The Willie Carson Saga: Aleutian Sourdoughs
The Last Frontier, Land of the Midnight Sun, Seward’s Folly are all names given our forty-ninth state. But when Alaska was dubbed America’s Icebox, the truth became painfully apparent. Alaska is a state of extremes ranging from over 100 degrees above zero in the summer to -80 degrees in the frozen winter. Purchased in the 1800s, Alaska did not yield any returns until gold was discovered on the Klondike River. By the turn of the century, over a billion dollars in gold was
mined in Alaska.
Gold was just the beginning. The bounties of the Alaskan Frontier blossomed. Wildlife, Fishing, War, and Crude Oil would each play their part in Alaska’s development. But the influx of settlers had begun. ‘Cheechakos’ (newcomers) came by the thousands from all over the globe. But Alaska would take its toll, leaving only the hardy ‘Sourdoughs’ to survive.
An Alaskan Sourdough is an immigrant that has survived the winter. Bread, the staple of life, was in short supply. Yeast was almost impossible to find let alone keep alive during those winters. A prospector with an active ‘Starter’ would defend its care through the bleakest of times. Many times, the only way to protect an active ‘Start’ was to conceal it next to your heart letting your body’s warmth protect it. An Alaskan legacy could be traced by the history of the yeast and the bread made from that first start.
Alaska covers 663,000 square miles. That is more than California, Texas, and Montana combined. Alaska measures 2500 miles across which is comparable to the distance from Georgia to California. The population of Alaska is lower than every other state except Wyoming. Alaska is definitely America’s Last Frontier.
Paperback
$14.99
Ebook
$1.99