In 1897, when news of the Klondike gold strikes reached California, Addison M. Powell joined the gold rush to the Valdez and Copper River areas as a U.S. deputy surveyor. In this book, Powell establishes himself as the Mark Twain of the Alaska Gold Rush.

This is the work of a master storyteller recounting his travels to Alaska through the Inside Passage, his experiences with Colonel Abercrombie’s 1898-1900 Copper River Exploring Expedition, and his subsequent decade of prospecting, guiding, and hunting in Alaska’s Copper River Basin. Powell’s insightful wit and graphic descriptions bring the era to life. Anyone capable of reading this account without at least a chuckle per page lacks a sense of humor.