The Alaska Story, 1959-2009Alaska became a state in 1959 after nearly a century of federal rule and domination by powerful mining, timber, and canned-salmon interests. At last the people of Alaska would direct their own destiny. But would they? In its first fifty years, Alaska's fate continued to be influenced by outside interests and unexpected events.
"Dermot Cole is a fine story-teller, a match for the old sourdoughs who charmed audiences with colorful reminiscenses in the lobby of the historic Nordale Hoel in Fairbanks during my childhood."
--from the foreword by Michael Carey"The author deftly plies his journalistic skills in this fine overview of events, personalities, and issues that Alaskans have addressed during our first fifty years as a state."
--Bruce Merrell, Alaska Historical Society
Author, journalist, and historian Dermot Cole is the dean of Alaska newspaper columnists whose work appears daily in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. He has written four books about Alaska history, including the bestseller "Amazing Pipeline Stories: How Building the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Transformed Life in Alaska."
See us on facebook