“I’ve heard of bush Australia, but where is bush Alaska?”
“Any region of the state that is not connected to the North American road network or does not have ready access to the state ferry system” is Wikipedia’s definition of bush Alaska. Then, they name almost the entire state as examples.
Nelson Lagoon, Alaska, is a forty-five-minute flight from Cold Bay. This Aleut village fits the pure definition of bush Alaska – a fly-in or boat access-only location. The town used a generator to provide power, and there were no services, not even a store. We dealt with a two-second delay when speaking on the phone, which made a normal conversation impossible. We spent two years there.
Living in Nelson Lagoon on the edge of the Bering Sea, we shopped with the assistance of the bush departments while in Anchorage or by phone. For a fee of six percent of the product total plus shipping, Walmart and Fred Meyers packed the shopping cart contents and mailed them to us. Two weeks later, the boxes arrived in Nelson Lagoon.
Thorne Bay, Alaska, also had a generator for the town in the 1990s when we first arrived. The shot-rock road eventually turned into pavement, reducing the drive to the ferry terminal from over two hours to 75 minutes. The tiny logging community had daily floatplane service. The truth is, we didn’t make the trip to Ketchikan often because it was time-consuming and expensive. For this reason, some people, myself included, consider Prince of Wales Island to be bush Alaska.
Now for the rest of the Alaskan story.
During our twenty years in the Last Frontier, technology slowly changed bush Alaska. Amazon eliminated the need to call orders into bush departments by phone, and their packages arrived quickly. For those with faster internet (not us), Skype connected lonely people to family and friends. Today, generators and satellites give isolated Alaskans access to shopping and video conferencing.
Do these differences in access change the definition of bush Alaska? I don’t think so. When you are alone on a beach, on a homestead, or in a small community and have limited access to services and society, you are in bush Alaska.
Of course, I’ve lived the life and know how challenging it can be. There are no quick fixes to loneliness, the need for supplies or a doctor, or the desire to experience a favorite pastime from one’s former city life. There are no movie theaters, shopping malls, medical specialists, or large groups of people from whom to make friends in remote Alaska. You learn to make do with what you have access to or leave. And leaving is a choice many people make daily in the Last Frontier.
Of course, I’ve lived the life and know how challenging it can be. There are no quick fixes to loneliness, the need for supplies or a doctor, or the desire to experience a favorite pastime from one’s former city life. There are no movie theaters, shopping malls, medical specialists, or large groups of people from whom to make friends in remote Alaska. You learn to make do with what you have access to or leave. And leaving is a choice many people make daily in the Last Frontier.
Other Posts on Bush Alaska
Golfing at the Old City Dump in Remote Alaska – Putting in the hallway at home, chipping balls into a net in Elgin’s classroom, and striking balls across the old Thorne Bay dump became a way of life.
Life on Medical Disability in Remote Alaska: This is my story of living in bush Alaska while managing multiple sclerosis; it also includes a video interview.
How to Mail Packages in Remote Alaska – Getting a package to bush Alaska can be more complicated than you think. Mail plane, ferry, barge, stuffed in your vehicle or luggage – People find all sorts of ways to get the items they want to remote Alaska.
Jury Duty: An Alaska Way of Life – The summons came in the mail, and we called every week for months to see if we needed to get up early and travel across Prince of Wales Island to sit in a jury pool all morning. Everyone did it; it is a way of life for Alaska’s remote residents.
