Alaska, Oh Alaska: A True to Life Novel of Frontier Alaska

By Carol Hand

Your great and silent beauty, the rugged and awesome land that speaks softly to all who love the splendor! God waved a mighty arm and made the great and rugged mountains, wild rivers, flowing streams, mirror lakes, lush valleys, and green forests. Wild animals to keep you on your toes! Alaska was waiting for all who needed a place of solace-for some, a place to heal the wounds of life. Some ask, why do you want to live there? What do you see in it? I came long ago, along with thousands more, up the old Alaska Highway. We all came with dreams of starting over, packing all we owned in trucks, trailers, old buses, cars or whatever had a good motor. I saw them in old trucks puffing smoke on every mountain or hill, smiling and waving every time we passed, thinking they would never make it; but they did make it. Most, camping in campgrounds along the way, cooking over campfires. If someone's car was having problems, you stopped and helped-fighting mosquitoes that never left you alone. They were dauntless in their efforts. Upon arriving in Alaska, they were tired and weary, but they got their homesteads, home sites, trade and manufacturing sites. Yes, and a job if there was one to be had. The Bush people lived off the land and what it provided, both spiritually and earthly. Why do we live here in the Bush, you ask. Why? Well, there isn't any other place like it! It is a challenge. You either love it or hate it. Alaska gets in your blood, they say, and if you stay too long you can never leave. If you do leave after having you in its grasps, it beckons you to come back. This is your home-there is no other place like it-waiting, still, silent, peaceful.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781463428211

Carol Hand

My name is Carol Hand and I am the Author of the Watermelon Patch. I grew up in Eudora, Arkansas and moved to Alaska in 1967. It was here I married Terry Hand. We have 5 children, 11 Grandchildren, and 3 Great grandchildren. I now live in a small community called Kenny Lake, Ak. My Children have grown up and moved away but they often remind me that all the bedtime stories I made up should be written down. So I decided to write this book about my Grandfather"s farm in Arkansas. He raised hound dogs to sell but had his favorite pets. His watermelon patch was my favorite place to go and check them often. We have enjoyed raising our family here in the Alaska Bush where there was plenty room to roam. My favorite winter outdoor hobby was snowmachining. In the summers I loved to hike our favorite trails with my family.

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© 2011 Carol Hand. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 6/22/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4634-2821-1 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-2822-8 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011910960

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Beginnings

Daily Living

Anchorage Run

Homestead Living

Meeting Clint

Finding the Grave

Getting Married

The Wedding

Our First Christmas

Cabin Fever

The Gold Mine

Our New Home

Bear Scare on Sheep Hunt

Moose Hunt

Diamonds Find Their Home

Big Bear Scare

Visiting New Mexico

Back in Alaska

Baby Madelyn

Wild Fire

Candice and Natalie’s Adventure

Growing Up

Madelyn’s Birthday

Madelyn’s Sheep Hunt

Looking Up Hardy

Candice’s Last Ride

Dedication

To my family who believed I could do it.

Poem September written by Rebecca Ridley

Preface

ALASKA, OH ALASKA

Your great and silent beauty, the rugged and awesome land that speaks softly to all who love the splendor!

God waved a mighty arm and made the great and rugged mountains, wild rivers, flowing streams, mirror lakes, lush valleys, and green forests. Wild animals to keep you on your toes! Alaska was waiting for all who needed a place of solace—for some, a place to heal the wounds of life.

Some ask, why do you want to live there? What do you see in it? I came long ago, along with thousands more, up the old Alaska Highway. We all came with dreams of starting over, packing all we owned in trucks, trailers, old buses, cars or whatever had a good motor. I saw them in old trucks puffing smoke on every mountain or hill, smiling and waving every time we passed, thinking they would never make it; but they did make it. Most, camping in campgrounds along the way, cooking over campfires. If someone’s car was having problems, you stopped and helped. Fighting mosquitoes that never left us alone. They were dauntless in their efforts.

I had never seen a snow-capped mountain or a bear, moose or caribou, nor a sheep. The Alaska Highway was unpaved back then, a lot of dust from the vehicles. The dust got into everything that you had. When it rained it was mud. Road construction was always holding up the traffic.

