Book excerpt: In more than 100 historic photographs, this book captures the remarkable story of this vast and complex state. An elderly Inupiat woman is clearly pleased with her long line of drying fish fillets on a windy and sunny day. A pack train carries 1,200 pounds of gold destined for the First National Bank of Fairbanks. A man with suit and fedora plays a violin while sitting on a piece of ice in the Chena River. A posed shot from the turn of the century shows well-dressed women (likely prostitutes) in Klondike City. The passage of time reveals the change of structures from sod houses to tents to log cabins to detailed Victorian homes, but the indomitable spirit of the people remains evident across generations. Deb Vanasse's thoughtful text and expert selection of images - from snapshots to formal studies - bring a remarkable world to life for readers.