Go North, Young Man: Modern Homesteading in Alaska

In 1951, at the age of 25, Gordon Stoddard packed his bags and set out for the wilds of Alaska.

For the next four years he spent his life hunting, fishing, foraging and surviving in the bitter conditions of the Kenai Peninsula.

Like many veterans who returned from the Second World War, Stoddard had found civilian life too tame and wished to go on an adventure without the constraints of the modern world.

Stoddard arrived at his destination with a small pamphlet entitled “How to Build a Cabin” and within three days had constructed his home, insulated with cardboard cartons.

This book is a remarkable story of how Stoddard overcomes numerous obstacles, often with the assistance of his eccentric neighbors, in order to survive in this rugged wilderness.

Go North, Young Man: Modern Homesteading in Alaska is a fascinating account of one man’s journey into the Alaskan wilderness to begin life as a homesteader, away from the confusion and constrictions of the modern world.

Gordon Stoddard grew up in California where he spent his early years fishing, swimming, hunting, and growing vegetables. When the Second World War broke out he spent three years as a signalman on a sub-chaser in the South Pacific. His book Go North, Young Man: Modern Homesteading in Alaska which was first published in 1957 records four years of his life as a homesteader. He passed away in 2006.