Posts by MELISSA COFFMAN
Chasing the Dark, by Joseph Jackson
Chasing the Dark, by Joseph Jackson Joe Jackson’s life has seemed to follow the hours of low light; waking in the pitch-dark to beat the sun and lingering until it’s long gone. The stories told in between range from hunting snowshoe hares in the cold of Alaskan winter; Spey casting monotonously to king salmon and…
Read MoreCensure and Repeal, by Don Stuart
Censure and Repeal, by Don Stuart The charismatic CEO of a high-tech multinational corporation dies when his self-driving car plunges off a cliff into Puget Sound. The company’s own technical experts find that the car’s computer was turned off at the time of the accident. So the police rule his death a suicide. But lawyer…
Read MoreMurder in Vancouver 1886, by Marion Crook
Murder in Vancouver 1886, by Marion Crook Vancouver, 1886, a bustling city with a growing population and tantalizing opportunities. Some of those opportunities are illegal. When Amy MacDonald, the school teacher at Hastings Mill, discovers new Winchester ’86 rifles are being smuggled through the city, she tries to enlist the aid of the earnest but…
Read MoreMercy Pilot, by Dirk Tordoff
Mercy Pilot, by Dirk Tordoff Joe Crosson, a brave and skilled pilot, became a national hero between the world wars flying mercy missions in the North. He pioneered air routes throughout Alaska and foresaw the future of commercial aviation. Above all else, he loved to fly. In 1929, Crosson generated newspaper headlines worldwide flying a…
Read MorePatsy Ann of Alaska, by Tricia Brown
Patsy Ann of Alaska, by Tricia Brown In 1929, Patsy Ann arrived in Juneau, Alaska, with an independent streak as big as the territory. The English bull terrier cycled through a couple of households, running away each time, making it clear that she was nobody’s dog. She was everybody’s dog. Meet the canine free spirit…
Read MoreThe Oceanside History of Alaska, by Mike Coppock
The Oceanside History of Alaska, by Mike Coppock A history of Alaska’s seaports settled by fishermen, gold seekers, Scandinavians, Native peoples, and Russian trappers. It is a time of a violent history as these diverse people carved their own isolated world from forests, cliff faces, and raging seas. This is a tale of wild men…
Read MoreCaught in the Rush, by W. Mace Brady
Caught in the Rush, by W. Mace Brady As the depression of 1893 worsened, many began seeking a new life. By 1895, hundreds of banks and thousands of businesses had gone under. As the stock market collapsed, jobs became scarce, and the value of the dollar declined. In 1894, Bill Schooley, with two childhood friends,…
Read MoreAnswering Alaska’s Call, by Linda Fritz
Answering Alaska’s Call, by Linda Fritz Milo Fritz always dreamed big, ever eager to push the boundaries of what was considered possible. In 1940, the young Columbia- and Duke-educated eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist and his wife Betsy, an RN, leave the familiar comforts of Milo’s hometown of Pelham, New York to begin a…
Read MoreYoung Men Go North, by Joe Upton
Young Men Go North, by Joe Upton “I went up on the Star of Alaska in 1918.” It was 1965 and an old timer was spinning a tale for 18-year-old Joe Upton. Of sailing up from San Francisco to Alaska’s remote and austere Bristol Bay aboard a square-rigged ship loaded with Chinese cannery workers, Norwegian…
Read MoreIt’s Always Uphill from the Dock, by Ann B. Irish
It’s Always Uphill from the Dock, by Ann B. Irish Here is a look at the Puget Sound islands throughout history—the San Juan Islands, Whidbey Island, Bainbridge and Vashon Islands, and many others. Featured are the people who have come to the islands: Native Americans, explorers, entrepreneurs, settlers and visitors. We learn of the Native…
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