This account of a region transformed—and threatened—offers “a timely historical reflection on the important social role of science and scientists.”—Historical Geography In recent years, environmentalists have pointed urgently to the melting Arctic as a leading indicator of climate change. While climate change has unleashed profound transformations in the region, many commentators mislabel them as unprecedented. In reality, the landscapes of the North American Arctic—as well as relations among scientists, Inuit, and federal governments— are products of the region’s colonial past. And even as policy analysts, activists, and scholars clamor about the future of our world’s northern rim, few truly understand its past. In Unfreezing the Arctic, Andrew Stuhl brings a fresh perspective to this defining challenge of our time. Stuhl weaves together a wealth of episodes into a transnational history of the North American Arctic, providing a richer understanding of its social and environmental transformation. Drawing on historical records and extensive ethnographic fieldwork, as well as time spent living in the Northwest Territories, he examines the long-running interplay of scientific exploration, colonial control, the experiences of Inuit residents, and multinational investments in natural resources. With a comprehensive look at a century of scientific activity, he covers the political, economic, environmental, and social history of this transboundary region. “A worthy addition to the recent wave of work on northern history…Bridging the histories of colonialism, resource management, military activity, and Indigenous self-determination, Stuhl focuses on Alaska and northwest Canada, including the Beaufort Sea, Mackenzie Delta, and surrounding region.”—Canadian Journal of History The author intends to donate all royalties from this book to the Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) and East Three School's On the Land Program.

The popular image of the Klondike is of a rush of white, male adventurers who overcame great physical and geographical obstacles in their quest for gold. Young, white, single American men carried forward the ideals and structures of the western frontier. It was a man's world made respectable only after the turn of the century with the arrival of white, middle class women who miraculously swept out the corners of dirt and vice and 'civilized' the society. These impressions endure despite recent attempts to correct them. Gamblers and Dreamers tackles some of the myths about the history of the North in the era of the gold rush. Though many inhabitants came and went, Charlene Porsild focuses on the concept of community commitment to show that many put down roots. This in-depth study of Dawson City at the turn of the century reveals that the city had a cosmopolitan character, a stratified society, and a definite permanence. It examines the lives of First Nations peoples, miners and other labourers, professionals, merchants, dance hall performers and sex trade workers, providing fascinating detail about those who left homes and jobs to strike it rich in the last great gold rush of the nineteenth century. In the process, Gamblers and Dreamers puts a human face on this compelling period of history.

Canada's Yukon is one the world's last great wildernesses, where bears, moose and caribou roam. It's a place where hikers, paddlers, skiers and mushers can travel for days without seeing another human soul, where the northern lights dance green and red across starry skies, and where glaciers tumble, mountain peaks soar, and tundra shrubs scream scarlet as summer turns to fall. Bradt's Yukon is the only guidebook dedicated to this natural and historical wonderland. Offering practical advice on everything from where to pan for gold to how to avoid being eaten by a bear, alongside quirky anecdotes (such as the story behind the 'sourtoe cocktail' - a shot of whisky garnished with a severed human toe), it's the perfect companion for highway drivers, cruise-ship passengers, and outdoors enthusiasts alike.