Alaskan History Author Dazzles in Valdez
Photo by Kyle Walker
Laura Downing Bill, author of the book series Aunt Phil’s Trunk, shares stories about Alaskan history at the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive on July 24.
Molly Walker - CRR Staff
In 1997, author Laurel Downing Bill received an unusual inheritance from her aunt Phyllis Carlson–a treasure trove of Alaskan history. Carlson was an Alaskan historian and reference librarian who dedicated her life to writing and preserving the stories of the 49th state. Since her aunt’s death in 1993, Bill has made it her mission to carry on this storytelling legacy.
“Aunt Phil wrote stories about Alaska’s past, shared them in magazines, and won national awards for her work. So when I saw what she had done, there was no way I could just put it aside,” said Bill. Thus, the Alaskan history book series Aunt Phil’s Trunk was born.
“The last shot of the American Civil War was fired in the Bering Sea of Alaska. There was a Confederate ship up in our waters capturing whaling ships to disrupt the traffic of oil, but the captain did not know that the war had ended. I find that fascinating. Who would have thought the last shot of the Civil War was in Alaska?”
Bill takes her mission very seriously. Wearing Gold Rush-era garb and a welcoming smile, Bill shared her writings and research at the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive on July 24. Her passion for sharing her knowledge and stories is infectious. Bill’s presentation not only brings history to life, it makes learning these often unknown stories fun and exciting.
Throughout her presentation, Bill regaled the audience with unique tales from Alaska’s past. “The last shot of the American Civil War was fired in the Bering Sea of Alaska. There was a Confederate ship up in our waters capturing whaling ships to disrupt the traffic of oil, but the captain did not know that the war had ended. I find that fascinating. Who would have thought the last shot of the Civil War was in Alaska?” Bill shared.
In addition to sharing over a century’s worth of quintessentially Alaskan anecdotes, Bill also answered questions about her writing process. When sifting through her aunt’s papers, Bill began to notice gaps in the research, such as information about establishing the city of Juneau and Alaska Native history.
Bill spent countless hours not only researching additional stories, but uncovering historic photographs long hidden in the archives. “I stumbled across other stories that [Aunt Phil] had not written about that were amazing.” Bill went on to discuss the importance of sharing Alaska Native history, not just in regard to the past, but their contributions to Alaska’s present and future as well. “
“Wouldn’t it be something to put these together in a way that people could enjoy Alaska history? It would be my gift to Alaska”
[After the purchase of Alaska] Americans did not treat the Alaska Native people very well. There was a lot of discrimination going on. In 1912, the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood formed. Their goal was to bring equality and rights to the Alaska Native people.”
Bill’s desire to share her aunt’s research grew to include not only five volumes of stories, but homeschool curriculum, children’s books, and a collection of sourdough recipes, complete with a dried sourdough starter from 1896. This hard work and dedication to Alaskan history has not gone unnoticed–the Aunt Phil’s Trunk series has won the Best of Anchorage award in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
While her collections of Aunt Phil’s stories may be complete, Bill enjoys traveling across the state sharing her work and meeting fellow history enthusiasts. “The more I looked at [my aunt’s work] the more I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be something to put these together in a way that people could enjoy Alaska history? It would be my gift to Alaska.’”
If you’re interested in learning more about Bill’s work or purchasing books, visit www.auntphilstrunk.com.
