Tisha

I'm so glad I finally read this book. It was lost for a while and I finally found it and read it. This story was so interesting. I can't get over how brave Anne was to go to Alaska on her own at only 19. It was 1928 and she went through wild country in freezing temperatures on a pack horse and then lived in a very small settlement with strangers. She was tough though and stuck to her beliefs even when she was scared. She thought the “indians” and “breeds” should be treated the same as the white people and refused to turn them away from her school. I live in Alaska in the city of Fairbanks and I know how cold it can get here. It hasn't been anywhere near as cold in the winters as it was when I was a teenager but I remember it getting to -75 F one year. I think it was 1984 maybe. I can only imagine living out in this little settlement in a cabin where frigid air blew through the cracks in the cabin walls and the blankets froze to the walls. She had to haul snow or ice to melt for water and wood to burn for heat. She kept those children warm in her bed when it was really cold. She was a brave lady.

Here is a link I found with pictures from Chicken, including pictures of the school house. Anne Hobbs Purdy