As an Alaskan by choice, I’ve always found its history fascinating. This book details a little known aspect of Alaskan history, the role of a unit of the Army’s Buffalo Soldiers. I’ve been to Skagway only as part of an Inland Passage Tour on a cruise stop, so while the stop was brief, I recognized some of the place names.
A scholarly work, full of detail, this isn’t light reading. It is, however, an intriguing story. Reading how much these black soldiers were slowly accepted and made a part of the community in the early 19th century was a welcome bit of knowledge. The officers were white but all were accepted as the soldiers overcame the barriers of racism and gradually gained trust and acceptance. Baseball was a great unifier, I might note.
I can’t even begin to share the full story here as author Shellum shares the times, people involved and their known backgrounds, and how the soldiers gained a measure of respect. Alaskans are often furiously independent, even now, so it couldn’t have been easy. Newspaper articles and photos are included as are extensive notes and documentation
Bottom line, while not as easy read for the average Alaskan fan, it’s a story worth reading. I struggled with the rating but opted for my belief of how an average reader, one curious but not invested in state history might rate it give the scholarly style.
No comments:
Post a Comment