Category: 49 History

Fri, January 23, 2015

Another Look at Buck

by Rebecca Poulson I've been volunteering at the middle school to lead a Literature Circle with a small group of 7th graders. Back in December, we read Jack London's The Call of the Wild. Of course, right? It was even on a list of books for a contest this spring, one reason I chose it. If you haven't read it, it's about a dog that's stolen from a ranch in California, and sold as a sled dog on... (Read More)

Thu, December 04, 2014

Being a “Politically Correct” Historian while Being an Honest Historian, or Going For Middle Ground

by Lael Morgan Editor’s note: It probably goes without saying, and yet I’m going to say it anyway, that readers should be forewarned the post below on the use of coarse racial language in historical accounts contains coarse racial language. The editor hopes Lael’s piece will open a dialogue on this important historiographical issue. Readers may send comments—either for publication on this blog or not, please specify—to rcoen (at) uw.edu. Last week I got a query from a... (Read More)

Wed, November 26, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving

The Alaska Historical Society wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! As we celebrate this year, please enjoy the following note about William H. Seward’s thoughts on Thanksgiving, written by Billye J. Chabot, director of the Seward House Museum in Auburn, New York: While people have celebrated the harvest for thousands of years, the national practice of Thanksgiving is relatively recent. Each state governor had the authority to proclaim a Thanksgiving Day. However in 1863, secretary of state Seward suggested to... (Read More)

Fri, November 07, 2014

Charles L. McKay, A Biologist in the Bristol Bay Region, 1881-1883

by John B. Branson, Historian, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve Editor’s note: This blog post is based on a lengthier article about McKay by Branson that will appear in a future issue of the on-line magazine, Alaska Park Science. Charles L. McKay was the first biologist to work in the Bristol Bay region of southwest Alaska. McKay was a federal biologist working as a meteorological observer for the U.S. Signal Service and the Smithsonian Institution at Nushagak village, six miles... (Read More)

Wed, October 29, 2014

Canned Salmon in Your Local Grocery – Prize Winners!

From time to time in the heyday of canned salmon, say about 1900 to 1960, the packers would sponsor contests to generate interest and boost sales. Recipe contests proved especially popular among consumers, and by requiring entrants to submit their handwritten salmon recipes on the reverse sides of labels the packers developed a rudimentary method for tracking which brands were more popular with certain demographics. Another favorite was the "salmon display contest" for grocers in which cash prizes were awarded... (Read More)