Laurel Downing Bill's Blog, page 3

Aunt Phil travels to Vegas to accept Literary Classics Awards!

Aunt Phil’s Trunk won two prestigious medals at the 2016 Literary Classics International Awards ceremony in Las Vegas on Oct. 14: Best Nonfiction Series and Best Historical Nonfiction worldwide!

Sorry I haven’t sent out a blog for more than a month, but I’ve been really busy. My husband and I traveled to Las Vegas the week of Oct. 12 to accept the 2016 Literary Classics International awards for Aunt Phil’s Trunk. The series captured gold for Best Nonfiction Series and Volume Five ranked gold for Best Historical Nonfiction!

Here is a short video I made so all of you can enjoy the celebrations, too: Literary Classics Video

Our dear friends from Michigan, Dar and Mike MacPhee, flew across the country to join us in celebrating this milestone in Aunt Phil’s career. We had a blast and were able to sneak in a couple of shows along with the Literary Classics events. We saw Elton John, who was amazing, the incredible Cirque du Soleil and “Menopause the Musical,” which brought us to tears of laughter throughout its performance. Wonderful time.

On another note, many of you know that our daughter, Kim Sherry – talented artist/author/illustrator – has written a couple of children’s softcover books, which have sold really well. But she has not been happy with the softcover and flimsy inside pages. Since the books are for ages 3-9, she wants to get Raven’s Friends: Alaska Animals Far and Wide printed in hardcover with sturdier pages for little hands to explore.

But it costs a lot to get hardcover books printed. So she has organized a Kickstarter campaign to help her bring this hardcover book to reality. If you are interested in joining her Kickstarter team, go to this link to contribute and receive some really awesome rewards for your participation – including some of her original artwork.

Raven’s Friends: Alaska Animals Far and Wide Kickstarter Campaign

What’s next for Aunt Phil’s Trunk? Well, I have a couple of projects in mind … so stay tuned for an announcement down the road!

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US Review of Books gives Aunt Phil high praise!

US Review of Books highly recommends Aunt Phil’s Trunk Alaska history series!

More awesome news for Aunt Phil’s Trunk Alaska history series – the US Review of Books just sent me its “Seal of Approval” and highly recommends Volume Four. To say I’m speechless is an understatement. We are on a roll! And here’s the complete review that US Review of Books recently published:

July 25, 2016

Aunt Phil’s Trunk: Volume Four

by Phyllis Downing Carlson and Laurel Downing Bill

Reviewed by Mihir Shah

“This road is built for war, but this road will be used when peace and victory come back to us again.”

Aunt Phil’s Trunk: Volume Four is an exceptional account of Alaskan history. From a mere glance at the title, audiences unfamiliar with the preceding Aunt Phil’s Trunk volumes may think they’ve stumbled upon another dense history book to read. This could not be further from the truth. A collective effort between the authors, volume four is a treasure trove of pivotal moments in Alaskan history, illuminated by monumental photographs, detailed captions, and thoroughly enlightening insight, including stories of the individual’s that helped Alaska survive and eventually prosper economically. From World War II to the Cold War and from the segregation of native Aleutians to the brutality of internment camps, this gem leaves nothing out. Perhaps the most remarkable feat of Aunt Phil’s Trunk is the authors’ ability to deliver their clearly exhaustive research within the confines of a fluid, entertaining, and narrative writing style.

Even historians, pseudo-historians, and general aficionados would be surprised by some of the revelations within these covers. For instance, once a meager town of 4000, Anchorage, whose police force would use a stopwatch to clock speedsters, evolved into the home of Fort Richardson and Elmendorf Air Force Base, and Alaska became one of the key strategic pieces in controlling World War II. The life and impact of Anton Anderson, one of Anchorage’s earliest settlers at a time when many were fleeing, is just as intriguing a read as any other story in this volume.

