they may not know it was how she lived her life that allowed them to witness some of the last wild places on Earth. They may not know that it is because of her life that their souls and spirits can be fed by what is natural and wild. I hope those who come long after us will have TWO IN THE FAR NORTH in their satchels as they gaze upon these natural wonders and that they, too, will come away with same resolve she ad to protect these incredible gifts." ---Robert Redford
Review
“’Having been the basis of all our sophisticated society, doesn’t wilderness itself have a right to live on?’
This question, which Mardy Murie formed in her youth in Alaska and put formally to the United States Congress in her seventies, will ring on for as long as there is wilderness to ask about.”
---John McPhee
Review
“Mardy Murie, senior woman of the wilderness movement, has helped generations of men and women understand and then articulate their devotion to the work of preserving wild landscapes. She has a grandmother’s poise, a lover’s fire, a spouse’s allegiance, a curandera’s wariness about Congressional platitudes. When she is gone, the land will break down in tears.” ---Barry Lopez
Review
andldquo;Johnsonandrsquo;s vivid memories and Ehrlanderandrsquo;s transparent translation makes the text highly readable. . . . Together, Ehrlander and Johnson leave readers with a more nuanced understanding of the role early missionaries played in the Far North.andrdquo;
Synopsis
Award-winning classic about environmentalists Margaret and Olaus Murie.
Synopsis
Considered by many to be the "Grande Dame of the American Conservation Movement", Murie recounts how she grew to understand, respect and love the Alaskan frontier during the early 20th century. From plagues of mosquitoes to the movement of caribou, Murie explores the many aspects of nature in Alaska. 32 illustrations. Map.
Synopsis
A story of love and adventure in Alaska, and a moving testimonial to a beloved wild place. Murie received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her environmental work.
Synopsis
This enduring story of life, adventure, and love in Alaska was written by a woman who embraced the remote Alaskan wilderness and became one of its strongest advocates. Mardy's work as one of the earliest female voices for the wilderness movement earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Synopsis
This enduring story of life, adventure, and love in Alaska was written by a woman who embraced the remote Alaskan wilderness and became one of its strongest advocates. In this moving testimonial to the preservation of the Arctic wilderness, Mardy Murie writes from her heart about growing up in Fairbanks, becoming the first woman graduate of the University of Alaska, and marrying noted biologist Olaus J. Murie. So begins her lifelong journey in Alaska and on to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where along with her husband and others, they founded The Wilderness Society. Mardy's work as one of the earliest female voices for the wilderness movement earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Synopsis
Swedish Covenant missionary Albin Johnson's memoir of his years among the Tlingit of Yakutat offers an eye-witness account of an indigenous people in transition. At the turn of the twentieth century migrants poured into Alaska seeking economic opportunities, and they brought with them western values, vices, and diseases, leaving devastation in their wake. Swedish Covenant and other missionaries sought to mitigate the negative effects of western influences on Alaska Natives while they engendered profound change themselves. The narrative captures encounters between Tlingit people and Swedish missionaries at a dynamic time in Alaska's history.
About the Author
Margaret E. Murie was born in Seattle, Washington, but grew up attending public schools in Fairbanks, Alaska. She was the first woman graduate of the University of Alaska. Two months after her graduation, she married the biologist Olaus J. Murie. Their epic honeymoon journey by dogsled into the Brooks Range of Alaska’s far north set the stage for their marriage and their careers with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and as director of the Wilderness Society. After Olaus passed away in 1963, Mardy continued writing and working tirelessly as a pioneer of the environmental movement. She received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Alaska, and President William J. Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her inspiring efforts to safeguard America’s wilderness for future generations. Mardy passed away in her home in Moose, Wyoming at the age of 101.
Table of Contents
Preface 9
Foreword by Terry Tempest Williams 11
Part One - Fairbanks 17
Part Two – The Upper Koyukuk 83
Part Three – The Old Crow River 207
Part Four – Sheenjek 257
Part Five – Return to the Mountains 341
Afterward 351
About the Author