Wildest Alaska: Journeys of Great Peril in Lituya Bay

by Philip L. Fradkin

Twenty-five years ago Philip L. Fradkin read a book about a remote bay on the Gulf of Alaska coast. The noted environmental historian was attracted by the threads of violence woven through the natural and human histories of Lituya Bay. Could these histories be related, and if so, how? The attempt to define the power of this wild place was a tantalizing and, as it turned out, dangerous quest. This compelling and eerie memoir tells of Fradkin's odyssey through recorded human history and eventually to the bay itself, as he explores the dark and unyielding side of nature.

Natural forces have always dominated Lituya Bay. Immense storms, powerful earthquakes, huge landslides, and giant waves higher than the world's tallest skyscrapers pound the whale-shaped fjord. Compelling for its deadly beauty, the bay has attracted visitors over time, but it has never been mastered by them.

Its seasonal occupants throughout recorded history―Tlingit Indians, European explorers, gold miners, and coastal fishermen seeking a harbor of refuge―have drowned, gone mad, slaughtered fur-bearing animals with abandon, sifted the black sand beaches for minute particles of gold, and murdered each other. Only a hermit found peace there. Then the author and his small son visited the bay and were haunted by a grizzly bear.

As an environmental writer for the Los Angeles Times and western editor of Audubon magazine, Fradkin has traveled from Tierra del Fuego to the North Slope of Alaska. But nothing prepared him for Lituya Bay, a place so powerful it turned one person's hair white. This story resonates with echoes of Melville, Poe, and Conrad as it weaves together the human and natural histories of a beautiful and wild place.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

197 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Philip L. Fradkin is an American environmentalist historian, journalist and author. Fradkin has authored books ranging from Alaska, California and Nevada, with topics ranging from water conservation, earthquakes, and nuclear weapons.

In 2005, Fradkin was given the Californiana Award by the Commonwealth Club of California.

Reviews

[Ben Rosen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating history about a dangerous Bay along the Gulf of Alaska.

Didn't really get into the author's own personal story that he tried to weave in (another white middle aged dude throwing himself into some profound natural or cultural history - jeez this is practically a genre in itself), but overall really liked the book and learned a lot. The depth of research to unearth cultural perceptions and activity by multiple groups in the area was impressive. Appreciated the attention and consistency given to the Tlingits, the original peoples, but still would have liked to understand more about the impact of European and American exploration/exploitation in Lituya Bay on their lives and culture.

[Marilyn Sue Michel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating tale of creepy, deadly Lituya Bay in Alaska, part of Glacier National Park. Many Europeans have gone there, and died there. Includes some information about Tlingit culture and their approach to the Bay. I have never read a book that made me want to go to the place described, perhaps because I read books like this.

[Tony Gualtieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A combination of history and travelog of this obscure and menacing bay in the Alaska panhandle.

[Jeffrey Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I paid for college through commercial salmon fishing in Southeast Alaska during the '50 and 60's. In 1958, right after graduating from Ketchikan High school, I headed north on the Cygnet II to troll the Fairweather ground for king salmon and halibut. Erick Lindemann was the owner/skipper, and I was the Crew. We arrived at Lituya Bay early and had to wait for slack tide to be able to enter (leave) safely. Fradkins description of the Bay is somewhat different from my impression upon entering the fiord (due to the events that took place later). At first glance, the lefthand side of the bay boasted three horizontal bands of green going up the side of the mountain. The lowest band was made up of evergreens with a light green color. The next band, farther up was a darker green, and the last band was even darker and stayed the same clear to the top of the mountain. I asked Erick what caused these bands. He was busy looking for a place to anchor, and handed me a copy of the U.S. Coast Pilot, Southeast Alaska, Dixon Entrance to Yakutat Bay, which mentioned the periodic tidal waves that were unique to this bay, which if remember correctly were every 20 years, the last one was in 1928. I mentioned to Erick that seemed to happen every 20 years, but the last one was in 1928, but now the Bay has not had a wave in 30 years! Erick shrugged and said it looks like a wave is over due!of the trim lines that I noted was the chronical of the latest waves. The darkest green band showed the height of highest wave! That line was over a thousand feet
We fished out of the bay all through June. In early July we were caught in a fierce storm for a couple of days and finally limped into Liyuya Bay to dry out the boat and repair storm damage. On the 7th of July, Erick noticed the ice that we used to preserve the catch was rapidly melting from the sea water that we had taken on, and if didn't get to a cold storage right away, we would lose all our catch.

We left the morning of the 8th which was my sister Debbie's birthday. We were enroute to Ketchikan when we got the radio chatter about a giant wave that sank two trollers that were still in the bay at the time. Because this event I changed my major from Law to Physical Geography (now known as Geomorphology).

Now to get to the book review. I bought WILDEST ALASKA mainly because of the focus on Lituya Bay, but the most interesting. Fradkin has

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Focuses on one unusual and treacherous bay on the Alaska coast. Fradkin researches and records a series of mishaps both human and natural on Lituya bay, which sits right on a fault line. The most interesting chapter is on the giant wave of 1958 caused by an earthquake. It is the highest know wave in recorded history. Fradkin also visits the bay with his son and gets to witness the abandoned shacks of gold miners and the wreckage of boats destroyed in the notoriously dangerous entrance to the bay. Recommended for anyone who is interested in geography and history.