Category Archives: Books

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

The First Iditarod

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Helen Hegener

The First Iditarod: Mushers’ Tales from the 1973 Race, by Helen Hegener “We got a storm back about Rainy Pass and the trail was covered over; we had no trail, so Victor Kotongan, Bud Smyth and I spent about three … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Kindle eBooks, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Alaska, eBook, Helen Hegener, Iditarod, Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Kindle, mushing, Northern Light Media, sled dog race, sled dogs | Leave a comment

The Yukon Quest

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Helen Hegener

The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race spans some of the harshest and most beautiful winter territory anywhere: 1,000 miles between Fairbanks, Alaska and the city of Whitehorse in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Known as ‘The World’s Toughest Sled Dog Race,’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Alaska, Albert Marquez, Dawson City, Eric Vercammen, Fairbanks, Helen Hegener, John Schandelmeier, mushing, Scott Chesney, sled dog race, Whitehorse, Yukon Quest, Yukon River | Leave a comment

A Dog-Puncher on the Yukon

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Helen Hegener

People sometimes ask me which musher in history is my favorite, and it’s a tough choice, as there have been some truly amazing mushers (and I write about many of them in my book Alaskan Sled Dog Tales), but one … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Sled Dog History | Tagged A Dog-Puncher on the Yukon, Arthur Treadwell Walden, Chinook, Helen Hegener, mushing, Northern Light Media, sled dogs | 1 Comment

“A Mighty Nice Place”

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Helen Hegener

“The valley looks great. It looks fine, fine. You got a mighty nice place here.” ~American humorist and commentator Will Rogers, Palmer, Alaska, August, 1935 The newest book from Northern Light Media combines the history of the Matanuska Valley with … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, News & Information | 3 Comments

Gakona Roadhouse

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Helen Hegener

This article is an excerpt from the book by Helen Hegener, Alaskan Roadhouses, Shelter, Food, and Lodging Along Alaska’s Roads and Trails, published in 2015 by Northern Light Media. Ordering information below. The Gakona roadhouse at milepost 205 on … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, Roadhouses, Uncategorized | Tagged Alaska, Arne Sundt, Doyle's Ranch, Gakona Roadhouse, Glenn Highway, Helen Hegener, Henra Sundt, James Wickersham, mushing, mushing history, Northern Light Media, roadhouse, Valdez to Eagle Trail, Valdez-to-Fairbanks Trail | Leave a comment

Joe Redington’s Iditarod Booklet

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Helen Hegener

A slim little booklet came to my attention at the Palmer library recently; if memory serves me it was tucked into their collection which cannot be checked out of the library but must remain in the building. Titled Iditarod Trail, … Continue reading →