Martha (Ferguson) McKeown

Written as told to the author by her uncle, this is Mont Hawthorne's first hand account of his travels to Alaska around 1900 to establish and operate salmon canneries. In his late 30's at the time, he gives an account of what south central and southeast Alaska were like, who inhabited them, and how they lived. Himself a white man, not formally educated but with a wealth of "how to do things" knowledge, he was not only handy with machinery but a keen observer of people. He took the time to get to know those around him, be they natives, Chinese workers imported to staff the canneries, the business class making the deals to finance the ventures or the government officials dealing with an area that was still a territory. Yet the book reads like an adventure story as Mont responds to opportunities, and deals with catastrophes, while satisfying his own itch to travel and see new country. Written almost 40 years after the stories took place, there is some reflection based on subsequent events, which adds to the rich story. Once I started, was hard to put this book down.… (mehr)