Upon arriving in Alaska, they were tired and weary, but they got their homesteads, home sites, trade and manufacturing sites. Yes, and a job if there was one to be had. The Bush people lived off the land and what it provided, both spiritually and earthly.

Why do we live here in the Bush, you ask. Why? Well, there isn’t any other place like it! It is a challenge. You either love it or hate it.

Alaska gets in your blood, they say, and if you stay too long you can never leave. If you do leave after having you in its grasps (we tried it) it beckons you to come back. This is your home—there is no other place like it—waiting, still, silent, peaceful.

My husband and I raised our children here, had wonderful times; stories that never end, and we also grieved the death of good friends that the unyielding land took violently.

It is a state like no other: wild, free, and untamed—never will be tamed. So to all of you that have never seen it, come see it if you dare, but beware it may grasp your heart in its rugged beauty and you can’t get away. Many have vacationed here and came back to call it home!

Beginnings

My six-month-old baby girl lay sleeping in her bed. Our warm log cabin was our fortress and the nearest neighbor was fifteen miles away. The fire was crackling in the wood stove, keeping at bay the minus forty-degree temperatures knocking at the heavy wooden door. Wolves howled occasionally, and our dogs Lobo and Grumpy would growl as they lay in front of the door on their rug, guarding us faithfully. A few months ago this was only a dream, and now it had come true. We made it to the frontier of Alaska, our home now, and I was a changed person.

I was always reading books and other information about land open for homesteading in Alaska (allocated in 160-acre parcels). When my child was born, I named her Natalie Olivia Bellefore. Her father and I were young and didn’t get along, so we parted ways. Wanting the life I had dreamed about in Alaska, I still had my idea of taking Natalie there. I studied maps and compiled all the information I could for the trip, and then I started making plans to make the four thousand-mile trip from Arkansas to Alaska. I bought a new truck and camper. Starting over sounded like bliss after all I had been through. Declining all job offers, I was unfaltering in my plan to move to the Alaska Bush and file on a homestead.

My family tried to talk me out of it. They said, Ellen Grace Bellefore, get real—that is a journey for men, not a lone woman with a baby. I reminded my mom that she had raised me to think for myself and I wasn’t exactly empty-headed when it came to making real decisions. I assured her I would keep in touch.

After all, I had roots in Alaska. My Uncle Ben had been there in the great Alaska Gold Rush in the early 1900s and returned home rich beyond belief. Those stories were just seed for thought. Uncle Ben had lived the dream and I wanted to as well. I wonder what went through his mind when Uncle Ben packed his suitcase and bought his ticket on the steamship bound for Alaska. He panned gold on the shores of Nome and then went to the Klondike. What an adventure! I wanted to know how it felt to be an Alaskan and maybe find some gold for Natalie and myself. I had so many thoughts and dreams that I was going to burst if I didn’t go and do it!

* * * * * * * * * *

The year was 1967 and I received a check for nineteen thousand dollars that my Grandpa had left me when he passed away. Thank you, Grandpa, for leaving me money that I needed. He was a wonderful man and I loved and missed his laughter so much. Horses were his business; he loved riding and breeding them to sell. He also had foxhounds with dozens of blue ribbons he had won at the dog show they had every year at the local county fair. He would always be in my heart, as he taught me of his love to ride horses and the outdoors.

I packed everything that we needed in the camper and started our trip after many hugs and goodbyes to the family. Staying in motels was the safest thing we could do, but we also slept in the camper when I knew it was safe with other people camping nearby. I planned well because I had to—our lives depended on it. Driving down the highways I would always check the maps at the gas stations to make sure I took the right roads, especially in the cities, taking the bypass to get around as quickly as possible. Our journey took us into Canada, crossing the border at Shelby, Montana. Alberta, Canada, was farmland and open range country. I love to drive, so I stayed with it and made good time, stopping at motels for the nights.

