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Arctic Homestead: The True Story of One Family's Survival and Courage in the Alaskan Wilds
In 1973, Norma Cobb, her husband Lester, and the their five children, the oldest of whom was nine-years-old and the youngest, twins, barely one, pulled up stakes in the Lower Forty-eight and headed north to Alaska to follow a pioneer dream of claiming land under the Homestead Act. The only land available lay north of Fairbanks near the Arctic Circle where grizzlies outnumbered humans twenty to one. In addition to fierce winters and predatory animals, the Alaskan frontier drew the more unsavory elements of society's fringes. From the beginning, the Cobbs found themselves pitted in a life or death feud with unscrupulous neighbors who would rob from new settlers, attempt to burn them out, shoot them, and jump their claim.
The Cobbs were chechakos, tenderfeet, in a lost land that consumed even toughened settlers. Everything, including their "civilized" past, conspired to defeat them. They constructed a cabin and the first snow collapsed the roof. They built too close to the creek and spring breakup threatened to flood them out. Bears prowled the nearby woods, stalking the children, and Lester Cobb would leave for months at a time in search of work.
But through it all, they survived on the strength of Norma Cobb---a woman whose love for her family knew no bounds and whose courage in the face of mortal danger is an inspiration to us all. Arctic Homestead is her story.
The Cobbs were chechakos, tenderfeet, in a lost land that consumed even toughened settlers. Everything, including their "civilized" past, conspired to defeat them. They constructed a cabin and the first snow collapsed the roof. They built too close to the creek and spring breakup threatened to flood them out. Bears prowled the nearby woods, stalking the children, and Lester Cobb would leave for months at a time in search of work.
But through it all, they survived on the strength of Norma Cobb---a woman whose love for her family knew no bounds and whose courage in the face of mortal danger is an inspiration to us all. Arctic Homestead is her story.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
March 8, 2017
I was very eager and excited to start reading because this book contained two of my most favourite subjects to read about: homesteading experiences and living in Alaska. However, within the first two chapters, I was shocked by the impulsiveness and thoughtlessness of the Cobbs, the parents of course. Their homesteading decision came about from Norma Cobb’s dream, which she claimed to be God’s guidance throughout the book. I was not so much bothered by her unwaveringly blind faith in God, which I believe people need living in the backcountry, but more disturbed by just how irresponsible the parents were to venture into a completely strange territory with five young children on a whim. With very little time to prepare themeselves, to do all the necessary research (which led to a huge misinformation about their eligibility to homestead in Canada), and to raise sufficient funds, they set out to chase a pipe dream of self-sufficiency. They were both naive and ignorant. Their stubbornness (and stupidity) costed them financially and psychologically damaged their children. It almost costed their lives and the lives of their children at multiple incidences as well.
In my opinion, their decision for homesteading did not originate from the love for nature or respect for the land. They pursued it so single-mindedly because they were desperate, trying to escape from their miserable lives in Colorado. When you are only earning minimum wages but having to feed seven people and paying all the bills, you start looking for quick fixes to your problems, as absurd as they may be. For the Cobbs, the solution lied in an utopian fantasy that would lead them far away from their previous problems.
Throughout the book, I was constantly reminded of the Cobbs’ poor decision to pursue homesteading in a haste. Norma Cobb writes about their near-death experiences, one after another, as if their survival is worth applauding for. So many problems they have encountered could be avoided with more careful planning that included preparing themselves better knowledge and skill-wise and financially.
I was also very bothered by the father, Lester Cobb’s, character. He is easily excited by the idea of getting rich fast, even if pursuing those ideas involves breaking the law and other rules. As long as he feels that his actions are justifiable, he would attempt them, regardless how his actions could impact others. I think it would be fine, the way he conducts himself, were he a bachelor living in the woods, but he was not. He had five children.
It is interesting for me to read about the difficulties imposed by both natural and human elements on people who choose to live off the land. Although I cringed and rolled my eyes way too many times reading this book, I did find the content of the book amusing.
I would not recommend this book to anybody. I think there must be better books about homesteading in Alaska out there. It is a 1 star book.
In my opinion, their decision for homesteading did not originate from the love for nature or respect for the land. They pursued it so single-mindedly because they were desperate, trying to escape from their miserable lives in Colorado. When you are only earning minimum wages but having to feed seven people and paying all the bills, you start looking for quick fixes to your problems, as absurd as they may be. For the Cobbs, the solution lied in an utopian fantasy that would lead them far away from their previous problems.
