Tag Archives: Alaska

The Doomed Wilcox Expedition

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Episode 30: The Doomed Wilcox Expedition

George Mallory once said, “I climb mountains because they are there.” Mallory died climbing Mt. Everest in 1924, and his body wasn’t found for 75 years. George Mallory represents both the passion and the danger for those who climb mountains.

On July 18, 1967, a catastrophic snowstorm pummeled Alaska’s Mt. Denali, killing seven of the twelve young men in the Wilcox Expedition attempting to reach the summit. This is still the worst climbing disaster ever to occur in the United States.  We will never know what happened at the top of Mt. Denali. Experts can only guess the fate of those seven unlucky climbers.

Sources

My primary source for this newsletter was Denali’s Howl by Andy Hall. If you want to learn more about this tragic event, I highly recommend this book.

Hall, Andy. 2014. Denali’s Howl. Plume, the Penguin Group. New York, NY.

Manley, Kelley McMillan. 7-2017. Disaster on Denali. 5280.com/ Magazine https://www.5280.com/2017/06/disaster-on-denali/

Duke, Kevin. 3-28-2012. Finishing the climb: Babcock finally tells his story of Denali tragedy. Gvnews.com. https://www.gvnews.com/sports/finishing-the-climb-babcock-finally-tells-his-story-of-denali-tragedy/article_d158684c-78f7-11e1-871e-0019bb2963f4.html

Worrall, Simon.  7-2014. The Denali climb that became one of the deadliest. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/140720-mountain-climbing-denali-mount-mckinley-alaska-national-parks

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Read about Murder and Mystery in Alaska

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

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Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

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Meet Robin Barefield, your host for Episode 30

Robin Barefield is the author of five Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, and Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge. She has written two nonfiction books, Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. Sign up to subscribe to her free monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska and check out her podcast: Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier.  Read more about Robin’s books at Author Masterminds.

 

Alaskan Ghosts

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Episode 16: Alaskan Ghosts

In May of 1973, the chief mate and two sailors on the Alaska State ferry Malaspina saw a sight about which they are undoubtedly still telling their grandchildren. On a clear Sunday morning near Twin Island in the Revillagigedo Channel north of Ketchikan, a huge vessel suddenly ap­peared dead ahead. Lying broadside to the path of the ferry, it was about eight miles away and was an “exact, natural, and real” ship.

The three men, in two different locations on the ferry, reported the same sighting. With binoculars, they scanned the strange vessel and saw sailors working on deck. The ferry crew watched the strange ship for ten minutes, and then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it vanished into thin air.

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

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Meet your host for Episode 16: Alaskan Ghosts

Steve Levi is a 70-something writer in Alaska. He specializes in the impossible crime and the Alaska Gold Rush.  An impossible crime is one in which the detective must figure out HOW the crime was committed before he can go after the perpetrators.  As an example, in THE MATTER OF THE VANISHING GREYHOUND, the detective must figure out how a Greyhound bus with four bank robbers, a dozen hostages, and  $10 million can vanish off the Golden Gate Bridge. Steve’s books can be seen at www.authormasterminds.com/steve-levi and www.steverlevibooks.com. He also does two historical uploads a week.  Send Steve your email, and he will include it in the mailings.

 

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The historical key to understanding the Alaska Railroad is that it started as a Socialist dream.  It was a profit-making instrument owned by the government. By the time the railroad finished, the dream of socialism as a governmental form had died.  The Russian Revolution showed how flawed socialism by a national government was, the hard-core socialist, anarchist, and syndicalist radicals had been deported on the BUFORD, and the end of World War I flooded American stores with consumer goods. The Roaring Twenties had started, and everyone was making money, and there was no longer a need to have a ‘socialist’ government.

A RAT’S NEST OF RAIL

 

 

Bigfoot in Alaska

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Episode 15: Bigfoot in Alaska

Alaska, known for its vast wilderness and diverse wildlife, has captured the imagination of many when it comes to the legendary creature known as Bigfoot. While the state is renowned for its hulking wildlife like bears, moose, caribou, and sea lions, sightings of Bigfoot in Alaska have been relatively scarce compared to other regions believed to be its natural habitat.