Aunt Phil’s Trunk focuses on a particular story or individual and weaves in the historical moments from their perspective. Undoubtedly, there is a large amount of content for the reader to digest in one reading. To combat this dilemma and highlight particular parts of the text, the volume places borders around biographies of key figures and other interesting snippets like the official U.S. Air Force Song. Unbiased, it would not be far fetched to suggest that the nearly thousand-page, high-school history textbooks could adopt this model, and they would find fewer kids with their heads on the books and more heads in the book. Rather than implanting myriad pictures to fill up the pages and leaving the readers to contemplate the meaning, volume four supplies detailed captions that could stand strong on their own. Moreover, the authors’ passion exudes from each story.

Any individual with even the remotest affiliation with Alaska is bound to find a spot on the shelf for all these volumes. Stylistically, it is easy to read, an organic style that flows like you’re reading a novel. With that said, it must be mentioned that non-Alaskans who are just generally interested in US history, like the impact Pearl Harbor had on turning Alaskan cities like Anchorage into a crucial military base, will not be disappointed. It might not be altogether outrageous to say that this book should be considered a relic. Few books can take such a multitude of historical accounts and wrap them up so neatly that the layman can understand and enjoy the minute details.

The volume begins with commentary on World War II and the crucial role that Alaska played, as evidenced by one of the more famous quotes stated by the man who essentially predicted the Pearl Harbor attacks, Brigadier General William Mitchell: “I believe in the future, he who holds Alaska will hold the world.” The volume essentially shows how Alaska was built into the economically sound, Californian state that it is today. In the process, readers will truly relish the glimpses into the lives of individuals like Clyde Slim Williams, who, with his dog team, sled to the existing North American Highway System in British Columbia in 5 months.

Stylistically, the volume caters to the fast-paced reader as well as those that enjoy reading via visuals. If a picture could really be worth a thousand words, then those in this book are clearly it. Crisp images of crucial, historical moments, taken right in the heat of the action will exhilarate readers and are like a work of art in their own right. Aunt Phil’s Trunk has the thoroughness of a Ph.D thesis, and natural storytelling abilities that combine for a truly enriching foray into the last frontier that anyone will enjoy.

RECOMMENDED by the US Review

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Aunt Phil wins international awards!

Aunt Phil’s Trunk wins two awards from the prestigious Literary Classics 2016 international competition.

I am thrilled to share my big news – Aunt Phil’s Trunk just won two huge awards from the 2016 Literary Classics international competition: Best Historical Nonfiction AND Best Nonfiction Series!

Looks like I’m off to Las Vegas in October to accept the awards in a formal ceremony and participate in Nevada’s largest book festival. The news hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but I am pretty darned excited.

Aunt Phil’s Trunk may be appearing on a popular TV shopping show in the near future, too. But I don’t want to jinx my chances so I’ll post an update on that news once it is finalized!

Here are the links to the two latest television segments of Alaska Story Time with Aunt Phil.

1. Did you know that Capt. James Cook’s crew buried a treasure on the Kenai Peninsula in 1778? To learn more, Click Here.

2. A group of Anchorage businessmen set out to make Anchorage the “Hollywood of the North” in 1923. Click Here to learn how that plan worked out.

All my best to all of you!

Laurel

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Busy summer for Aunt Phil and Alaska history

Literary Classics recently chose the Aunt Phil’s Trunk Alaska history series as a finalist in its national contest for best historical series. The winner will be announced in July.

The past few weeks have flown by! We had company from Michigan for three weeks and packed every day with adventures. We traveled from Homer to Sterling to Seward to Fairbanks during some of the most glorious weather I’ve ever seen in June in the Last Frontier. And it looks like there will be more sunny days ahead. I’m feeling so blessed.

Books sales are going great, too. I’m appearing at the Anchorage Downtown Market and Festival every Saturday and Sunday and have several new shows added to the lineup this year for Ambassadair Travel out of Indiana, the Alyeska Roadhouse and more. Good thing that I love to share Alaska’s history!

Speaking of sharing history, here are a couple links to Alaska Story Time with Aunt Phil that regularly runs on Monday mornings on Anchorage CBS affiliate KTVA Channel 11.

Did you know that Lake Hood in Anchorage, which is the busiest seaplane base in the world, used to be a swimming resort in the early 1900s?

