Alaska's Secret Door

With original paintings on every page, Alaska's Secret Door takes the reader where most of them will never go: where the river is the only road. Through the eyes of five-year old Clint Ferguson, Alaska's Secret Door sweeps the reader via the Ferguson family canoe into the Athabascan culture of the Yukon River. Leaving behind the Tanana River and the road system, the Fergusons pass through a seemingly invisible door and discover the heart of Alaska and the salmon-based subsistence lifestyle. At Ruby, the Fergusons meet the unforgettable Mary and Paul Peters and their son, Emmitt Peters, winner and record-setter, of the 1975 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Through the Peters family, Alaska's Secret Door is a child's intimate portrayal of fish camp, smoked moose hides, Native ice cream, wind, sand and salmon. From paddlewheels to the shaman's exotic kazhem at Shageluk, Alaska's Secret Door is a child's door into Alaska's fantastic plethora.