The Last Giant of Beringia: The Mystery of the Bering Land Bridge

by Daniel T. O'Neill

The intriguing theory of a land bridge periodically linking Siberia and Alaska during the coldest pulsations of the Ice Ages had been much debated since Jose de Acosta, a Spanish missionary working in Mexico and Peru, first proposed the idea of a connection between the continents in 1589. But proof of the land bridge - now named Beringia after eighteenth-century Danish explorer Vitus Bering - eluded scientists until an inquiring geologist named Dave Hopkins emerged from rural New England and set himself to the task of solving the mystery. Through the life story of Hopkins, The Last Giant of Beringia reveals the fascinating science detective story that at last confirmed the existence of the land bridge that served as the intercontinental migration route for such massive Ice Age beasts as woolly mammoths, steppe bison, giant stag-moose, dire wolves, short-faced bears, and saber-toothed cats - and for the first humans to enter the New World from Asia. After proving unambiguously that the land bridge existed, Hopkins went on to show that the Beringian landscape cannot have been the "polar desert" that many had claimed, but provided forage enough to sustain a diverse menagerie of Ice Age behemoths.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Science, Nature

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Dan O'Neill (Daniel T. O'Neill) is an Alaskan writer. Born in San Francisco, California, in 1950, Dan O'Neill came to Alaska in the 1970s. Settling in Fairbanks, he did a variety of things, such as building log cabins, dog mushing, working as a laborer, conducting oral history interviews, and as a producer of radio, television, and video productions dealing with history, science, and politics. Now a full-time writer, he is the author of three Alaskan themed books. From 1985 to 1995 he worked for the Oral History Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, including doing project interviews about the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, digitized at Project Jukebox.[1] These interviews formed the basis of his book A Land Gone Lonesome, which was awarded an "Editor's Choice" at The New York Times Book Review. He was an opinion columnist for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner from 1998 to 2002. O'Neill twice won the Alaska Library Association's "Alaskana of the Year Award" for the best book on Alaska published anywhere.[2] He also was named Alaska Historian of the Year by the Alaska Historical Society. In 2015, the University of Alaska Press published his first book for children, Stubborn Gal: The True Story of an Undefeated Sled Dog Racer.

Reviews

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Beringia' I learned is the name employed for the Bering Land Bridge, the ostensible overland route of human migration from Siberia to Alaska and down into the 'New' World during the repeated Pleistocene Epoch glaciation(s). Fascinating topic. This book is part biography, encomium, science book. It tells the life story of Dave Hopkins, born and raised in New Hampshire (1921), educated at Harvard earning a Ph.D in Quaternary Geology, who then worked for the USGS from the early 1940s until the 1980s and later was professor emeritus at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Early on working in Alaska within the USGS Terrain and Permafrost Section, he became interested in a better understanding of the Bering Land Bridge, a hypothesis first advanced by a Spanish priest (Fray de Acosta) was back in 1590! He traveled and did field work widely in Alaska, advancing the frontiers of scientific knowledge via scientific innovation, inter-disciplinary collaboration, and personal networking. The book gives credit to other early pioneers in this area of research including Eric Hultén a Swedish botanist, plant geographer and 20th century explorer of the Arctic and J. Louis Gidding, an American archaeologist who did early studies and excavations on human habitation in Alaska. Hopkins also worked closely with various Soviet scientists during the Cold War, something fairly unusual at the time. In addition, the work involved many disciplines and cross-inquires--paleobotany, marine geology, geomorphology, palynolgy (pollen studies), paleoclimatology, even volcanology. He was among the first to recognize the significance of maars (volcanos on level ground) and their connection to permafrost. The largest such formations in the world are found on the Seward Peninsula! All very impressive and interesting research. The Bering Land Bridge Natural Preserve on the Seward Peninsula, now part of the National Park Service, owes much of its existence to the work of Hopkins and his disciples. An interesting article (https://www.nps.gov/articles/aps-v12-...) can be found on the NPS website about his role in all that.

Hopkins 1967 book 'The Bering Land Bridge' was a collection of scientific papers representing the state of the science at the time and this book was published in 2004, and of course science marches on (often by students of Hopkins in this arena) and the 'theory' of the land bridge has evolved and changed considerably. It appears that much of the 'peopling' of the Americas may have actually occurred by boat travel or coastal travel (the Kelp Migration). Moreover if some did come across the land bridge they may not have gone so very far due to the ice blocking the way. Genetic studies and new archaeological finds portray a more complex migration pattern than the earlier ideas of a single stream of inland migration. Not that anyone really said it like that, there were simply a lot of unknowns. I'll give 4-stars--it could have had more and better graphics but there are decent photos and a reasonable set of bibliographic notes.

[Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've probably had this book on my shelf for 20 years, and finally had reason to get to it. The title is a bit misleading, it's not really about the science or details of the land bridge discovery, but a bio of the scientists involved (with a bit of Indiana Jones fan boy flavor).

[Becca Guillote · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book ended up being more about the scientists that studied the land bridge than about the land bridge itself. There were nuggets of great information, but not the read I was hoping for.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book - partly science, partly biography of Dave Hopkins. He was a scientist who understood that all science is connected and to really investigate something all types of scientists have to cooperate.
He was one of the scientists who set out to prove that there HAD been a Bering Land Bridge - and it came and went. He used information from fossil pollen, plants, geology, animal bones, different sea animals, etc.
It was an easy read and very interesting. Turns out that according to the DNA of the Native Peoples of North and South America, there were three major migrations.
There's more recent information (the book was written in 2004), but still the amount of study they engaged in was phenomenal. They did tons of field work and lab work and writing and comparing scientific papers.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it a sea or not a sea? That is the question facing young geologist Dave Hopkins studying late Pleistocene soils on the Seward Peninsula. He faced the skeptics' slings and arrows with life-long collaborations with those in other sciences or from the other peninsula and published The Bering Land Bridge in 1967. This is a story about his journeys in Alaska, life, and government science.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the conclusion of our trip from Kamchatka to Nome, I picked this book up to better understand what we had just done. Enjoyable short read pulling together a lot of scientific disciplines. Now I will look up what has been theorized since this writing.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing! I love reading about where I (have) live(d). It’s bittersweet knowing that I was so close to all of this and didn’t know. Loads of missed opportunities for adventure and discovery in hindsight 😞 I would encourage all Alaskans to read this, especially those with a love of the Bush.

[debra harper de rosset · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book but I was wondering if anyone else read the edition with pictures that were clearly not of the period they claimed to be? For instance, the picture of the women with a fit bit and athletics shoes, seemingly from the late 19th century?

[James Klondyke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was hoping for more history about the bridge and how it came and went, allowing for the people and animals to roam. Too much science for me to have fully enjoyed the book.

[Mike Gowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a biography of David Hopkins, the Alaskan geologist who established the study of Beringia, the Bering Land Bridge. What comes across in this book is Hopkin's enthusiasm for the work.

For fifty years he explored Alaska as a scientist for the U. S. Geological Survey. His intellectual curiosity and his physical stamina were inspirations for generations of scientists who explored the possible origins of man in the New World using a multitude of disciplines. Chapters in the book describe geology, geography, archaeology, anthropology, genetics, climatology, botany, linguistics and other approaches to the evidence that has been uncovered. Hopkins himself did a lot of the discovery during his years in the field.

Other notable characters emerged in the book. Louie Giddings, another legendary geologist is listed in the bibliographical notes. Now I want to read his book, Ancient Men of the Arctic.

[Heep · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very moving bigraphy of Dave Hopkins who spent his life at the forefront of research about the Bering Land Bridge. The book takes many detours, but inserts the science and the acedemic d bate by stealth. Replete with anecdotes of the life of Dave Hopkins, and many of his mentors, colleagues and students, it also describes his research and contributions to many of the great discoveries in his field. An example was his insight that layers of volcanic ash could be used to identify the type and extent of vegetation at relatively specific time periods. This provided pretty conclusive proof that the land bridge and neighbouring areas could sustain mammoths and other giant mammals of the last ice age. The author is a very good writer and told the story with passion and heart. It is a measure of success that the story could be told so well in such a compact and quick read.

[Amy Flaherty Gorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

GIven my experience with Firecracker Boys I was hesitant to start another O'Neill but I'm sure glad I did. Having lived and traveled around the "country" discussed, I have a greater appreciation for the archaeology, and other disciplines that tell the story of the land. The real last giant of Beringia is a fascinating, dedicated man. We should all learn what makes up the ground under our feet!

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Difficult to read at times and as much about the man that sewed together the interdisciplinary case for the Bering land bridge as it is about the bridge itself, this book shines in its research, interviews, and stories. A worthy read for those with an arctic, field research, historical or fixation.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book! Fascinating subject written in a very engaging manner. Highly recommend to those interested in geography, geology, environmental science, anthropology, biology, history, and even biography.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting topic (the land bridge between Russia and the US) but poorly written, even for a 'science' book.

[Tom Darrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book about two years ago, gave it a "C" and I don't remember anything about it other than the basic idea. Obviously it wasn't that great of a book.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a biopic of a very important geologist and archeologist David Hopkins, which is fine, but definitely skimped on the geological history and hard science of the topic.

[Jeremy Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. Enjoyed the science more than the biography.