The Remarkable Women of Prince William Sound
A group of natives by a Barabara, 1901 above Seldovia. Simonson Collection; Anchorage Museum, B1991.009.142
By Susan LaGrand
The recorded history of European contact in Prince William Sound is rich with stories of independent and adventurous men. Some years ago while reading “A History of Prince William Sound” by Jim and Nancy Lethcoe, I noted a depiction of a heroic event by the wife of fox farmer Jim Johnson. The narrative indicated that after accidentally shooting himself, she loaded her wounded husband and their son into their dory, rowing into open water to seek help. The Lethcoes indicated that she had no experience in rowing. As someone who has navigated those waters, I know how remarkable and courageous an act that was. Her story made me wonder about the women who lived and worked in Prince William Sound. What are the stories of indigenous women, what happened in their lives with European contact? I wondered about why women would choose to come to such a remote place and what were their lives like. Slowly I have been collecting stories of women living in the coastal waters of Alaska. This inquiry into the stories has proven to be a fascinating pursuit.
Many women came as wives. Some of their husbands were miners, some fox farmers, and some were fishermen. Many of the fox farmers, also mined and hunted often leaving their wives for significant periods of time. The fox farms were often located on isolated islands in the Sound. These were hardy women indeed. They had to gather fish and other food for the foxes, feed themselves and their children, and manage the elements. Some men married indigenous women blending the strengths of both cultures to survive in the remote homesites.
The women who came to Prince William Sound engaged in a wide range of endeavors. Anthropologist Frederica DeLaguna came to the Sound in 1930-31 to undertake ethnographic study. She authored several books including “The Archeology of Cook Inlet Alaska, “Travels among the Dena” and “A Comparison of Alaskan and Paleolithic Art”.
Renown travel writer Eliza Scidmore, who later became the first female board member of National Geographic Society, traveled the inside passage writing a widely acclaimed book of her observations. She was drawn to study glaciers in 1883 after reading the works of John Muir. Their mutual love of glaciers was a basis for a friendship and joint advocacy for conservation. She was one of the first tourists to Glacier Bay in 1879-80. Scidmore Glacier is named after her. She was a women of curiosity and held passionate beliefs. In addition to her fascination with glaciers she also was drawn to Japan. Her love of cherry trees lead her to successfully lobby for the planting of cherry trees in Washington D.C., now a source of identity for our nation’s capitol.
Dora Keen, an avid alpinist, was on the Kenai Peninsula observing brown bears when she happened onto an article in National Geographic magazine regarding the unclimbed Mt. Blackburn. She immediately set a goal to summit this mountain. After one failed attempt she was able to succeed in 1911. In 1914 she participated in a scientific observation team to study glaciers in Harriman and College Fjords. A collection of her records and photographs is stored at the Anchorage Museum, Rasmuson Center.
Susan Meredith’s published memoirs of traveling the coastal waters of Alaska on the MV Hygiene is a fascinating and informative eye witness account of the living conditions of Alaska’s coastal communities. She was an x-ray technician and nurse on the medical ship MV Hygiene from 1946 through 1948. The medical staff was tasked with evaluating the health of the peoples of coastal Alaska, including concerns regarding tuberculosis. Her memoir provides an eyewitness impact of European contact on indigenous peoples, on the natural resources, and on the health of coastal inhabitants.
This is just a small introduction to the stories of the women who came to Alaska. All of the women faced the extremes of weather and geography to follow their passions. They were independent and strong women, some who stayed in the Alaska making ongoing contributions to the richness of Alaska’s history. Some women went on to other pursuits, their biographies reflect that Alaska left a lasting imprint on them.
I would like to extend an invitation to readers to share any stories or resources regarding the women who came to Prince William Sound and Alaskan Coastal Communities, so we can expand the repertoire of their stories in future posts to this blog.
References
American Alpine Journal Archives, 1963
Biography of Dora Keen Handy 1871-1963
Anchorage Museum, Rasmuson Center Biographical History
Crowell Aron L., Steffian Amy F.,and Pullar, Gordon editors. Looking Both Ways, University of Alaska Press 2001.
DeLaguna, Frederica, Wikipedia
Keen, Dora, historyswomen.com.
Lethcoe, Jim and Nancy. A History of Prince William Sound Alaska, Prince William Sound Books, Valdez Alaska, 2001.
Meredith, Susan, with Gair, Kitty and Schwinge, Elaine, Alaska’s Search for a Killer, Alaska Public Health Nursing Association, 1989.
Scidmore, Eliza, National geographic.com
Suggested Additional Readings
Carey, Betty Lowman, North to Alaska by Oar, 2004, Harbor Publishing Co. Ltd., 2004.
John, Betty, Libby; The Sketches and Letters of Libby Beamon, Recorded in the Pribilof Islands 1879-1880, Counsel Oaks Books, 1987.