In Bigfoot stories, the creature is often described as elusive, hiding behind trees, and partially or entirely obscured. It provides just enough evidence for believers to support its existence and skeptics to cast doubt. So, the question remains: Is there a Bigfoot in Alaska? The answer, as always, is up to you to decide.

Two outstanding first-person encounter Bigfoot books written by Dr. Matthew Johnson:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

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Meet your host for Episode 15: Bigfoot in Alaska

Evan Swensen, book publisher, editor, author, and Author Masterminds charter member along with his wife, Lois, publishes books by authors worldwide. He has been the publisher and editor of Alaska Outdoors magazine and producer of Alaska Outdoors television show and outdoor videos, and host of Alaska Outdoor Radio Magazine. He has been an Alaska resident since 1957.

As a pilot, he has logged more than 4,000 hours of flight time in Alaska, in both wheel and float planes.  He is a serious recreation hunter and fisherman, equally comfortable casting a flyrod or using bait, or lures.  Evan has been published in many national magazines and is the author of five books and publisher of more than 1,000 books by other authors.

Evan claims to have the best job in the world; he gets up in the morning, puts on his fishing vest, picks up his fly rod, kisses his wife goodbye, tells her he’s going to work—and she believes him.

Author Masterminds: https://authormasterminds.com/evan-swensen

Author Masterminds One Last Cast book: https://authormasterminds.com/details/XLxrX

One Last Cast on Amazon: https://bit.ly/3H0OzTo

One Last Cast short video: https://youtu.be/2wzwWmim-2g

Alaska Outdoors https://alaskaoutdoorsmagazine.com.

Alaska Outdoors Blog: https://alaskaoutdoorsmagazine.com/blog/

Alaska Outdoors Videos: https://bit.ly/37xjUzl

 

Alaska’s Ghost Ship, the CLARA NEVADA – and the $17 Million in Gold that Vanished

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Episode 3: The Clara Nevada

No saga of the Alaska Gold Rush would be complete without a touch of the mysterious.  Every rush has its eerie events, and the Alaska Gold Rush was no exception. Perhaps the most perplexing incident of that era was the saga of the Clara Nevada. Here was a tale of greed, robbery, and murder, along with a ghostly re-visitation. But it was more than that.  It is also one of the largest successful robberies in American history combined with the third largest mass murders in American history as well, surpassed only by the  Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and the 911 attack on the World Trade Center.

 

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meet your host for Episode 3: The Clara Nevada

Steve Levi is a 70-something writer in Alaska. He specializes in the impossible crime and the Alaska Gold Rush.  An impossible crime is one in which the detective must figure out HOW the crime was committed before he can go after the perpetrators.  As an example, in THE MATTER OF THE VANISHING GREYHOUND, the detective must figure out how a Greyhound bus with four bank robbers, a dozen hostages and  $10 million can vanish off the Golden Gate Bridge. Steve’s books can be seen at www.authormasterminds.com/steve-levi and www.steverlevibooks.com. He also does two historical uploads a week.  Send Steve your email, and he will include you in the mailings.

 

 

The Alaska Triangle

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Mysterious explores the mysteries in the world around us. Brought to you by authors from a variety of genres, we each tell you about a mystery related to our particular field of expertise. From mysterious disappearances and UFOs to the unexplainable behavior of a pig to an unsolved mass murder at sea to a nun who suddenly disappeared. We will explore mysteries in nature, mysterious occurrences in history, and the enigmas of space. Join us and take a closer look at the mysterious world around us.

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Episode 1: The Alaska Triangle

First named in 1972, the Alaska Triangle stretches from Anchorage in southcentral Alaska to Juneau in the southeast panhandle to Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) on Alaska’s northern coast. Since 1988, more than 16,000 people have vanished from this area, and every year, approximately four people go missing per every 1000 Alaska residents. This rate is twice the national average.

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

___________________________________________________________________________

Meet your host for Episode 1: The Alaska Triangle

Robin Barefield is the author of five Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, and Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge. Sign up to subscribe to her free, monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska and check out her podcast: Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier.  Read more about Robin’s books at Author Masterminds.

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