Bear Man of Admiralty Island: A Biography of Allen E. Hasselborg

by John R. Howe Jr.

Bear Man of Admiralty Island is the life story of a rugged loner and self-taught naturalist who came to southeastern Alaska in 1901 to seek his fortune in the awe-inspiring wilderness but found his destiny instead. In the process, this sturdy Midwesterner learned the skills of a prospector, fisherman, trapper, guide, boatbuilder, and homesteader. At all these things he eventually excelled, but his greatest fame came from his greatest he was a peerless bear hunter. He joined several natural history expeditions and worked for about ten years as a specimen collector and guide. He later guided sportsmen and photographers interested in Southeastern's wildlife and majestic natural beauty. As his respect for the great brown bears increased, he lost his interest in killing them, and his experiences inspired conservationists who lobbied to protect Admiralty Island from logging. Hasselborg's keen wit, fierce independence, and eccentric ways attracted much attention during his lifetime. He was an extraordinary man who was in some ways a perfectly ordinary Alaskan of his time, and author Howe reflects on both sides of that character in a balanced, detailed way.

Genres: Book Club

250 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

Until his retirement in 1999 John Howe served as history professor and former Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. A specialist in American history, he earned his doctorate in history from Yale University and taught at Princeton and Dartmouth before moving to the University of Minnesota in 1965.

Reviews

[Nola · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Bear Man of Admiralty Island gives a biography of Allen Hasselborg, who lived alone at his homestead in Mole Harbor on Admiralty Island for most of his life. He began his life in Alaska as a miner, and then became a hunter for scientific expeditions. However, although he shot many bears himself, he ended up not allowing people to hunt bears in Mole Harbor, even though his homestead was only 135 acres near Mole River and only a very small fraction of Mole Harbor. He was incredibly tough, amazingly well self-educated and quite self-sufficient. The author, John R. Howe, tries his best to convey a sense of what Allen Hasselborg was like. This is a struggle because Allen Hasselborg was dead before the book was written, and he had an unusual personality. It is hard to tell if he was a likeable curmudgeon or a truly unpleasant man. He must, however, have been incredibly strong physically and mentally. The work and the hiking he did is unimaginable, not to mention his boat trips, sometimes self-powered, and his rough camping. Howe worked with one of Allen Hasselborg’s sisters to present the story of Hasselborg’s childhood and Howe used letters and personal recollections of Hasselborg’s friends and relatives to explain his life. There is a lack of feeling for who Hasselborg really was, but the author did the best he could to overcome this. The book does tell you the history of that time period at that one place on Admiralty Island. It also includes some background on scientific exploration and attitudes about bear control and conservation in the early 1900’s. Without this book, I wouldn’t have known about the movement to eliminate bears on Admiralty Island and the struggle to protect them. It is certainly a worthwhile book to read if you are interested in Admiralty Island.

[Varina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and well-written biography. There's a lot of bear killing, which was difficult for me to get through, but there's also a conservationist message that I appreciated. I also appreciated the detailed examination of Hasselborg's skills while living in cooperation with the land, and his independent spirit.

[Toren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very enjoyable biography.

[Christopher Conroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little out of chronological order but still a very well researched book about a very unique character

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing life this man led! His is the story of a true AK pioneer. His experiences and insights are entertaining and teach a great deal about this era. I really enjoyed it!

Three or four stars? I went with four because of the content of the book. However, I would have to give the actual writing 3 stars because of several sections that felt like reading a textbook, not a biography. More quotes from Hasselborg's letters and journal would have been great!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book about an awesome guy! Especially if you know the area, you'll enjoy this book. I just wish they had more of his actual journal entries.