Carry On – Stan Zuray

Most outdoors folk are attracted to wilderness. It gives us a feeling of freedom, an escape from the civilized life we’re forced to live, at least for a while. But for some, the attraction is so strong that only a true wilderness lifestyle will do. Such people find themselves in the wilds of northern Canada and Alaska, living out lives that others can’t help but envy.

Stan Zuray’s escape into wilderness couldn’t have been more extreme. Growing up on the streets of Boston in the 1960’s put him on the path to becoming a hardened criminal. Similar to many others in the Lower 48 in those days, he longed for a place free of all the corruption and violence he experienced in the city. Alaska provided that place.

In the early 1970’s Stan drove to Alaska with no one place in mind, but a clear picture of what he wanted: to homestead and live off the land outside of society. He and his then girlfriend drove to Fairbanks and got word of a homesteading opportunity on unsettled government land. They hired a bush pilot to fly them over a few river valleys, selected a site from the air, and landed with everything they had.

It was the beginning of a lifelong journey of self sufficiency. Things weren’t easy, were sometimes hopeless, but ultimately rewarding. Unlike other homesteaders who came and went in those days, Stan has carried on, living off the land for nearly 50 years. And he’s still doing it.

Today, Stan Zuray lives in Tanana, Alaska, thirty miles from his original homestead cabin on the Tozitna River. He still owns that cabin, and it’s a critical part of his fur trapping line. He travels via a sled dog team, hunts for his food, cuts firewood, puts up hundreds of salmon to feed him and his dogs, and does most everything else a self sufficient man does in the Alaska bush. He also raised a family and has a wife and several children.

There’s a lot of Stan’s story to tell between Boston and Tanana that you’ll have to read Stan’s new book to catch up on. “Carry On: Stan Zuray’s Journey from Boston Greaser to Alaskan Homesteader” was written by Stan and Tim Attewell and published in 2017. Stan also stars on the hit Discovery Channel TV show, “Yukon Men”, which features the villagers of Tanana, Alaska and their struggles to survive on the edge of wilderness.