On August 15, 1901, the 240-foot SS Islander hit an iceberg in Alaska's inside waters just twelve miles from Juneau. Gold worth $3 million was rumored to have been put aboard in Skagway. There was talk of a salvage operation, but for thirty-three years the passenger vessel lay out of reach in 350 feet of water. Accompanied by eight-five extraordinary photographs and illustrations, this is an insider's story of a two-year struggle to raise the "Islander," a record-breaking salvage that focused on a single prize - an elusive fortune in gold.

The wreck site was discovered during the course of a survey of Klondike Gold Rush era wrecks resting at the bottom of the lake in July 2008. Underwater archaeologists examined the ship in 2009 and found many objects preserved as they were when the ship went down. Among the artifacts was a phonograph with three records, including Rendezvous Waltz and a 1896 recording of Ma Onliest One. The finds gave valuable insight into songs being listened to during the Gold Rush. The Yukon government has designated the shipwreck a historic site."--from Wikipedia, Sept. 2012.

Lost Treasures of the Tropical Variety explores a mysterious realm encompassing billions of dollars in lost artifacts, loot, and priceless heritage sunken leagues below the seas hundreds of years ago. Central focus aims toward tropical and sub-tropical areas around the world with remarkable discoveries, though several articles are interspersed with historical legends which took place outside of tropical zones. A vast body of known wealth remains to be found, and likely there is much more unknown yet to be discovered. Here is a warm thanks to those brave souls risking their lives to uncover secrets of our nautical past. Underwater explorers redefine the way we look at history by finding lost knowledge in artifacts, relics, and treasures trapped by the seas of time. Lost treasures are not only highly valued for their weight in precious metals or gems, but also for historical significance. Cultures around the world reclaim irreplaceable heritage with every rediscovery, and the information provided by the treasures is unparalleled insight into the past. Treasures of the Tropical Variety is a guidebook designed to recount historical facts of lost ocean riches observed from new perspectives, and stimulate further contribution to restoring world marine heritage by sharing this research. By protecting lost treasures of our past, we can better understand who we are, and learn how exploration and determination of our ancestors brought us to where we are today. Irreplaceable lives, heritage, and treasure lost at sea.

A collection of twenty stories showcasing the supernatural legends and unsolved mysteries of Southeast Alaska, with a focus on the region between Yakutat and Petersburg, where the author has lived his entire life, writing, teaching, guiding, commercial fishing, and investigating ghost stories. Each chapter is rooted in Bjorn’s own adventures and will intertwine fascinating history, interviews, and his reflections. Bjorn’s writing, sometimes poignant and often wickedly funny, brings to mind Hunter S. Thompson and Patrick McManus. Chapters touch on legends such as Alexander Baranov, Soapy Smith, James Wickersham, and the Kóoshdaa Káa (Kushtaka) to lesser known but fascinating characters like “Naked” Joe Knowles and purported serial killer Ed Krause. From duplicitous if not downright diabolical humans to demons of the fjords and deep seas and cryptids of the forest, Bjorn presents a lively cross-section of the haunter and the haunted found in Alaska’s Inside Passage.

February 5, 1898. Witnesses report a giant orange fireball reflected in the glacial waters of Alaska's Lynn Canal. At the height of Klondike gold fever, the Clara Nevada disappeared into an epic storm-- taking passengers and priceless cargo with her. Was the explosion an accident or a robbery gone wrong? Did Captain C.H. Lewis make off with $165,000 ($13.6 million in today's currency) in raw gold? Or was the sinking a case of a sea-weary steamer meeting an untimely end? Alaska historian Steven C. Levi combs the archives to piece together the true account of the Clara Nevada's final voyage, attempting to solve the riddle of the lost steamer that resurfaced ten years after that tragic night and became known as Alaska's ghost ship.

Harry E. Rieseberg's autobiographical writings include stories like being attacked by a giant octopus while recovering sunken treasure, defending himself from an attack by a 15-foot shark with only a diving knife, and surviving a hurricane and a severely broken leg while at sea--all captivating tales for audiences in the 1940s and 1950s, and all invented by a very successful charlatan. This is a biography of Harry E. Rieseberg, a shameless self-promoter who passed himself off as the world's greatest treasure salvor but who never got wet. His entire public persona was based on stories he retold in dozens of books and thousands of articles in which he made claims of feats that were fantasy but sold as fact. Despite the often-obvious facts of his fabrication, his books influenced a generation of legitimate divers and underwater archaeologists like Sir Robert Marx and Robert Stenuit. Thoroughly researched, this book uses sources including his personal records and letters to his agents to provide deep insight into the nature of his life and the way he created a false persona for popular consumption.

2010 Reprint of 1958 edition. This thrilling story of the Klondike Gold Rush is at once first-rate history and first-rate entertainment. Some of the anecdotes of the last great gold rush have been told by others, but Pierre Berton is the first to distill the Klondike experience into a single, complete, coherent and immensely dramatic narrative. He spent 12 years in Dawson City researching the work. The entire tale has an epic ring, as much because of its splendid folly as because of its color and motion. The full story has never been told before, nor has it been told in this dramatic way.