Overview

After its rudimentary beginning in 1749, fur farming in Alaska rose and fell for two centuries. It thrived during the 1890s and again in the 1920s, when rising fur prices caused a stampede for land and breed stock and led to hundreds of farms being started in Alaska within a few years. The Great Depression, and later the development of warm, durable, and lightweight synthetic materials during World War II, brought further decline and eventual failure to the industry as the postwar economy of Alaska turned to defense and later to oil. The Fur Farms of Alaska brings this history to life by capturing the remarkable stories of the men and women who made fur their livelihood.“For more than 200 years ‘soft gold’ brought many people to Alaska. Fur farming was Alaska’s third-largest industry in the 1920s, and Sarah Isto writes of the many efforts, successes, and ultimately of the fur farming industry’s failure. This well-researched history contextualizes current fox elimination projects on Alaska islands and explains the abandoned pens one stumbles across. This is a story that has long needed to be written.”—Joan M. Antonson, Alaska State Historian

Full Product Details

9781602231719

Table of Contents

Reviews

The Fur Farms of Alaska represents the best in local history. Intended for a general audience, it is a useful source for Alaska'seconomic history, those who are interested in the fur industry, and those with antiquarian interests in Alaska's rich history. --John W. heaton Pacific Historical Review

The Fur Farms of Alaska represents the best in local history. Intended for a general audience, it is a useful source for Alaska seconomic history, those who are interested in the fur industry, andthose with antiquarian interests in Alaska s rich history. --John W. heaton Pacific Historical Review

Author Information

Sarah Crawford Isto was born and raised in Fairbanks and practiced medicine in Juneau for twenty years. She is the author of Good Company: A Mining Family in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available