Throughout the book, I was constantly reminded of the Cobbs’ poor decision to pursue homesteading in a haste. Norma Cobb writes about their near-death experiences, one after another, as if their survival is worth applauding for. So many problems they have encountered could be avoided with more careful planning that included preparing themselves better knowledge and skill-wise and financially.
I was also very bothered by the father, Lester Cobb’s, character. He is easily excited by the idea of getting rich fast, even if pursuing those ideas involves breaking the law and other rules. As long as he feels that his actions are justifiable, he would attempt them, regardless how his actions could impact others. I think it would be fine, the way he conducts himself, were he a bachelor living in the woods, but he was not. He had five children.
It is interesting for me to read about the difficulties imposed by both natural and human elements on people who choose to live off the land. Although I cringed and rolled my eyes way too many times reading this book, I did find the content of the book amusing.
I would not recommend this book to anybody. I think there must be better books about homesteading in Alaska out there. It is a 1 star book.
February 4, 2013
This could have been a fantastic story but was ruined for me by four things. One, the constant and pervasive references to religion. I'm a scientist and the frequent references to auroras and other natural phenomena as being "god's paintbrush" are just annoying.
Two, the insistence of the presence of a "hairy man" aka, Bigfoot. Seriously? That's right up there with UFOs as a way to destroy someone's credibility.
Three, the supremely stupid and cruel incident, and several other similar incidents, where they tied a bear cub to a tree overnight to find it in the morning strangled by its tether. And this was after shooting and wounding the mother bear.
Four, subjecting their kids to their own poor and irresponsible decisions...repeatedly. One boy was accidentally shot by a pistol. Who the hell leaves a young kid in a truck with a loaded gun on the floor?? That's just one of numerous really bad moves.
Other reviewers have accused Ms Cobb of taking a "holier-than-thou" tone with this book and I tend to agree. I was disappointed that a story with so much potential ended up being a lesson on how to be a jackass in the wilderness.
Two, the insistence of the presence of a "hairy man" aka, Bigfoot. Seriously? That's right up there with UFOs as a way to destroy someone's credibility.
Three, the supremely stupid and cruel incident, and several other similar incidents, where they tied a bear cub to a tree overnight to find it in the morning strangled by its tether. And this was after shooting and wounding the mother bear.
Four, subjecting their kids to their own poor and irresponsible decisions...repeatedly. One boy was accidentally shot by a pistol. Who the hell leaves a young kid in a truck with a loaded gun on the floor?? That's just one of numerous really bad moves.
Other reviewers have accused Ms Cobb of taking a "holier-than-thou" tone with this book and I tend to agree. I was disappointed that a story with so much potential ended up being a lesson on how to be a jackass in the wilderness.
July 27, 2021
I can’t believe I read this entire book. Norma Cobb, her husband Lester, and their blended family of five children (her three sons and his twin daughters) decide that life is too difficult in the Lower 48, so they decide to move to Alaska. They become the last homesteaders in that state under the Homesteading Act of 1862. You’d think this book would be right up my alley. But alas, Norma herself was such an irritating narrator.
For one thing, she constantly talked about how annoying and headstrong Lester’s twins were. As the daughter of a stepmother, I’m super sensitive to how stepmothers refer to the kids they share no genetic link with, and Norma was consistently negative regarding Cora and Cara. However, she always praised her sons — well, the two more “manly” ones (Sean usually got short shrift, being nervous and anxious after nearly dying from a gunshot wound as soon as they arrived in Alaska). Norma holds a lot of contempt for the folks back in the Lower 48 for being weak sissies who are looking for the government to save them from themselves, and to give them undeserved handouts because they don’t want to work. Oh, and God forbid you have a higher degree; all that learning just makes you a myopic sissy who can’t possibly handle an Arctic winter. Norma spends most of the book bragging about her “macho” husband getting stuff done (though he loved to take such unnecessary risks!), and how she and her family were strong and resilient enough to make a home in such a harsh environment. A good chunk of this narrative is her patting herself on the back for such a job well done.
After I finished this book, I found this review by a reader called Aldra who sums up all the problems in this book quite well.
I cannot recommend this book at all, unless you enjoy books that make you angry.
