Is Alaska stuck in the myth of the big strike?

On this week's bonus episode, we speak with Kathryn Morse, a professor at Middlebury College and author of The Nature of Gold: an Environmental History of the Klondike Gold Rush.

I loved speaking with Kathryn because she is both incredibly knowledgeable about the Klondike Gold Rush, and an astute observer of how gold rush era myths inform Alaska's identity and politics today.

We discuss the crisis in American identity that coincided with the Klondike Gold Rush, why gold's value was seen as "natural," and how myths from this era are still shaping Alaska's trajectory.

Note that there were technical issues with the recording of this episode that impacted the audio quality. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do too!

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This episode looks at one of the most mythologized eras of Alaska's history: the gold rush.

We dig into the myth of the sole prospector, and why that obscures almost everything about the gold rush.

And we explore the myth of lawlessness through the lens of Tlingit law, miners' justice, and a company of Black soldiers sent to bring "law and order" to Alaskan towns during the Klondike gold rush.

Special thanks to our guests:
Kathryn Morse, Professor of Environmental Studies at Middlebury College
Rosita Ḵaaháni Worl, President of the Sealaska Heritage Institute
David Reamer, Alaska Historian
Ian Hartman, Chair of the History Department at University of Alaska Anchorage

For more information, visit us at www.thealaskamyth.com

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Today's special bonus episode of The Alaska Myth features an extended conversation with Sophie Frets about her memories of Cry of the Wild Ram.

Sophie appeared in Episode 2 of The Alaska Myth: Kodiak Remembers.

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