Start your visit to Southeast Alaska towns here
in the Northern Narrative Series
Visit Juneau and the Red Dog Saloon
Northern Narratives #2,Tall Tales of Alaska Juneau, AK: A Quaint Alaska Town with a Gold Mining Problem takes you back to Juneau, Alaska, the gateway to the Alaskan gold rush. You’ll witness the beginnings of Juneau, before all the tourists, and even before all of the gold.
You’ll get to see how the passage of time has transformed the Alaskan town’s landscape, and be introduced to the ones who changed it. Individuals like Joe Juneau, the man the town is named after; Chief Kawa.ée, the Native Alaskan who was the first to find any gold; and Geoff and Marcy, the two Juneauites that put Alaskan beer on the map. Not to mention, you’ll even get to find out who it is that haunts the Alaskan Hotel!
Read about:
- How Juneau became the capital city of Alaska
- Joe Juneau, the town’s namesake
- Alice, the ghost who haunts the Alaskan Hotel
- The collapse of the Treadwell Mine, one of America’s most lucrative gold mines
- The S.S. Islander, the unsinkable ship that sunk carrying Klondike gold down south
- Secret tunnels constructed under Juneau during prohibition
- The mermaids of Southeast Alaska
Delve into the vibrant history of Alaska’s legendary Red Dog Saloon, a captivating destination nestled among the picturesque landscapes of Juneau. In this intriguing compilation of short stories, Tall Tales of Alaska The Red Dog Saloon: Stories of the Gold Rush & More, readers will embark on a thrilling journey through time, uncovering the captivating stories and historical moments that have made this iconic bar a magnet for curious travelers.
The Red Dog Saloon has stood as a witness to both the wild days of the gold rush and the evolution of a vibrant, modern tourist destination. Each tale reveals a different facet of the Red Dog’s rich tapestry from its humble beginnings as a rowdy watering hole for prospectors to its transformation into a renowned music venue that has welcomed a variety of entertaining characters to amuse the saloon’s patrons.
Read About:
- The Kodiak Grizzly bear, the world’s largest brown bear
- The Duck Fart, a famous Alaskan shooter
- Black Mary, one of Juneau’s first madams
- Phineas Poon, one of the famous entertainers from the Red Dog Saloon
- The Birdman of Alcatraz, an infamous criminal from Alaska
- Wyatt Earp, the quick trigger sheriff who helped tame the west
Visit Sitka, Skagway, and Ketchikan
Tall Tales of Alaska Sitka, AK: Where Cultures, Customs, and Countries Collided, you’ll journey to the western edge of the Inside Passage to Sitka, Alaska, where the tides of history crashed ashore, leaving their indelible mark.
You’ll be immersed in the layered past of a city that has been both rugged and regal, both Russian and American, and has always, always, always, been Alaskan.
You’ll witness the first encounters between the Tlingit people and the Russian settlers, stand at the cross roads of an empire’s rise and fall, and experience the pivotal moment when Alaska became part of the United States.
But the journey doesn’t stop there. These tales will then sweep you away to modern-day Sitka, where history intertwines with the present. Explore Sitka Sound’s sunken ships, relive the final eruption of the Sound’s resident volcano, and visit the town’s cherished animal sanctuaries: The Raptor Center and the Fortress of the Bear.
Read about:
- The Battle of 1804 and other significant skirmishes
- Influential Russian vessels like the Neva
- Alaska trading hands and the Treaty of Cession
- The Raptor Center and The Fortress of the Bear
- The importance of Mount Edgecumbe
- And how to read the tales told on a Totem Pole
Tall Tales of Alaska: Skagway AK: The Gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush. A journey that will take you to the northernmost tip of the Inside Passage, where Skagway rose from the mud and the madness of the Klondike Gold Rush.
You’ll step into the past, when hopeful stampeders, ruthless outlaws, and ambitious entrepreneurs poured into this wild frontier town, all chasing their own version of fortune. You’ll walk the treacherous Chilkoot Trail, where the weight of a prospector’s ambition was small in comparison to his pack. And you’ll follow the path of Soapy Smith, Skagway’s most infamous con man, whose empire of deceit came to an all but fitting end.
But the journey doesn’t stop at Skagway’s boomtown days. These stories also reveal the town’s long-lasting scars and enduring legends. You’ll hear the ghostly whispers of both Ghost Alley and Paradise Alley, and learn why Liarsville was aptly named. You’ll discover how the Dead Horse Trail earned its grim reputation, and why, even today, some say you can still hear the echoes of hooves lost to the pass.
Read about:
- How Skagway and Dyea battled to become the gateway to the Klondike.
- The Dead Horse Trail, where greed drove men to the brink—and beyond.
- Soapy Smith, Skagway’s most infamous con man, and the showdown that ended his reign.
- The women of Skagway, from saloon hustlers to secret philanthropists.
- The Chilkoot Trail, the brutal staircase to the goldfields.
- Skagway’s ghosts, myths, and secrets, still lingering in the wind.
Drop anchor in Southeast Alaska’s rainiest, fishiest, and foggiest frontier town with its latest volume: Tall Tales of Alaska Ketchikan AK: A City Built on Salmon, Timber & Totem Poles. Waiting for you at the doorway to the Inside Passage, Ketchikan is more than just a stop on the “milk run.” It’s Alaska’s first city—first to greet you, first to drench you, and first to prove that truth is often stranger than fiction.
If you think you’ve seen everything Alaska has to offer, wait until the fog lifts in Ketchikan. And within these pages, you’ll wade through a town built on pilings, perched above tides, and forever shaped by salmon. You’ll explore how the timber wars divided communities, why a fish pirate might have been the most respected criminal on the docks, and what really goes on along Married Man’s Trail. From floating logging camps to phantom submarines, Ketchikan has always harbored a story or two—some foggier than others.
Trust me, every boardwalk and back alley has a version of events, and none of them quite match up. You don’t need to be a historian, an archivist, or a researcher to revel in this town’s past. So, grab your raincoat and your imagination, and set foot into a town where the salmon run thick, the secrets run deeper, and the stories never run dry.
Read about:
- Ketchikan’s role in the Salmon and Timber Wars
- The truth behind the Road to Nowhere
- Why the town might have more than one mayor
- The legendary fish pirates of Southeast Alaska
- Rumors of secret submarine activity near the docks
- Ketchikan Creek: where history runs upstream