For one thing, she constantly talked about how annoying and headstrong Lester’s twins were. As the daughter of a stepmother, I’m super sensitive to how stepmothers refer to the kids they share no genetic link with, and Norma was consistently negative regarding Cora and Cara. However, she always praised her sons — well, the two more “manly” ones (Sean usually got short shrift, being nervous and anxious after nearly dying from a gunshot wound as soon as they arrived in Alaska). Norma holds a lot of contempt for the folks back in the Lower 48 for being weak sissies who are looking for the government to save them from themselves, and to give them undeserved handouts because they don’t want to work. Oh, and God forbid you have a higher degree; all that learning just makes you a myopic sissy who can’t possibly handle an Arctic winter. Norma spends most of the book bragging about her “macho” husband getting stuff done (though he loved to take such unnecessary risks!), and how she and her family were strong and resilient enough to make a home in such a harsh environment. A good chunk of this narrative is her patting herself on the back for such a job well done.
After I finished this book, I found this review by a reader called Aldra who sums up all the problems in this book quite well.
I cannot recommend this book at all, unless you enjoy books that make you angry.
September 11, 2015
Started this to “get the facts” about homesteading in Alaska, not expecting to be drawn in. But Norma Cobb’s voice, which her co-author was smart enough to amplify, did just that. She was the last person to file under the Homestead Act, before availability ended in 1974. She was twenty nine, divorced, with three sons, and going nowhere in Wichita when she married Lester Cobb, seven years younger, divorced, and with twin daughters, headed to the same destination. The idea to homestead, originally in Canada, was hers. But it’s safe to say, Lester became the driving force.
They were not exactly...prepared. For instance, not until they were in northern British Columbia did they discover that homesteading in Canada was closed to non-citizens. Then they lost most of their tools, guns, and valuables to theft. Short of money, with unreliable vehicles, they selected their initial Alaska homestead sight unseen. They found it completely unlivable. Nevertheless, the seven, plus two dogs, six rabbits, and a cat pushed on to the Minook Valley nineteen miles south of the Yukon in central Alaska.
Just to put the effort in perspective, imagine driving into the bush as far as possible, then hiking eleven miles farther over a mountain pass again and again, hauling everything you will have, just to get to where you can camp out to set up your place to live. Finding their new home, building their cabin, and staying put required, among many other challenges, overcoming a co-traveler turned drunk and hostile, near fatal gunshot wound to one of their children, bear invasions, warning away by the Bushman (Sasquatch), and collapse of their first cabin’s roof under the weight of snow. This is one of grittiest, most charming, and touching stories that you will ever find.
They were not exactly...prepared. For instance, not until they were in northern British Columbia did they discover that homesteading in Canada was closed to non-citizens. Then they lost most of their tools, guns, and valuables to theft. Short of money, with unreliable vehicles, they selected their initial Alaska homestead sight unseen. They found it completely unlivable. Nevertheless, the seven, plus two dogs, six rabbits, and a cat pushed on to the Minook Valley nineteen miles south of the Yukon in central Alaska.
Just to put the effort in perspective, imagine driving into the bush as far as possible, then hiking eleven miles farther over a mountain pass again and again, hauling everything you will have, just to get to where you can camp out to set up your place to live. Finding their new home, building their cabin, and staying put required, among many other challenges, overcoming a co-traveler turned drunk and hostile, near fatal gunshot wound to one of their children, bear invasions, warning away by the Bushman (Sasquatch), and collapse of their first cabin’s roof under the weight of snow. This is one of grittiest, most charming, and touching stories that you will ever find.
January 15, 2012
The first part of this book I loved it. I was into Ms. Cobb's story and enjoyed reading about the issues that faced the family as they journeyed to settle in the wilds of Alaska. As her story unfolded I began to wonder about the truth behind her tale.
Alaska though it is the largest land wise of all of the United States, is a small community. So it was not surprising that the Cobb family had met and spent time with some more famous Alaskans. I was really turned off by Ms. Cobb's need to comment on the attractiveness (or lack there of) in two Famous Iditarod champions while commenting about her own attractiveness. It was a real distraction from the story that she was telling. Finally by the end of the book it seemed to me that Ms. Cobb had some need to make others out to be less attractive and sissies if they weren't her or her then husband Les Cobb. That made me suspect her whole account. What were half truths or out right lies in this story? It was disappointing after such a strong start of the book. A little research on the internet and I found that some of the people mentioned in the book also had alternate accounts of their time with the Cobbs. This book is just a disappointment.
