The one and only story that I have heard about my great grandfather has been retold to me so many times that it is almost thought of as a fond, personal memory, despite the fact that I was not even born when it took place. It was the day of my mother and father’s wedding, and the entire small town of Daingerfield, Texas had shown up. The wedding was an outdoor affair, complete with a local band and a homemade dance floor. The air was full of the sound of live music, the tap dancing feet of the younger couples on the dance floor, and the chatter of elderly ladies, all of whom seemed to be taking advantage of the endless champagne fountain to get up-to-date gossip. The tables closest to the stage were empty -due to the excruciating loud speakers
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From the 1930s to 1940s, AJ Mine, or the Alaska-Juneau Mine, was the largest low-grade gold mine in the world and set multiple production records for its extraction of gold, silver, and lead (Power). Throughout the decade, it was the source of an immense economic boom in the capital city of Juneau and played such a big role to local economies that it is even attributed to softening the blow of the Great Depression throughout Alaska (Whitney). As a result of the hugely popular Alaskan Gold Rush, and the subsequent mineral mines that followed, Alaska became a prime opportunity for anyone looking for a new economic venture, which led to a significant influx of non-natives into the territory (Whitney). The 1930 consensus shows a 29% increase in white males who made up the territory, which can be attributed to the larger number of nonnative workers moving to the region (Whitney). The city of Fairbanks, which was only established in 1901, saw perhaps the greatest population increase with a 471% expansion to its community in only 2 years (Whitney). As the University Park Elementary students say on their website: “If it weren’t for gold, we wouldn’t even be here!” (Power).
During his time in the mines, Eskesen’s roommate, Lou Listen, started dating the mine owner’s daughter, Edna, and proceeded to introduce him to her sister, Viola Riendeau. Both couples ended …show more content…
At this time, the Eskesen family moved to the island of Baranof, Alaska, which was considered a prime location to monitor foreign navy activity. As it was now the late 1930s, there was a tremendous fear that the increasingly powerful Japanese would invade Alaska, and the small islands leading to the mainland were especially vulnerable to Japanese attack. As a result of this, no one on the island was allowed to have lights on during the evening hours, in case the Japanese or other foreign militaries would be able to detect them (Schneider). Eskesen’s new job was a nighttime shift on the small island of Japonski, working as a blacksmith to replace parts on naval ships, and every night he had to pilot his boat almost two miles in the dark to avoid detection. On June 3rd 1942, the Japanese were successful in bombing the Dutch Harbor and eventually seizing the outermost Aleutian Islands, Attu, Agattu, and Kiska (Sitka). For the next year, Sitka and the surrounding costal areas of Alaska were on the front lines of World War II in what became known as the “Forgotten Battle,” due to it being overshadowed by the much more deadly, coinciding, battles happening in the Pacific theatre, such as Pearl Harbor, which happened only six months later (Garfield). During these periodic Japanese air raids on the Alaskan coast, the Eskesen family
From the 1930s to 1940s, AJ Mine, or the Alaska-Juneau Mine, was the largest low-grade gold mine in the world and set multiple production records for its extraction of gold, silver, and lead (Power). Throughout the decade, it was the source of an immense economic boom in the capital city of Juneau and played such a big role to local economies that it is even attributed to softening the blow of the Great Depression throughout Alaska (Whitney). As a result of the hugely popular Alaskan Gold Rush, and the subsequent mineral mines that followed, Alaska became a prime opportunity for anyone looking for a new economic venture, which led to a significant influx of non-natives into the territory (Whitney). The 1930 consensus shows a 29% increase in white males who made up the territory, which can be attributed to the larger number of nonnative workers moving to the region (Whitney). The city of Fairbanks, which was only established in 1901, saw perhaps the greatest population increase with a 471% expansion to its community in only 2 years (Whitney). As the University Park Elementary students say on their website: “If it weren’t for gold, we wouldn’t even be here!” (Power).
During his time in the mines, Eskesen’s roommate, Lou Listen, started dating the mine owner’s daughter, Edna, and proceeded to introduce him to her sister, Viola Riendeau. Both couples ended …show more content…
At this time, the Eskesen family moved to the island of Baranof, Alaska, which was considered a prime location to monitor foreign navy activity. As it was now the late 1930s, there was a tremendous fear that the increasingly powerful Japanese would invade Alaska, and the small islands leading to the mainland were especially vulnerable to Japanese attack. As a result of this, no one on the island was allowed to have lights on during the evening hours, in case the Japanese or other foreign militaries would be able to detect them (Schneider). Eskesen’s new job was a nighttime shift on the small island of Japonski, working as a blacksmith to replace parts on naval ships, and every night he had to pilot his boat almost two miles in the dark to avoid detection. On June 3rd 1942, the Japanese were successful in bombing the Dutch Harbor and eventually seizing the outermost Aleutian Islands, Attu, Agattu, and Kiska (Sitka). For the next year, Sitka and the surrounding costal areas of Alaska were on the front lines of World War II in what became known as the “Forgotten Battle,” due to it being overshadowed by the much more deadly, coinciding, battles happening in the Pacific theatre, such as Pearl Harbor, which happened only six months later (Garfield). During these periodic Japanese air raids on the Alaskan coast, the Eskesen family