Click Here for the “rest of the story.”

Or that the first frame house built in Anchorage in 1915 may be haunted?

Click Here for that story!

And if you want to get daily doses of Alaska history, just go to my author Facebook page and click “Like.” Every morning I post a historical photo with a short paragraph about something that happened in Alaska’s colorful past.

Click Here to go to Laurel Bill Author Facebook

That’s about it for now … except that Literary Classics just informed me its judges have given my Aunt Phil’s Trunk Alaska history series their “Seal of Approval” for historical nonfiction for young adults. And the series is in the running for best nonfiction historical series for 2016. The winner will be announced this month.

Keep your fingers crossed for Aunt Phil!

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Alaska Story Time with Aunt Phil is back!

Aunt Phil shares Alaska history stories on CBS KTVA Channel 11!

“Alaska Story Time with Aunt Phil” back on television on Monday mornings! I’m so excited that Anchorage CBS affiliate KTVA Channel 11 asked me to start doing my Alaska history show again.

The first episode aired last week. We talked about the popular Delaney Park, which served the residents of Anchorage as a firebreak in 1915, an airstrip in the 1920s and a golf course before becoming a space where people can picnic, play sports and just enjoy being outdoors.

Click here to watch Delaney Park segment

This week we traveled to Whittier and shared the story of Anton Anderson. The chief engineer for the Alaska Railroad led the charge blasting 2.5 miles through Maynard Mountain in the early 1940s to connect the deep-water port of Whittier to the main railroad so America’s military could deliver soldiers and supplies to Anchorage. Cars and trains now run through that tunnel.

Click here to watch Whittier Tunnel segment

Anderson, who arrived in Ship Creek in 1915 (which became Anchorage), helped engineer many of the routes that the Alaska Railroad still runs today. And with company coming from Michigan this week, my husband and I will be sending our friends on trips along those rails.

Hope you all are enjoying the beginning of your summers as much as we are having fun in the warm Alaska sun!

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Another Amazon Top Viewer Loves Aunt Phil!

Another Amazon top reviewer praises Aunt Phil’s Trunk Volume Five!

Last week another Amazon Top 500 reviewer wrote an awesome review for the new Volume Five of Aunt Phil’s Trunk.

Customer Review

5.0 out of 5 stars

From statehood to natural disasters, mass murderers and a few quirky things, May 20, 2016

By

Connie (Amazon Top 500 reviwer)

This review is from: Aunt Phil’s Trunk Volume Five (Perfect Paperback)

“What an enjoyable read this was. I read this piecemeal over the past month, sneaking in a chapter a night. Laurel Bill is an engaging historian who focuses on social history and its effects on the present and future. I have not read other volumes in this series. I chose this volume because it begins with Alaskan statehood and the major issues the new Alaskans faced to set up their infrastructure, including the large quantities of new homesteaders from Michigan. This in turn raised questions for the native Eskimos who were already living here. Agreeing on a permanent location for its capital was alone very interesting. So there is a lot covered in the 424 pages, including recaps at the end of the book summarizing the 60s, 70s and early 80s .

The timber and oil industry quickly brought in revenues the state needed. The hard life of an Alaskan, however, also made many mentally ill.

A good 110 pages are dedicated to the Good Friday earthquake of 1964. Towns along the coast took a severe beating, and there are many photographs showing the damage to streets, docks and buildings. This was the first recorded megaquake and lasted five minutes. Tsunami waves traveled as far south as Crescent City, CA!

What I found especially interesting were the chapters that covered unique events to the area. “Some Highlights” and “Some Low Points” cover human interest stories and science news. I had never heard of iceworms but they do exist and were discovered in Cordova. And then there’s the community in Homer that started collecting Betty Crocker coupons until they had enough to redeem for a fire truck in town! What an undertaking! Then there’s the birth of the Iditarod in 1964, a race that’s been held annually ever since.

Bill also covers a few infamous stories, such as mass murderers that alone could take up its own volume. Luckily here in this volume the stories are kept to a minumum and are only printed in this book because of the newsworthiness at the time.

