Author Archives: Helen Hegener

About Helen Hegener

Author and publisher, Northern Light Media

Split-the-Wind

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Helen Hegener

In 1924 Harold Noice published an account of his adventures with the Canadian Arctic Expedition, titled With Stefansson in the Arctic. In his book, Noice told of an Inupiat guide for Vilhjalmer Stefannsson’s expeditions named Emiu, who was also known as “Split-the-Wind” due to his fondness for fast dogteams. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, News & Information, Sled Dog History | Tagged All Alaska Sweepstakes, Canadian Arctic Expedition, Emiu, Harold Noice, Iditarod Trail, Karluk, Nome, Polar Bear, Revenue Cutter Bear, Split the Wind, Vilhjalmur Stefansson | 1 Comment

A Woman Who Went to Alaska

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Helen Hegener

A Woman Who Went––to Alaska, by May Kellogg Sullivan, was published in 1902 by James H. Earle & Co., of Boston, Massachusetts. The book describes two trips in which the author journeyed to the Yukon and Alaskan goldfields in 1899, a year after the height of the Klondike Gold Rush. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, News & Information | Tagged Dawson, gold rush, Klondike, Klondyke River, May Kellogg Sullivan, Yukon River | 1 Comment

Alaska’s Coal History

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Helen Hegener

Alaska’s railroad history has been interwoven with Alaska’s coal resources almost from the beginning, and the black rock has driven the development of the Alaska Railroad since the days of its smaller predecessors. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Alaska Railroad, Books, News & Information | Tagged Alaska Coal Act, Alaska Engineering Commission, Alaska Railroad, Ballinger-Pinchot Affair, Bering River, Cap Lathrop, Chickaloon, coal, Copper River & Northwestern, CR&NW, Evan Jones, federal coal claims, Gifford Pinchot, Healy, Homer Pennock, Jonesville Coal, Kenai, Morgan-Guggenheim Syndicate, Nenana, Republican Party split, Richard A. Ballinger, Sutton, Usibelli | 2 Comments

Parks-Archer Colony Barn

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Helen Hegener

The magnificent Parks-Archer barn which sat on the south side of Bodenburg Butte is gone now, another loss to Matanuska Valley history, but it was included in my 2013 book on the Matanuska Colony barns (see below for ordering). Comprised … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Colony Barns, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, News & Information | Tagged Alaska, barns, history, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, Palmer, The Matanuska Colony Barns | 2 Comments

New Book: Alaska & the Klondike

Posted on April 29, 2018 by Helen Hegener

The newest book from Northern Light Media is an anthology, Alaska & the Klondike, Early Writings and Historic Photographs, compiled and edited by Helen Hegener, published May 10, 2018. Charting an unknown country, exploring a wondrous land, searching for gold, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, News & Information, Sled Dog History | Tagged Alaska, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Helen Hegener, history, Hudson Stuck, Klondike, Nome, Robert Service, Yukon | 1 Comment

Northern Light Media Books

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Helen Hegener

Northern Light Media publishes non-fiction books about the history of Alaska, with more than a dozen titles currently in print. Learning more about these titles and ordering books is easy, and there are four convenient ways to do so online: … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Alaska Railroad, Books, News & Information, Roadhouses, Sled Dog History | Tagged Alaska Railroad, Alaskan Roadhouses, All Alaska Sweepstakes, Amazon, books, Contact, CreateSpace, Helen Hegener, Iditarod, IndieBound, Matanuska, Northern Light Media, Ordering, Orders, Roadhouses, sled dogs, Yukon Quest | Leave a comment

The Alaska Railroad 1902-1923

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Helen Hegener

The Alaska Railroad: 1902-1923 , subtitled Blazing an Iron Trail Across The Last Frontier, shares the compelling story of the construction of the Alaska Railroad and its predecessors, from 1902, when John Ballaine built the Alaska Central Railroad; through 1923, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Alaska Railroad, Books, News & Information | Tagged A.E.C., AEC, Alaska, Alaska Central Railroad, Alaska Northern Railroad, Alaska Railroad, Alaskan Engineering Commission, Anchorage, ARR, Denali, Fairbanks, Golden Spike, Helen Hegener, Nenana, President Harding, Seward, Tanana Valley Railroad | 3 Comments

Alaskan Adventurer Mary Shields

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Helen Hegener

In 1974, the second year the 1,049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was run, Mary Shields became the first woman to finish the race, with the smallest team in the race (only eight dogs) and a part-Labrador lead dog named … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, DVD & Video | Tagged Alaskan Tails of the Trail, Hope Race, Iditarod, Jon Van Zyle, Mary Shields, Pyrola Publishing, Robert Service, Season of the Sled Dog, Sled Dog Tales, The Alaskan Happy Dog Trilogy, The Nature of Things, Will Curtis, Yukon Quest | 4 Comments

Iditarod: The First Ten Years

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Helen Hegener

Please click here to help put a copy of this book in every Alaskan school – even a $5.00 donation will help put more books into our schools! Iditarod: The First Ten Years is a tremendous compilation of history from … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Dick Mackey, GoFundMe, Iditarod, Iditarod Air Force, Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Joe Redington, The Last Great Race, The Old Iditarod Gang | Leave a comment

Still Crazy After All These Years

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Helen Hegener

Still Crazy After All These Years by Helen Hegener with Rod Perry Adventure has been a way of life for Rod Perry of Chugiak, Alaska. Now seventy-four, an age when most are slowing way down if not sitting still, Rod … Continue reading →