Alaska though it is the largest land wise of all of the United States, is a small community. So it was not surprising that the Cobb family had met and spent time with some more famous Alaskans. I was really turned off by Ms. Cobb's need to comment on the attractiveness (or lack there of) in two Famous Iditarod champions while commenting about her own attractiveness. It was a real distraction from the story that she was telling. Finally by the end of the book it seemed to me that Ms. Cobb had some need to make others out to be less attractive and sissies if they weren't her or her then husband Les Cobb. That made me suspect her whole account. What were half truths or out right lies in this story? It was disappointing after such a strong start of the book. A little research on the internet and I found that some of the people mentioned in the book also had alternate accounts of their time with the Cobbs. This book is just a disappointment.
July 8, 2021
I was totally engrossed in this "true" story of survival in the Alaskan wilds. Did a bit of research afterwards and found not all the author's claims of various events were accurate. While I liked reading about the hardships and what it took to make a home in this wilderness, I grew to dislike the author. Granted, she was hard working and determined to succeed but also sanctimonious and critical of other people, while every now and then adding a sentence or two on how attractive she was. While claiming to love unspoiled wilderness, this family did a number on it by eventually mining for gold, very destructive to the environment, and their ignorant and callous treatment of the baby bear...well, let's just say I almost quit reading. So while this is a page turner for the story of what it takes to homestead in a harsh unforgiving place, the people involved p*ssed me off...
May 8, 2025
This was such a thrilling adventure told by the lady herself, Norma Cobb, the last homesteader.
Norma and Les are both in their second marriages with 5 young children between them. They both work menial low wage jobs, and after Norma is haunted by dreams of Alaska, it becomes the couples real dream, and they pack up and head into the wilderness.
While building their home in the Alaskan wild, they face many dangers, including bears, wolves, snow storms, crazy neighbours and...big foot?
I have to say I never gave the idea of Big Foot any weight until this book. The way Norma describes the fear of her children who claim to have seen it, and how Les and others mock the idea before having similar encounters, It's definitely made me question. In fact, I spent as much time researching things brought up in the book as I did reading it.
Despite it being obvious mine and Norma's politics and philosophies greatly differ, she was a likable heroin and very honest in her retelling. I would never give up my creature comforts to go survive in one of the most dangerous habitats in the world, but I greatly admire the Cobb's and all the homesteaders for their bravery, strength and accomplishments.
If the blurb appeals to you, you will definitely enjoy this book, and fall in love with the Cobb family.
Norma and Les are both in their second marriages with 5 young children between them. They both work menial low wage jobs, and after Norma is haunted by dreams of Alaska, it becomes the couples real dream, and they pack up and head into the wilderness.
While building their home in the Alaskan wild, they face many dangers, including bears, wolves, snow storms, crazy neighbours and...big foot?
I have to say I never gave the idea of Big Foot any weight until this book. The way Norma describes the fear of her children who claim to have seen it, and how Les and others mock the idea before having similar encounters, It's definitely made me question. In fact, I spent as much time researching things brought up in the book as I did reading it.
Despite it being obvious mine and Norma's politics and philosophies greatly differ, she was a likable heroin and very honest in her retelling. I would never give up my creature comforts to go survive in one of the most dangerous habitats in the world, but I greatly admire the Cobb's and all the homesteaders for their bravery, strength and accomplishments.
If the blurb appeals to you, you will definitely enjoy this book, and fall in love with the Cobb family.
August 21, 2014
This book reminds me of books of the Krakauer genre. Adventures into the wild by brave or foolhardy people which is finally determined by whether you are succesful or not. The first thing that attracted me to the story was that it was told by a woman which is unusual for outdoor, non-fiction risk-taking and adventure type books. The view of a woman surrounded by grizzlies, forty foot snowbanks, fifty below temperatures, floods, guns of every type makes the story more interesting particularly when it interupts knitting, cooking or skinning a moose. The two most popular reviews on this site chastise the author for among other things exageration of the truth or about her abundant faith. These may be issues for some in the book, however, the basis of the book is a story of brave, determined, focused, pioneers homesteading in the most remote parts of Alaska and arriving there with five kids and not enough money for gas. There are times she gets political, or evangelistic or even surreal, but I always felt that when you write the book, you get to chose. I was captivated by this family's determination to make a new life for themselves and how they handled the many roadblocks along the way.
