Aunt Phil’s Trunk : Volume Three

Aunt Phil’s Trunk Volume Three Alaska history decoded - Now in eBooks Critics and readers claim “Aunt Phil's Trunk Volume Three” is a must-read for anyone interested in Alaska's history! Author Laurel Downing Bill has another winner in Volume Three of her “Aunt Phil's Trunk” Alaska history series. Book three is filled with entertaining nonfiction short stories and hundreds of historical photographs that bring to life Alaska's history from 1912 to 1935. This volume, appropriate for ages 9 to 99, is a delightful journey through Alaska's growing pains as a territory of the United States. Readers follow along as men with axes, hammers and mauls pound a path through the vast Alaska wilderness to lay railroad tracks that connect the deep-water port of Seward in the south to the territory’s interior town of Fairbanks in the north. Did you know: The Alaska Railroad spurred the birth of Alaska's largest town in 1915 Mushers and dog teams risked death to deliver life-saving diphtheria serum to Nome in 1925 Famous aviator Wiley post and Will Rogers crashed their plane and died near Barrow in 1935 These and dozens more little-known stories fill the pages of “Aunt Phil's Trunk Volume Three.” Laurel Downing Bill has an extraordinary eye for the telling detail. She knows a good story when she hears it and knows how to tell it. Her history comes alive through her mastery of storytelling and close to 350 historical photographs. Order your copy of “Aunt Phil's Trunk Volume Three” now!

The “Aunt Phil’s Trunk” Alaska history series is taking Alaska by storm. This critically acclaimed four-book series written by Laurel Downing Bill is a must-have for anyone interested in the history of the Last Frontier. The books, which are appropriate for ages 9 to 99, are a delightful journey through Alaska’s rich past. “Aunt Phil’s Trunk Volume Three” entertains readers as they travel through Alaska’s history from 1912 to 1935. This book of nonfiction short stories highlights the pioneering spirit of early Alaskans as they enter a new era as a territory of the United States. As with the first two books, Volume Three is filled with close to 350 historical photographs. Downing Bill weaves page-turning narratives. Readers follow along as men with axes, hammers and mauls pound a path through the vast Alaska wilderness to lay railroad tracks that connect the deep-water port of Seward in the south to the territory’s interior town of Fairbanks in the north. Through the stories in this volume, readers watch a railroad construction town grow out of the tundra to become Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. Volume Three also shares stories about epidemics and disasters, including the Great Sickness of 1918, the sinking of the steamship Princess Sophia in Southeast Alaska and the incredible diphtheria serum run in 1925 when brave mushers and their tenacious dogs saved the town of Nome from certain death. This book shines a light on early aviators who blazed new trails through Alaska skies, how the Alaska Native people struggled for recognition and how farmers from America’s Midwest carved out an agricultural community in the wild Matanuska Valley. It ends with the fatal airplane crash of humorist Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post near Barrow in 1935. This easy-to-read volume is a true Alaska treasure trove of short nonfiction stories.

Hi! I’m Laurel Bill (Laurel Downing Bill), author of the “Aunt Phil’s Trunk” Alaska history series. The series developed after I inherited newspaper clips, research and rare Alaska history books from my Alaska historian aunt, Phyllis Downing Carlson, who died in 1993. Aunt Phil wrote many articles about Alaska’s past for national newspapers and magazines during her lifetime. And she won national awards for many of them. Once I saw the quality of her work, I knew I had to bring them to light for the world. I returned to college to get the tools needed for the big project ahead. I graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2003 with honors and a degree in journalism and a minor in history. The series was born as a weekly newspaper column in The Anchorage Chronicle, July 2002. The short stories soon became one of the most popular features in the paper. After receiving such an enthusiastic response to tales of Alaska’s days gone by, I turned my attention to developing the state’s history from thousands of years ago – when the Native people first arrived in the country – up to the present. Then I searched through the archives of museums, libraries and universities around the country to find historical photographs to help tell the stories. I found so many photographs and wonderful stories that my plan for one book has turned into five volumes. And my desire to share Alaska’s history has turned into a passion.