Alaska Homesteader's Handbook
Tricia Brown
2h33min00
- Bricolage et décoration
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204 pages. Temps de lecture estimé 2h33min.
The Alaska Homesteader's Handbook is a remarkable compilation of practical information for living in one of the most impractical and inhospitable landscapes in the United States.More than forty pioneer types ranging from their mid-nineties to mid-twenties describe their reasons for choosing to live their lives in Alaska and offer useful instructions and advice that made that life more livable. Whether it be how to live among bears, build an outhouse, cross a river, or make birch syrup, each story gives readers a window to a life most will never know but many still dream about. Fifty photographs and 150 line drawings illustrate the real-life experiences of Alaska settlers such as 1930s New Deal colonists, demobilized military who stayed after World War II, dream-seekers from the '60s and '70s, and myriad others who staked their claim in Alaska.It’s a big job [living in the wilderness]. You have to be willing to tighten your belt. Don’t think Alaska’s going to pay your bills, financial or otherwise. You’ve got to pay your own way. Alaska wants anybody who’s willing to carry his own burdens, anyone who’s willing to give more than 100 percent. You’ve got to be willing to work twice as hard as other people, and be self-sufficient.
And don’t blame others for your problems. You have to bump your own head. When you open that cupboard door, and you rise up under it, you know it’s not the first time, and it’s not the fault of the carpenter who put the door there. You’ve got to be practical. You know, practicality is kind of scarce.
The greatest thing you’ll ever meet in Alaska is yourself. It’s an awfully pretty spot that gives you a chance to really live life. Martha and I are so grateful [for our time in the Arctic]. In fact, we’re still there—in spirit.
It’s home. It will always be home.Map — 3, Foreword: Proving Up the Alaska Way — 7, vIntroduction: The Book of Experience — 8, How to Live Off the Grid — 10, How to Dress for Below-Zero Temps — 13, How to Bake in a Wood-Fired Oven — 16, How to Start a Chainsaw — 18, How to Avoid an Avalanche — 21, How to Build a Snowmachine Sled — 24, How to Field Dress a Moose — 30, How to Take Care of Your Sourdough — 33, How to Build a Dock — 36, How to Cross a River Safely — 40, How to Live Among Bears — 42, How to Build a Steambath — 46, How to Age Game Meat — 50, How to Build a Dog Team — 54, How to Operate a “Bush Maytag” — 58, How to Build an Outhouse — 61, How to Catch a King Salmon — 64, How to Read a River — 67, How to Put in a Winter Water Hole — 70, How to Lay a Woodstove Fire — 73, How to Identify Edible Berries — 76, How to Build a Cache — 79, How to Keep Moose Out of the Garden — 82, How to Land a Bush Plane — 85, How to Build a Root Cellar — 88, How to Handle Isolation — 91, How to Make Zucchini Bread — 95, How to Grow Giant Cabbages — 98, How to Make Birch Syrup — 102, How to Travel with Packhorses — 105, How to Build an Airstrip — 108, How to Feed and Water your Family — 112, How to Smoke Salmon — 116, How to Assemble a First Aid Kit — 119, How to Use Horsepower to Haul Wood — 122, How to Tie Useful Knots — 125, How to Avoid—or Survive—Falling Through the Ice — 129, How to Can Salmon on the Beach — 132, How to Overwinter Chickens — 135, How to Spin Dog Fur — 138, How to Build an Icehouse — 141, How to Run a Trapline — 144, How to Survive Alaska Winters in Tent — 148, Acknowledgements — 152, Reading List — 155, Index — 158
