A Dog Puncher On The Yukon

This harrowing tale is the story of a dog musher during the Klondike and Nome gold rushes. Originally published in 1928, Walden's narrative has not diminished in impact or historical significance. It is one of the most exciting books ever written about dog mushing or the great gold rushes. Wolf Creek Classics is a series of the most interesting books about Alaska and the Yukon. These historic works have been reprinted with their original typefaces and layouts.

Covering vast distances in time and space, Yukon: The Last Frontier begins with the early Russian fur trade on the Aleutian Islands and closes with what Melody Webb calls 'the technological frontier'. Colourful and impeccably researched, her history of the Yukon Basin of Canada and Alaska shows how much and how little has changed there in the last two centuries. Successive waves of traders, trappers, miners, explorers, soldiers, missionaries, settlers, steamboat pilots, road builders, and aviators have come to the Yukon, bringing economic and social changes, but the immense land 'remains virtually untouched by permanent intrusions.'

The book, based on the accounts of dozens of prospectors, follows the first gold-seekers from their arrival in 1873 until the stampede to the Klondike in 1896. Gates captures the essence of these early years of the gold rush, about which very little has been written. He chronicles the trials, hearbreaks, and successes of the unique and hardy individualists who searched for gold in the wilderness. With names like Swiftwater Bill, Crooked Leg Louie, Slobbery Tom, and Tin Kettle George, these men lived in total isolation beyond the borders of civilization. They were often eccentrics and outcasts, who shaped their own rules, their own justice, and their own social order.

Covering vast distances in time and space, Yukon: The Last Frontier begins with the early Russian fur trade on the Aleutian Islands and closes with what Melody Webb calls "the technological frontier." Colorful and impeccably researched, her history of the Yukon Basin of Canada and Alaska shows how much and how little has changed there in the last two centuries. Successive waves of traders, trappers, miners, explorers, soldiers, missionaries, settlers, steamboat pilots, road builders, and aviators have come to the Yukon, bringing economic and social changes, but the immense land "remains virtually untouched by permanent intrusions." ø

Canada's Yukon is one the world's last great wildernesses, where bears, moose and caribou roam. It's a place where hikers, paddlers, skiers and mushers can travel for days without seeing another human soul, where the northern lights dance green and red across starry skies, and where glaciers tumble, mountain peaks soar, and tundra shrubs scream scarlet as summer turns to fall. Bradt's Yukon is the only guidebook dedicated to this natural and historical wonderland. Offering practical advice on everything from where to pan for gold to how to avoid being eaten by a bear, alongside quirky anecdotes (such as the story behind the 'sourtoe cocktail' - a shot of whisky garnished with a severed human toe), it's the perfect companion for highway drivers, cruise-ship passengers, and outdoors enthusiasts alike.

In the tradition of Into the Wild, John Balzar's Yukon Alone is a story of daring and determination in one of nature's harshest, loneliest, and most beautiful places. The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race is among the most challenging and dangerous of all the organized sporting events in the world. Every February, a handful of hardy souls sps over two weeks racing sleds pulled by fourteen dogs over 1,023 miles of frozen rivers, icy mountain passes, and spruce forests as big as entire states. It's not unusual for the temperature to drop to 40-below or for the night to be seventeen hours long. Why would anyone want to run this race? To find out, John Balzar moved to Alaska months before The Quest began and he spent time in the homes of many of the mushers. Balzar then spent many days and nights on the trail, and the result is a book that not only treats us to a vivid day-by-day account of the grueling race itself but also offers an insightful look at the men and women who have moved to this rugged and beautiful place, often leaving behind comfortable houses and jobs in the lower forty-eight states for the sense of exhilaration they find in their new lives. Readers will also be fascinated by Balzar's account of what goes into the training and care of the majestic dogs who pull the sleds and whose courage, strength, and devotion make them the true heroes of this story. For anyone captivated by the wild north country, this riveting tale of courage and adventure will inspire and entertain.