Alaska 1899: Essays from the Harriman Expedition

by George Bird Grinnell

In the summer of 1899, business tycoon Edward H. Harriman organized and financed a scientific expedition in which 25 of America's foremost geologists, botanists, ornithologists, and ethnologists took a two-month steamship cruise along the coast of Alaska. One of the scientists was Grinnell, an expert on Native American cultures. His two essays, prepared for the final Harriman Expedition report (published in 11 volumes from 1901 to 1905) are reprinted here. They discuss Natives of the Alaska coast, and the salmon industry. With introductions by Grinnell's great-niece and by Victoria Wyatt (history, U. of Victoria), and beautiful b&w illustrations. No index. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

136 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1995

About the author

George Bird Grinnell was an American anthropologist, historian, naturalist, and writer. Grinnell was born in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in 1870 and a Ph.D. in 1880. Originally specializing in zoology, he became a prominent early conservationist and student of Native American life. Grinnell has been recognized for his influence on public opinion and work on legislation to preserve the American bison. Mount Grinnell is named after Grinnell.

Reviews

[Elsie Hulsizer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book was written in the early 1900s and relates findings from the 1899 Harriman Expedition, I found it highly readable and interesting. Most intriguing was Grinnell's chapter on the Alaska salmon. He saw the same attitudes and behaviors toward salmon that had led to the loss of the buffalo herds, but didn't see how they would change and how those changes would lead to the sustainable salmon fishery Alaska has today.