Tag Archives: Alaska Railroad

A Site for the Railroad Book

I am pleased to announce a website for my newest book, The Alaska Railroad 1902-1923, which shares the content and the research materials and resources which I used in writing the book. Continue reading

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Ordering Books

Books by Alaskan author Helen Hegener, including The History of Sled Dogs in North America, The Alaska Railroad, Alaskan Roadhouses, The First Iditarod, The Matanuska Colony Project and many more. Continue reading

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The Alaska Railroad 1902-1923

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, when President Warren G. Harding drove the Alaska Railroad’s ceremonial Golden Spike in Nenana. Continue reading

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Congressional Records & the ARR

There are a wealth of historic resources at the website for my book on the Alaska Railroad construction from 1902 to 1923. Most of the resources I used in researching the history and writing the book are there.  Continue reading

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Alaska Railroad 1902-1923

This 400-page book is a wide-ranging look at the many ways in which the railroad played a major role in Alaska’s growth and development. Continue reading

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Alaska Nellie

Nellie Neal Lawing, familiar to Alaskans as “Alaska Nellie,” lived a life much larger than most, even by Alaskan standards. She was a fisherman, a hunter, a trapper, a cook and a roadhouse keeper; she fed the crews building the Alaska Railroad, welcomed princes and presidents into her home, guided big game hunters and developed an impressive trophy collection of her own. She mushed a dog team, kept a pet bear cub, became famous for her strawberry pies, and saw a movie made about her adventures. She was one of a kind, an Alaskan original, and she lived life to the fullest. Continue reading

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Kindle Edition: Alaska Railroad 1902-1923

My 2017 book about the construction of the Alaska Railroad is now available in an Amazon Kindle edition, giving digital access to this in-depth exploration of an important chapter in Alaska’s history. The story of the railroad’s construction is a wide-ranging … Continue reading

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Frank George Carpenter

Frank Carpenter photographed Alaska and collected the images of other Alaskan photographers between 1910 and 1924, and Carpenter’s works helped popularize cultural anthropology and geography in the early years of the twentieth century. Continue reading

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The Beautiful Matanuska Valley

The Beautiful Matanuska Valley, by Helen Hegener, includes chapters on Palmer, Wasilla, and other communities within the Valley, both still-existing and long-gone. Stories and photos of Knik, Sutton, Matanuska, Big Lake, Chickaloon and others tell the story of the founding, settling, … Continue reading

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Alaska’s Coal History

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

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