Andrew Berg came to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula in 1888. A young Finnish immigrant seeking wildlife and wilderness, he found both, in extraordinary abundance. Pursuing his own passion for hunting, he was the first guide to introduce big game hunters to the world-class trophies in southcentral Alaska. As civilization crept into the Territory, Berg became the first licensed hunting guide and held guide license “No.1“ for over twenty years.

Berg’s biography also tells the story of the early Euro-American settlement of this part of Alaska. Inhabitants struggled with isolation perpetuated by Alaska's remoteness and winter's icy grip on the land. Gold and fur brought economic booms and busts. Wild salmon and game sustained people through the hard times. Berg, like many others, turned his hand to whatever opportunity was presented. He was a hunter, trapper, fisherman and miner. At times he worked as a game warden and a fish warden.

Life for Berg and his neighbors on the frontier is chronicled through correspondence, photos, maps and newspaper articles. Andrew tells much of his story himself. Transcribed here are the journals he kept at his remote cabin on Tustumena Lake in the heart of what would become the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Through Berg’s simple, and often humorous, descriptions of activities, the reader acquires an understanding of the effort, ingenuity, patience and forbearance required for life in the wilderness.

Available
NOW
Soft cover - perfect bound
8 1/2” X 11”
320 pages
110 photographs & maps
$25.00
PO Box 1064   Kasilof, Alaska  99610     ©2004 Spruce Tree Publishing    All rights reserved.