May 24, 2014
Arctic Homestead is one of those modern-day pioneer memoirs written by back-to-the-landers. In this case, Norma Cobb writes about her 1972 trek to the Alaskan wilderness with her husband and FIVE young children. Like other reviewers, I found the Cobbs to be completely ignorant. They were on their way to Canada with all their kids when someone mentioned that they weren't allowed to homestead there. Really? They wouldn't have checked beforehand? So they headed to Alaska instead, where they endangered their children's lives in so many ways I lost count, including accidentally shooting the seven-year-old while still en route. Having said all that, the book is hugely entertaining because you can't wait to find out what on earth is going to happen next -- blizzards and bear attacks are the two main threats, but let's not forget about the Sasquatch (yes, that's right) that hangs around their camp, threatening to steal their children when their backs are turned. Good grief.
July 18, 2020
Norma Cobb was the last person in the United States to file a Homestead claim. She was a married mother with a combined five children. Reading this book was like chatting with Norma about her life over a cup of coffee. The Cobb family story is one of hardship, of ups and downs, and a life most of us cannot imagine.
I admit I really did not care for her husband. He seemed self-centered by all Norma's accounts.
After reading some of the comments I can only say, do not bother reading this book if you are a parent who believes your children must be wrapped in bubble wrap and protected from everything. The life of an Alaskan homesteader will not be about coddling, it is about growing your children to be sustainable adults.
For me, this was a good, well written book.
I admit I really did not care for her husband. He seemed self-centered by all Norma's accounts.
After reading some of the comments I can only say, do not bother reading this book if you are a parent who believes your children must be wrapped in bubble wrap and protected from everything. The life of an Alaskan homesteader will not be about coddling, it is about growing your children to be sustainable adults.
For me, this was a good, well written book.
January 13, 2010
I struggled with what to rate this book. The story relates quite an adventure and would probably be fascinating if it weren't for Norma's (the author) insufferable tone. Her disdain for everyone who does not think like she does, act like she does, believe like she does, or hold the same ideals as she does is apparent throughout the book and is off-putting. I think if someone else were to relate the story, it would have been a great read.
November 18, 2024
Such a fun book, even better because it’s a true story. Lots of adventure, a great example of true American Grit and hard work paying off.
September 7, 2025
This is a excellent book! Any one that is interested in living in the Alaskan wilderness should read this book.
March 3, 2025
A good read but then she gets into calling people who cant survive sissy and thanking god lots which is tiresome. Lady, you did it with your own stubbornness.
March 22, 2022
I love Alaska. There are many great books about the various experiences of the people up there—this is not one of them.
I hoped this would be a more in depth dive of a personal homesteading experience—the hows and trials and solutions of the challenges they faced. That isn’t wholly what I got. Even so, I enjoyed the first half of the book, but as chapters progressed the situations became more unbelievable and the people more unlikeable. The Cobbs consistently seem to run up against only terrible people who seek to take advantage of them or are weak, foolish individuals who can’t hack like the Cobbs can. Of course, the reader is expected to ignore the repetitive and downright stupid, cruel, and selfish decisions that the Cobbs make, writing them off as “testing their worthiness” to stay in Alaska.
Furthermore, I dislike being lied to, particularly when I am promised a true story. The Cobbs come off as grandiose, dishonest and hypocritical in many of their interactions with others, and Norma’s recounting of events has been disputed by several of the people mentioned by name in the book. As mentioned in other reviews, Alaska is a big state but a small community, and the truth has a way of shaking out.
In the end, if you choose to read this, go ahead and enjoy it—just take it with a handful of salt.
I hoped this would be a more in depth dive of a personal homesteading experience—the hows and trials and solutions of the challenges they faced. That isn’t wholly what I got. Even so, I enjoyed the first half of the book, but as chapters progressed the situations became more unbelievable and the people more unlikeable. The Cobbs consistently seem to run up against only terrible people who seek to take advantage of them or are weak, foolish individuals who can’t hack like the Cobbs can. Of course, the reader is expected to ignore the repetitive and downright stupid, cruel, and selfish decisions that the Cobbs make, writing them off as “testing their worthiness” to stay in Alaska.
