A Teacher On the Yukon: The Rampart Alaska Letters 1972-1977

In 1972 I moved from the Arctic Whaling village of Pt. Hope (Tigara) to the dying gold mining town of Rampart (population 55) to resurrect the K-12 one-room school serving the town's 13 school age children. Over 5 years I restored the building and grounds, wrestled control over the town from the trading post owner who run it for 40 years, and restored a degree of safety to the residents and the teachers who followed me. At the same time, I learned to commercial fish salmon, mine a little gold, learn the countryside and the few remaining pre-WWII prospectors.

Operating the school, helping organize the town's parents, caring for my two adopted children, dysfunctional wife, and younger brother made for a busy and multi-faceted life.