Oral histories. Most every old timer who has lived in an interesting place has one, and they’re more than happy to share their stories, whether at the kitchen table, around the campfire, or anywhere there happens to be an opening. Depending on the story teller, these can be fascinating accounts of things that happened in the past and the way things used to be. And that knowledge of the past can make our experience in outdoor places that much more interesting and enjoyable.
The problem with oral histories is that they are just that – oral. Nobody writes them down! So the stories usually die with the story teller, and they tend to lose details and accuracy with each retelling, until they’re lost in the past.
Fortunately, some people with really interesting stories were good writers, like Walter Arnold, Helen Hamlin, Chick Ferguson and others, and they preserved their mark on history through magazine articles and books. But they were the minority. Let’s be honest, most folks will talk your ears off with gold, but would never sit down and put a page of it on paper.
Enter the listener. The compiler. The editor. The second-hand story teller. In short, the person who’s passionate enough about learning and sharing history that they make the effort to tell other folks’stories in the form of books. Jim Reardon was a classic conveyer of others’ stories. He made part of his career on telling the stories of Alaska’s most interesting outdoors men and women. Jay Lawson did similar work in Wyoming. Actually, a little pawing through my book shelf reveals a surprising number of these second-hand story tellers. You’ve probably stumbled across a few of them yourself.
My most recent experience with the work of a second-hand storyteller came after my first real vacation, a three week fur trapping expedition in the interior of Alaska last winter. I joined a friend on his bush trap line up the Porcupine River, forty miles from the nearest neighbor. The area, which had once supported a thriving community of trappers, is all but abandoned today. I had a strong desire to learn everything there was to know about the local history and read every book and historical account available. I thought I’d gotten pretty close, until just a few weeks ago.
“Kaiiroondak: Behind the Willows” is a collection of stories and accounts from Richard Martin (1914-1986), who spent most of his years living a subsistence lifestyle on the Porcupine in its heyday. During a three week riverboat trip in 1983, Bill Pfisterer recorded Martin’s stories and accounts of the settlements, families, unique events, and everyday life as it occurred in a vast wilderness that’s quiet today.
Now, when I see a place on the map, remember a bend in the river or a prominent tributary, there’s a real life story associated with it that I can reflect back on, rather than just speculating what may have been. The old cabins are hidden from view to a river traveler now, obscured by willows, but if you know where to look, you can find some neat stuff behind those willows. That’s the value of oral history. It gives a deeper meaning to the experience of a place.
To all you second-hand story tellers out there, thank you. Your work helps enhance the outdoor experience for all of us. We could use more of it. In fact, I may even chip in.
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