Furthermore, I dislike being lied to, particularly when I am promised a true story. The Cobbs come off as grandiose, dishonest and hypocritical in many of their interactions with others, and Norma’s recounting of events has been disputed by several of the people mentioned by name in the book. As mentioned in other reviews, Alaska is a big state but a small community, and the truth has a way of shaking out.
In the end, if you choose to read this, go ahead and enjoy it—just take it with a handful of salt.
January 20, 2013
Like some other reviewers, I too had some difficulty rating this read. I loved how Norma followed the dream of her and her husband, Lester Cobb against all odds and never gave up while going through a multitude of difficulties and near deaths of some of their family. I do find it almost unbelievable that so many unlucky things could happen to one family, however, it IS set in an untamed Alaskan territory. It makes me wonder, though, if folks who are really as cut of from society as they were really became so REDRUM (as portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the famous terrorizing flick... I use that scenario in regards to the guy who they hired to help out in return for a cabin in which to live). I did learn alot I admit about bears, the determination and fight it would take to survive in this forsaken but beautuful little valley and the endless and tiring labor it would take on a daily basis in weather that I most probably wouldn't survive. I was very interested in the stories of the very large hairy man-like creature...Bigfoot? Who knows? All in all I would recommend it as a read once for the experience. I probably wouldn't read it again.
December 5, 2020
There was so much about to love about this book but the author would drop these comments that would just make my jaw hit the ground. I’m one of those bleeding heart liberals who doesn’t love hunting but have no issue with subsistence hunting. But some of the stories she shared in the hunting left me cold. I dunno I was expecting something different with this book. Loved how they homesteaded and appreciated the land and their surroundings but then they gold mined which is so destructive. She spared no judgement of those she didn’t like. Including the twins. Always speaking about how whiny they were and even in the afterward mostly spoke of their divorces. Always spoke highly of her sons and really shared their personalities. The twins. My takeaway was how spoiled and difficult she found them. She seemed incredibly cantankerous and judgmental of those around her finding little to no fault in her own actions. Always god testing them. I did enjoy the parts of the book that striped away of her bitter comments on those around her who failed to live up to her standards. There seemed like so many more stories she could have shared and missed almost what she didn’t write.
September 10, 2008
What an amazing story. I loved, first of all, that Norma Cobb was the last pioneer woman to take advantage of the homestead act in Alaska. The Cobb family is like any hard-working American family of the 70's, struggling to find their place, achieve their dreams and are willing to sacrifice and work hard to get to where they aspire to be. This book doesn't sugarcoat anything, it lays out their true ordeals, their successes and their failures; their proximity to both death and freedom. There are many moments you question what they're doing and others where you understand it. Great book for people who like biographies of the average man/woman turn adventurer.
Very cool aside: The Cobbs still live where they settled in Alaska. I've heard that they run a hunting/fishing guide service.
Very cool aside: The Cobbs still live where they settled in Alaska. I've heard that they run a hunting/fishing guide service.
February 25, 2023
Conservative. Religious overtones. She thanked God constantly for His miracles instead of what actually was happening- sheer dumb luck.
"The mountains were so beautiful it could make you believe in God, even if you didn't."
You expect an unreliable narrator when it comes to auto-biographies but the whole character of Andrew Farnsworth was foolish. He was clearly just a tool for Norma to constantly bitch about the "sissy lower 48-staters". Even Andrew's dog wasn't safe from the insults.
Her final word for the book disparages "civilization" in such a sarcastic tone, as if she didnt spend the first two years seriously reconsidering going back to Kansas.
Good vibes concerning homesteading and surviving the tundra wilderness.
"The mountains were so beautiful it could make you believe in God, even if you didn't."
You expect an unreliable narrator when it comes to auto-biographies but the whole character of Andrew Farnsworth was foolish. He was clearly just a tool for Norma to constantly bitch about the "sissy lower 48-staters". Even Andrew's dog wasn't safe from the insults.
Her final word for the book disparages "civilization" in such a sarcastic tone, as if she didnt spend the first two years seriously reconsidering going back to Kansas.
Good vibes concerning homesteading and surviving the tundra wilderness.