There are black and white photographs on nearly every page, enriching the journalistic text. Chapters are short without being overloaded with too much detail. The end result is a nicely-themed volume of all the big headlines from statehood to 1984, at the height of the Cold War between Alaska and Siberia. The research alone is impressive, paging through old newspapers and archives, old government documents and talking to eye witness residents. Bill is the niece of Phyllis Downing Carlson who started this series of historical tidbits; her work is in memory of the woman who started it all.

I received a free sample in exchange for a review.”

Click Here to pick up your autographed copy on my Website

OR

Click Here to order from Amazon

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Volume Five receives high praise in Alaska Dispatch News!

Reviewers praise Aunt Phil’s Trunk Volume Five!

More exciting news for the Aunt Phil’s Trunk Alaska history series – Volume Five received a wonderful review in the Alaska Dispatch News on Sunday, April 24! Click here to read the full review by critic David James

Highlights include:

“Ten years ago when I first took a job reviewing Alaska books for another publication, I was handed a stack of recent works for consideration. Among them was Aunt Phil’s Trunk Volume One, featuring a photograph of an elderly woman with a kind face on the cover along with the words: “an Alaska historian’s collection of treasured tales.”

Since it was independently published, and since I’d received another volume of anecdotal Alaska history that was poorly written and lacking in context, I was unsure if I wanted to consider this one. I decided I’d give it 20 pages, and if it didn’t grab me, I’d move on.

Twenty pages later, I was a dedicated fanboy and have remained so throughout the ensuing decade and the now four additional volumes of Aunt Phil’s Trunk that followed….

Aunt Phil’s Trunk Volume Five takes up where the previous one left off, immediately after Alaska was admitted to the Union. The first chapter introduces readers to the new state’s first governor, William Egan, with a quick recap of his career. This is followed by chapters exploring challenges facing Alaska as it shifted from a territory that had been almost fully financed by the federal government to a state expected to pull its own weight.

Readers learn about the difficulties of funding a vast region with a tiny population. They’ll also discover that the perennial efforts at moving the state capital from Juneau to someplace closer to the more populated Southcentral region commenced almost as soon as the gavel fell to open the first meeting of the Legislature.

One can’t write about early statehood without mentioning the 1964 Good Friday earthquake that devastated Anchorage and many coastal communities. This is particularly true for a series focused on the human side of history, and this volume devotes more than 100 pages to the calamity. The damage the quake and subsequent tsunamis inflicted on Anchorage, Valdez, Kodiak, Whittier and elsewhere is recounted.

The Aunt Phil’s Trunk books have a well-deserved reputation for being exhaustively illustrated with photographs on nearly every page, and the selection on the earthquake is especially dramatic with dozens of images of the disaster’s aftermath….

The other big story of Alaska’s first quarter-century as a state is the intertwined battles over land distribution, Native claims and the oil discoveries that spurred action on all three fronts. The book pays tribute to Alaska Native leaders who worked the system from the inside through legal maneuvering, winning a historic victory with passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Meanwhile the section on the building of the trans-Alaska pipeline includes some of the best pictures in this already well-illustrated volume.

As more of a citizens’ history, the book includes things that would likely be left out of textbooks. There’s an account of the first Iditarod, a chapter on how Alaskans dealt with the mentally ill, the story of an enormous flagpole that the city of Ketchikan donated to Anchorage, and several tales of high-profile murders, including the massacres in McCarthy and Manley that occurred about a year apart in the early 1980s.

Like previous volumes, chapters in this book are written in the style of newspaper features articles. They can easily stand alone while also adding to a greater whole … The writing is engaging throughout and the pictures alone are worth the cost of the book.

By making her aunt’s work available and adding her own touches, Downing Bill has brought Alaska’s past to life in a way that should appeal even to those who rarely read history. Volume Five ends in 1984 and Downing Bill does not plan on taking it further, so the series is complete. And all of it is good.”

If you haven’t picked up a copy of Volume Five yet, Click here and order your autographed book now!

