The Ascent of Denali, Hudson Stuck. Seattle: The Mountaineer, 1977.
This is the story of one of the first climb's of Mount McKinley as told by the leader of the expedition. Also included are brief accounts of earlier attempts and the diary of Walter Harper, the Native youth who accompanied Stuck and who was the first person to set foot on the summit.

The Cook Inlet Collection: Two Hundred Years of Selected Alaskan History, Morgan Sherwood. Anchorage: Alaska Northwest Publishing Company, 1974.
Descriptions of rock paintings in Kachemak Bay, how Natives used the natural resources of Cook Inlet, and the impressions of visitors to Southcentral Alaska, from early days to the 1970s, are all included. The 1883 eruption of St. Augustine, the salmon fishery in 1898, English Bay coal, big game hunting on the Kenai Peninsula and the 1964 earthquake; something to interest everyone.

Cook Inlet Country, Alaska Geographic Society, Vol. 5, No. 1, 1977.
Mostly photographs of the communities and scenery bordering Cook Inlet. A 30-page section is devoted to Anchorage. Particularly interesting is a section called Bridging the Goop" that tells of proposals to cross Cook Inlet with various kinds of bridges.

The Copper Spike, Lone E . Janson. Anchorage: Alaska Northwest Publishing Company, 1975.
This is the story of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. Many historical photographs are included. Three Southcentral Alaska communities, Valdez, Cordova, and Katalla, are described in detail and photographs.

Denaina T'Quif'Ach (The Way the Tanaina Are). Fairbanks: Alaska Native Language Center, 1975.
Eleven stories by Tanaina Athapaskans are written in Tanaina and translated into English. They include "How to Make Fried Bread," "Spruce Root Snares," and "The First Russians." The book also includes the Tanaina alphabet.

Hall of the Mountain King, Harold Snyder. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1970.
The account of the 1967 Wilcox expedition on Mount McKinley. Seven of the 12 expedition members froze to death. Snyder was among the survivors. The mistakes that expedition members made that led to the tragedy are explained in Snyder's account.

A History of Kachemak Bay: The Country, The Communities, Janet Klein. Homer: Homer Society of Natural History, 1981.
This survey by a Homer resident sketches the histories of Kachemak Bay communities such as Seldovia, Homer, Seward, and Port Axel. It also reviews the histories of local industries such as farming and fisheries. Numerous photographs add to the reader's enjoyment.

Hudson Stuck, Conqueror of McKinley, Edward A. Herron. New York: Julian Messner, 1964.
Stuck not only led an early successful climb of Mount McKinley but for many years was the Episcopal bishop of Interior Alaska, with headquarters at Fort Yukon. This is a biography of his interesting and eventful life.

Mike Heney: Alaska's Railroad Builder, Edward Herron. New York: Julian Messner, 1960.
This is one of a series of biographies written by Herron for young adults. It tells of the life of Michael J. hleney who built both the White Pass and Copper River railroads. Herron creates conversations to dramatize the story.

Mudhole Smith: Alaska Flier, Lone E. Janson. Anchorage: Alaska Northwest Publishing Company, 1981.
Biography of a Kansas barnstormer who taught himself to fly and later became a pioneer Alaska bush pilot in Cordova.

Patterns of the Past: An Inventory of Anchorage's Heritage Resources, Michael E. Carberry. Anchorage: Municipality of Anchorage, 1979.
You will enjoy finding out where trails in the Anchorage area were located before the city was established, and who the first homesteaders were and where they lived. You will find pictures and floor plans of early homes, and discover how and where docks, airfields, and businesses first stood. One section describes Native history in upper Cook Inlet and there is a list of Tanaina names for geographic features in the area.

Railroad in the Clouds: The Alaska Railroad in the Age of Steam, 1914-1945, William H. Wilson. Boulder, Colorado: Pruett Publishing Company, 1977.
A detailed account of the construction and early years of the Alaska Railroad. There are chapters on the development of towns along the railroad, on important individuals such as Otto Ohlson, one of the most colorful managers, as well as a chronology of events. There are many photographs.

Tanaina Tales from Alaska, Bill Vaudrin. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1969.
A good selection of Athapaskan legends compiled by an Athapaskan.

The Wilderness of Denali: Explorations of a Hunter and Naturalist in Northern Alaska, Charles Sheldon. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1960.
One of the first naturalists to visit what is today Denali National Park, Charles Sheldon arrived in Alaska in 1906. He was also a hunter who shot big game animals for museum collections. This is his exciting account of hunting rams, grizzlies, and moose on the Toklat River, where he built a cabin, and of other adventures with wildlife.

Wrangell-Saint Elias: International Mountain Wilderness, Alaska Geographic Society, Vol. 8, No. 1, 1981.
Beautiful photographs of the national park created in 1980 that includes the St. Elias Mountains, the highest coastal mountains in the world. Inger Jensen Ricci's "Childhood Memories of Kennecott" tells what it was like to grow up in a copper mining camp

TAMING THE LAND OF FIRE AND ICE
1880-1900 ROUTES TO THE INTERIOR
1900-1915 FIGHT FOR A RAILROAD
1915-1930 THE RAILROAD YEARS
1930-1970 THE EXPANDING ECONOMY
1970-1980 THE LAND AND ITS USES
Suggested Readings