May 19, 2008
I found myself anxiously awaiting the turning of the pages in this novel. Ms. Cobb's first novel is written from observations in her journal. I like that she tells the spiritual, mental and physical struggle and rewards of homesteading. Ms. Cobb with her five children and husband, Lester, file then create the last homestead (free land grant) in the United States. They learn to co-exist with bears. Living off the land they eat a variety of wild meats, berries, and fish, from Alaska's bounty. They eventually create a successful big game wilderness hunting camp that supports their family. This book dispelled some of the wistful notions I had about life in Alaska.
June 22, 2018
I read this book years ago as we transported our son up to Wasilla Alaska to play junior hockey. This book was in a local bookstore there and our entire family has read it. This memoir painted a complete picture of some of the people who made the trek to Alaska to take advantage of the Homestead Act. My own cousin made the same journey decades ago and still resides on his homestead. So we all were engaged through the whole book to see how this family tackled each of it’s next hurdles. I’ve passed this book on to other relatives and each one has enjoyed it. And since I’m attracted to historical fiction and memoirs anyway this was a great choice.
July 17, 2019
What a story! The last woman to file a homestead claim in Alaska, her husband and five small children decide to pull up stakes from Colorado and get back to nature in Alaska. They have no money, no resources, very few assets, and it takes them more than a year just to get to their claim, which proves to be a great disappointment. Then they discover their real destiny in a beautiful, remote valley. Along the way, there are run-ins with drunken locals, a gunfight standoff in the street like an old Western movie, face-offs against black bears, grizzlies, and even Bigfoot! The writing style is very entertaining, with descriptive language and great humor.
January 6, 2016
This is one of the best 'page turners" I've read in a while. Based on a true story of a young divorced mother/ family they trek on up to Alaska to homestead. They know NOT much about the whole procedure as they were headed to Canada to start with.
It seemed every chapter, and they were short, had a cliff hanger that made you continue and read just one more chapter. I had some pretty late nights reading because I could not put it down.
Just about everything that could go wrong did, with near deadly consequences. Truly a GOOD read.
It seemed every chapter, and they were short, had a cliff hanger that made you continue and read just one more chapter. I had some pretty late nights reading because I could not put it down.
Just about everything that could go wrong did, with near deadly consequences. Truly a GOOD read.
November 27, 2020
In 1973, Norma Cobb, her husband Lester and the their five children, the oldest nine, the youngest, twins, barely one, pursued their dream and headed north to Alaska being the last family to claim land under the Homestead Act. The only land available lay north of Fairbanks near the Arctic Circle. The Cobbs were ill-prepared and uneducated in the reality of living their dream. They found themselves in a life or death situations dealing with fierce winters and predatory animals. Through their ingenuity, determination and faith, the Cobbs prevailed.
April 8, 2010
This is my kind of book and I realize it's not everyone's taste. I just really like stories of people who overcome the odds ... and the environment! I always pictured myself as someone who could go and live anywhere and not be afraid to work hard so I identified with Norma .. BUT after reading the book I know I couldn't deal with that much isolation! I like people : ) I guess she did have 5 children so maybe that was enough people for her : )
January 6, 2015
I give this book a poor review purely because of the judgmental and catty tone which other reviewers have mentioned. It sullied the story and casts doubt over everything- someone so obviously insecure is very likely to exaggerate, tell half truths, and outright lie for the sake of self-serving. It was a fun read for those who like wilderness survival adventure stories, but I found Norma Cobb to be an unlikeable narrator.
March 6, 2022
The author is a great story teller and having lived in the busy as well, much of her stories ring true. I enjoyed her tale and made me miss life as she describes it.
February 2, 2015
A friend lent me this book and the unexpected October snow & all the inconvenience it brought with it inspired me to read it. I couldn't put it down and devoured it in a day. Hard to complain about being without power when you read about this family. Interesting read! I would love to meet this couple - I am sure they have loads more stories to tell.
February 24, 2014
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Non-fiction about a family that chooses to move to Alaska in 1971 and homestead. It is a remarkable story of how they not survive those first years but they manage to build a business from nothing. It is hard to believe some of the stories in this book happened in the 1970's and not in the 1770's.
February 10, 2013
Very realistic story of a young family who travels to Alaska as "newbies" and homestead there. It's rough, it's wild, it nearly brought them to their knees, but you can tell with every page their love for the land and the cozy valley they settled in despite all the trials they went through. I loved it.
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