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Lights along Alaska’s coast

Sentinel Island lighthouse, seen here in 1902, was one of two light stations built in Southeast Alaska following a large influx of steamers bringing men and freight north during the rush for gold to the Klondike.

The discovery of rich gold deposits in the upper Yukon River in the late 1890s brought a massive rise in the number of ships plying Alaska waters. Especially in Lynn Canal, a part of the Inside Passage. It was a safer route for ships to travel than the open ocean route to the west through the eastern Gulf of Alaska. But once the ships passed British Columbia, they had few guides through the Inside Passage.

Weather and terrain in Southeast Alaska made traveling perilous – fog, rain, strong tides and rocky shorelines were the order of the day. More than 300 accidents were reported in Inside Passage waters in 1898. And even though Alaska’s dignitaries had been pleading for a decade to have navigational aids placed along the vast coastline, only a few markers and buoys had been installed on any of Alaska’s 20,000 miles of coastline (more than the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts of the United States combined).

But the volume and value of traffic that followed the discovery of gold in the Klondike tipped the scales in favor of safety for ships sailing to Southeast Alaska. Congress finally appropriated funds for two lighthouses in 1900, one at Five Finger Islands and one at Sentinel Island. The inspector and engineer for the Thirteenth Lighthouse District gave top priority for the light at Sentinel Island at the entrance to Lynn Canal.

Juneau resident George James received the contract and built the Sentinel Island station in 1901. This wooden lighthouse, which included keeper quarters, began operating on March 1, 1902, and cost $21,267 to construct – more than half a million in today’s dollars. The Five Finger lighthouse, below Admiralty Island, cost about the same amount and went into operation in March 1902, as well.

Additional lights soon followed at Mary Island in Revillagigedo Channel below Ketchikan, Lincoln rock in Clarence Strait and Scotch Cap on Unimak Island. Scotch Cap was the only light outside Southeast Alaska and marked the most heavily trafficked passage between the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea at the west end of the Alaska Peninsula.

The Scotch Cap lighthouse, built in 1903, was so remote that the keeper was allowed one year of vacation after serving four years at the station. It stood 45 feet tall, and according to the Coast Guard Historian’s Office, witnessed several shipwrecks.

Lights later were added at 10 more locations, all major stations with permanent lights and housing for the light keepers and their families. Working these lighthouses was tedious, isolated and sometimes dangerous work. In one instance, it proved tragic.

In 1945, Anthony L. Petit was assigned to Scotch Cap as the head of a five-man crew. They tended the light, which was 55 feet above the water on a low bluff overlooking the sea. The site also had a radio facility higher up the bluff.

On April 1, 1946, radio station personnel watched in horror as a giant tsunami from the southwest struck the bluff around 2 a.m. The lighthouse was smashed instantly, along with all its outbuildings, and the U.S. Coast Guard’s five-man crew was swept out to sea. The bodies of Petit, Jack Colvin, Dewey Dykstra, Leonard Pickering and Paul J. Ness were found on the rocky shore the next day.

Alaska no longer has any manned lighthouses in Alaska. By 1984, all light stations had been automated.

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Aunt Phil Alaska history series celebrates 10th anniversary!

I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since Aunt Phil’s Trunk Volume One made its debut in Anchorage. I remember carrying a proof of the book to gift shops and bookstores in December 2005 to see if anyone wanted to stock my first-ever book on their shelves.

To my amazement, just about every shop placed orders for the summer season. They thought my book would be a hit with young and old readers alike.

It looks like they were right. Thousands of copies of Aunt Phil’s Trunk books have flown off store shelves across the state during these past 10 years. Many teachers are using the series in public, charter and home schools in Alaska, too.

I now want to broaden the range of sharing Alaska’s history – which brings me to some exciting news to begin the next decade of Aunt Phil’s Trunk.

Several top reviewers now are reading the books in my Alaska history series and soon will be posting their reviews on Amazon. A few bloggers want to interview me and get the word out about the series, too.