British Columbia was beginning to look like the wilderness. As we drove, beautiful flowers sunned themselves along the roadside, and we finally saw the snow-capped mountains. This was exciting and I had to make myself stop and rest. Natalie was cranky at times, so we would stop and get some fresh air. She loved this trip too, since it was the first time we had the opportunity to be by ourselves. Dawson Creek, British Columbia, was the official Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway and we were finally getting ready to go on with our expedition North! Upon reaching Dawson Creek, we stayed at the Cedar Lodge and rested for two days. I was sitting on the bed talking to Natalie about our day and she played with toys, smiling even though she didn’t have any idea where she was being whisked off to.

The next morning we arose early and hit the Alaska Highway. It was a job just keeping on my side of the road since the road wasn’t too wide and was all gravel. They put some chemical on the road to keep the dust down some and it turned the road purplish!

We stopped that night in a campground and there were five vehicles that were from different states: Texas, Minnesota, Indiana, California, Oregon, and us ladies from Arkansas. People were walking around the campground and a couple stopped to say hi to us. Some of them had children and were moving up to homestead land or start new jobs on the frontier.

I built a fire and Natalie and I sat down at the picnic table to eat. The hordes of mosquitoes were aggressive, to say the least, but the smoke helped keep them away from us. I covered all the skin I could to keep the pesky things from biting us. I picked up Natalie and we went to the camper, finding the soft beds and slept like there was no tomorrow.

The next day was going smoothly and the weather was beautiful. I saw my first moose and he was a huge animal, nothing like I had ever seen, so big with those horns.

The Yukon Territory was next, with more of the bumpy, rough, highway toward my destination. The road seemed endless, so I took more breaks when we found a place to stop. Gas stations were not in plentiful supply, so I always stopped and filled up at each one. The high mountains were towering above and on some of the curves we seemed to meet ourselves coming back as I worked my way around, peering over the edges with no guard rails. It was a long way to the bottom of those gorges. I saw all kinds of vehicles pulling trailers, and I was very happy I had not pulled one—the road was under construction in places and the graders had to pull some of the vehicles through the muddy holes. What was I in for? Well, too late now and I wouldn’t turn back if I could. I had to see Alaska! My muscles hurt from driving, but being alone with my baby daughter gave me time to make plans and think of her welfare.

This was exciting, but adventurous since it was a different country. The first part of the trip seemed like I was still in the United States, since they had most of the same businesses and stores that I was familiar with. Now it was just miles of wilderness with tall spruce and birch trees. Natalie was sleeping some during the day (I brought a stereo and soft music for her) while I drove. She was such a trooper on the trip. It was almost like she knew we were on a great adventure, just her and Mom.

Alaska!

When we crossed the border into Alaska, I stopped and took Natalie on a short walk and thanked the Lord for a safe trip. We took our time on the trip, but were so very tired, and had miles to go yet before a shower and a motel with a place to lay our heads. The sky was so blue, with a few white clouds, and an airplane buzzed overhead. So this gorgeous land was the great Alaska! The mountains were so unbelievably beautiful I could hardly take my eyes off them. Well, this was it—what I had dreamed of and so much more. It was home, and I could feel it. We went into our camper and I cooked a meal for us and then we slept.

After driving two hundred miles or more, we found a small community that seemed to have everything we needed; so I went to the nearest lodge and rented a room for two days and we rested. I was still, even after the long trip to the Alaska Bush, very much feminine, wearing my makeup and dressing in my best outdoor clothes. Nevertheless, I had no use to wear dresses all the time. I believed a woman should always look her best. I then went to the land office with Natalie in my baby backpack.

The man looked like he might have had a few hard winters, judging from his white beard. He was friendly, giving me the information I needed about homesteading. He told me where to look for an old abandoned homestead forty miles from town. This way you won’t have to build a cabin right off, he said and winked. The look in his eye said this was wild country and he asked if I was sure we wanted to do this. I just looked at him and smiled. He said his name was Sam. We met our first friend.

We will be just fine, I told him.

We waited until the next morning before going out to take a look at the homestead, and stayed in the camper. Natalie was tired and I needed to buy a few things. Finding a grocery/ hardware store, I bought another gun, a 30.06, and some shells, food, and water jugs. There were grizzlies, black bear, and Lord knows what in this land. We were ready…well, kind of! I would have to hone