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| | | General | Home » » » TAKU Four Amazing Individuals-Four Incredible Life Stories and The Alaskan Wilderness Lodge That Brought Them Together | | | | | | | Description: | | The true stories of Dr. Harry Carlos DeVighne, a New York orphan who becomes an Alaskan frontier doctor; Leigh Hackley "Hack" Smith, a spoiled millionaire playboy who becomes a decorated war hero; Erie Smith, an indentured servant who becomes an heiress; and Mary Joyce, a surgical nurse who travels 1,000 miles by dogsled. Each are previous owners of Taku Lodge in Alaska. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Karen Bell and Janet Shelfer | | Hardcover:
| 208 pages | | Publisher:
| Will Publishing, L.L.C. | | Publication Date:
| November 01, 2006 | | ISBN:
| 0966848659 | | Package Length:
| 10.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.8 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.7 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 12 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
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3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Living HistoryAug 29, 2007
By E. Martin
"The Armchair Adventurer"
Near Juneau, there sits a remarkable place: the Taku Wilderness Lodge (formerly called the Alaska Wilderness Lodge). Located on the banks of the Taku River, which flows down from British Columbia, near Juneau, the lodge is in the midst of seven glaciers, the largest being the Taku.
This juxtaposition of mighty nature and man-made order is the subject of "Taku: Four Amazing Individuals, Four Incredible Life Stories and the Alaska Wilderness Lodge that Brought Them Together" by Karen Bell & Janet Shelfer, two Southern women who visited the lodge and became enamored of its story, and the stories of the people associated with it.
"Taku," according to the authors, is a Tlingit word that describes a unique and ferocious wind, which has been adopted by the National Weather Service to classify winds which, under certain atmospheric circumstances, can begin as a 20-mile-an-hour breeze in British Columbia but build up as it journeys down the Taku River and "crashes" into Juneau at 60-miles an hour or more.
"Taku also means "the place where the geese sit down," which the authors say describes the geographic history of the area, once a giant lake during the last glacial age.
Alaska Wilderness Lodge was built by Harry Carlos DeVighne, one of Alaska's earliest and foremost doctors, in 1923. Although quite successful at his practice, DeVighne was a bit of an entrepreneur, and lover of the outdoors; the lodge was his way of allowing others to enjoy his adopted land.
But the book isn't about the place so much as the people who came to it, beginning with its builder.
DeVighne was the son of son of Henri, a former Confederate soldier turned Cuban insurgent and Maria Solano, daughter of one of Cuba's finest and aristocratic families, born in 1875. His parents died of smallpox when he was 8, and after knocking around the country a bit, he landed in Juneau, Alaska, in 1904, hoping to take advantage of a town with no doctor, as well as a contract with the United States Bureau of Education to survey the Alaskan Natives.
DeVighne was instrumental in getting the diphtheria serum for the Nome epidemic, the event that is commemorated each year with the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. He and his wife Mary were important members of Juneau society and business. The lodge was DeVighne's way of offering Outsiders a chance to experience his adopted land.
Erie Caughell Smith, adopted daughter of wealthy Charles and Julia Hackely of Muskegon, Mich., first set eyes on the lodge in 1925, after the diphtheria epidemic. With her son Leigh "Hack" Hackley Jr., a World War I hero, she cruised to Alaska and visited the lodge.
It became her hope for Hack's salvation.
"There was no doubt that L.H. "Hack" Smith was drawn to Alaska," the authors write. He reveled in its natural beauty, the excitement of the hunt, and the freedom that life in the wilderness afforded him."
As Harry aged, he and his wife wanted to sell the lodge and give themselves a break. This state of affairs came at a perfect time for Erie, as she needed something for her son, who had survived horrendous injuries during World War I that had left him bitter and addicted to alcohol, as well as two failed marriages and the loss of a tremendous fortune in the Depression.
With a dedicated nurse, Mary Joyce, Hack became the owner of the lodge, purchased for him by Erie.
Hack and Mary put up permanent buildings, filled the barn with cows and the kennels with dogs, and welcomed any and all guests who came by. In the winter, they kept busy with hunting, dog sledding, reading and conversing together, and surviving the worst Alaska could throw at them.
But Hack couldn't shake his addictions, often sneaking into Juneau for benders, necessitating a boat trip into town to fetch him back. Eventually, heredity (his father died of heart failure) got the best of Hack; he died in his sleep while on a hunting trip, at the age of 38.
Erie and Mary were devastated, as both loved the man who had brought them to Alaska. Erie took her son back to Michigan for burial, but Mary stayed in Taku. Erie ensured that the lodge would remain in the loyal nurse's hands, and Mary began the second chapter of her Alaska life.
The second half of the book follows Mary's adventures and journeys, including a sled dog trip from Taku to Fairbanks in the winter of 1935 (she was 27), a tremendous undertaking for anyone, let alone a woman.
With Native guides throughout, hunting along the way to sustain herself and her dogs, close calls and brushes with starvation, dehydration, freezing to death and all the other potential problems attendant on a wilderness jaunt, Mary undertook her tremendous journey with no expectations other than to survive.
And while she maintained an aura of celebrity for the rest of her life, she admitted readily that her trip, a journey of 1,000 miles that took several months, so she could attend the Fairbanks Winter Carnival in March 1936, was "selfishness."
"She was the only one to gain from the experience. Alaska was not helped nor was humanity benefited. There was no need for it other than the deep need she felt within."
Mary died in Juneau in 1976, and her headstone, in Evergreen Cemetery, reads simply: "Came to Alaska in 1929. Died in Alaska in 1976."
And in her own words: "I never really lived until I came up here."
Shelfer and Bell have captured the spirit of Alaska with their portraits of Harry DeVighne, Erie and Hack Smith and Mary Joyce. The book keeps the reader's attention throughout. And it is presented well, with superb photos, set and framed beautifully on the pages. They are excellent visual reminders of Alaskan life before statehood, before modern conveniences, before planes shrunk the distances between places.
Taku Lodge still exists, offering visitors a unique Alaska experience. And for those visitors, the spirits of Harry, Erie, Hack and Mary still hover, watching over the guests, offering them a glimpse of pioneer spirit.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
The Perfect BookNov 16, 2007
By Adrienne G. Sacco
I recently read this book and couldn't wait to call the author (Janet Shelfer) to tell her how marvelous it was!!! This book has everything: a love story, chills and thrills, a woman's strength to make it on her own, beautiful animals, gorgeous Alaskan vistas....I couldn's put it down. It's a story that will stay with me for years and I will certainly read the book again. I highly recommend it to anyone. What a treat!!!!!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Taku a book you will absolutely enjoyMar 01, 2007
By J. Wilson
This is one of the most exciting books I have read in quite a while. I hated to put it down it was so interesting. The story she told was written in such a way that I felt a part of the story. I really hated to get to the end of the book. I hope this isn't the last book for these two talented writer.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
WOW!Aug 03, 2007
By Dorothy Denniston
Reading this book was like a first hand adventure! And, adding the fact that a couple of friends and I actually visited Taku Lodge this summer, made it very, very special!It's guaranteed that this book cannot be put down until finished!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Taku- A great read!Jul 15, 2007
By L. Hittner
I read this book because I like to read books about the lives of interesting and adventurous people. I certainly got that with this book! Not only were the characters compelling, but the story was told in such a way that it brought the Alaskan wilderness alive. Read this book & you'll love it-- I know I did!
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