So after more than a decade of researching, writing and working to get the series into the hands of history buffs across Alaska, I am beyond excited to see Aunt Phil’s (and my) work spread to the rest of the world.

You can help spread the word, too.

Please take a minute and give your favorite book in my Aunt Phil’s Trunk series a star rating on Amazon. Star ratings go from one star, which means awful, to five stars, which means awesome.

If you want to go the extra mile, I’d welcome one or two sentences in the comments section under your star rating. This helps potential readers decide if they should invest their time in one of my books.

It’s as easy as:

1. Click on one of the links below

2. Scroll down to Customer Reviews

3. Click on Write a customer Review

4. Choose a Star from 1 to 5

5. Write a sentence or two in the comments box

6. Click Submit

Yes, it’s just that easy.

Here are the Amazon links for Aunt Phil’s Trunk:

Volume One – Click Here

Volume Two – Click Here

Volume Three – Click Here

Volume Four – Click Here

Volume Five – Click Here

If you don’t want to publicly proclaim your love for Aunt Phil, I still thank you so much for enjoying my Aunt Phil’s Trunk series over the last decade – Alaska history fans rock!

Laurel

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Gold brings Post Office to Circle City

The first U.S. Post Office in Alaska’s Interior was housed in this building, McQuesten and Company, in Circle City after Jack McQuesten was appointed postmaster on March 19, 1896.

While the Southeast town of Sitka claims the first U.S. Post Office established in America’s new possession of Alaska in 1867, Circle City – located on the banks of the Yukon River – holds the honor for the first post office in Alaska’s Interior, according to “Directory of Alaska Post Offices and Postmasters.”

Circle City’s first postmaster, famous outfitter Jack McQuesten, was appointed on March 19, 1896. Mail had been carried by private mail runners that traveled along a route from the new mining district of Juneau, over the mountain passes and into the then-booming Circle district before that date.

The town, established in 1893 as a supply point for goods shipped up the Yukon and overland to gold mining camps, was named Circle City in the late 1890s because miners thought it was on the Arctic Circle. It is not. The Arctic Circle is about 50 miles farther north.

Also called Circle, the town is located 160 miles northeast of Fairbanks and was the largest mining town on the Yukon by 1896. With a population of 700, it boasted an Alaska Commercial Company store, about 10 dance halls and an opera house, library, school, hospital and Episcopal Church.

A March 1898 issue of the Yukon Press reported the community had added four general stores, two jewelers, two physicians and two dentists following the discovery of gold in the Klondike. Gold dust became the currency of the time, although some “bingles” and tokens also were in use.

Most of the gold in the area, with a few exceptions, was flaky “oatmeal” consistency. Although some coarse nuggets that weighed around 3 and 4 ounces also were reported, according to an article in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Experts estimated the average value of gold in the region was $17.73 an ounce ($425 today). Some areas were valued at 25 cents a square foot ($6).

The Circle City newspaper also featured mining news about strikes on creeks in the vicinity, including Deadwood, Mammoth, Mastodon, Independence, Miller and Crooked. The paper summarized highlights of miners’ meetings and social events, too, and reported the fact that the town’s “standard time” would be based on celestial observations of one Lieutenant Bemis.

Along with legal notices and other orders of business, the Yukon Press also kept the community up to date on criminal activities, arrests and who had been jailed. The newspaper never had an opportunity to report on a jailbreak, however, as no one ever escaped from that jail.

Circle City’s jailhouse was, perhaps, the most unique jail in the entire country. A sign, posted prominently on the front door, read:

“Notice: All prisoners must report by 9 o’clock p.m. or they will be locked out for the night. By order of the U.S. Marshal.”

As it turns out, prisoners willingly reported back to the city jail by 9 p.m., as Circle City was 200 miles away from any route of escape. And since winter temperatures ranged from 20 to 50 below zero, the jail offered prisoners a warm place to spend the night with plenty of food to eat.

Following the 1898 Klondike stampede, and the rush to Nome’s beaches in 1899, Circle City declined in population. But the Post Office still serves the remaining residents, which are mostly Athabascan now.

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