Birthing a Book

It all began way back in the early 70's or so. Betty and her dear friend Joanne bought a trunk from the Alaska State auction list and found in it the last possessions of a fascinating English lady who due to strange circumstances lived out much of her life in frontier Alaska. Over the years Jessie seemed to become a member of our family as bit by bit a little more was learned about her story. Betty always said that if she ever wrote a book it would be about Jessie's life, so when she came across some useful on-line material in 2003, the research and the writing began in earnest.

Finally, after travels to the really remote village of Eagle on the Yukon River and research in dozens of places from California to England (via e-mail and on-line sources), interviews with dozens of folk, and the encouragement of many friends and family - especially daughter Patty - we can announce: The Book is Born.

On Monday, after three years of research and writing, the book went to press. The contents of the trunk had included remnants of Jessie's china, a British flag, Indian baskets and artifacts, and other small personal treasures, but the most valuable information for purposes of the book were in the diaries, photo album, postcard collection, a writing journal, and other documentation. From these items and other sources Betty has reconstructed the life story of this remarkable individual. At times quaint, and sometimes rather primitive, this ladies history is a wonderful blend of cultures and experiences, characters and peoples, places and events which intrigue the imagination. You will find Betty's account to be a capturing read.

Born to wealth and privilege in Victorian England and parlor educated as an English debutant should be, Jessie and her family embarked on a voyage in 1913 to America to visit her younger brother in California but had to travel north to find him instead in Dawson City, in the Yukon Territory of Canada. Her mother's illness brought them downriver to Eagle, Alaska, where they were stranded financially by the outbreak of WWI. Jessie's life was changed forever, and she spent the rest of her 88 years in the Last Frontier. Learning to survive, Jessie at times became a house cleaner, a placer claim gold miner, seamstress, and camp cook. Learning to live and enjoy the remote life brought her many special friendships, a few husbands, and a vast range of frontier experiences. The book tells her story in twenty-one chapters and included photographs of items and pictures from the trunk.

Living with an author is an interesting experience. Many conversations begin abrubtly in the midst of ongoing dialogue involving events in Jessie's life. Wrestling with the text often began at 4:00 AM, and the complexities of solving self-publishing puzzles required the combined efforts of several. The blessings included precious new friends, some unique travel experiences (like dragging a new camping trailer over a ragged 65 mile trail some 3000 miles north of home), and even generous gifts of well-wishers who gave Betty additional items which had belonged to Jessie. This has truly been a community event in many ways.

I hope you will be interested enough to purchase a copy of "Jessie: the story of a genteel lady in frontier Alaska" when it soon become available for purchase. We will be letting you know how to obtain the book either from us or directly through the publisher. If you are interested in having it autographed, I know the author well, and I think that could be arranged for you.