A Wonderful Care Package of History

Yesterday, I was surprised to receive a care package from my aunt Joyce featuring many historical items. I actually knew the package was coming but I was surprised at how quickly it got to me in Japan. In the past few months, because of Covid-19, mail has really become snail mail with some letters I sent to the U.S. taking two months to arrive.

Anyway, back to the wonderful package. It was full of historical items in the form of books, photos, and some very special items made by my great grandmother. First to come out of the package was a of The Skagway Story, a book that I had been trying to get for a while. The book by Howard Clifford takes a thorough look at the history of the gold rush town of Skagway, the birthplace of my father. It really goes into detail about the events and people that shaped the town. Naturally, my family (specifically the Feeros) were mentioned in several places (bookmarked conveniently by my aunt).

I can't wait to read this thorough account of Skagway history.

Next in the package was a vintage copy of the children's book Benny's Flag. Printed in 1960 (written by Phyllis Krasilovsky and illustrated by W.T. Mars), the book tells the story of Benny Benson, the boy who won a contest to design the flag of Alaska (see my earlier blog entry for more on this). Although the book smells a bit musty, it's in great condition and will a nice addition to our collection of Alaska-related books. (Interestingly, I see that there is a new edition of this book with a new illustrator.) 

The original 1960 edition of Benny's Flag

Here are a couple of the nice illustrations from the book.

I was also pleased to see that my aunt had included some old photos in the package although some of them were prints that I had seen before. Several of the photos that featured a very young me were originally sent to my grandmother and had been passed on to my aunt. However, the most interesting photo was a picture of my aunt celebrating her 11th birthday in the family home in Skagway. The reason she sent me that photo was because she wanted to show me the cabinet that my great grandfather Karl Larson had made. In the photo, it can be seen in the corner of the dining room. He was a very good carpenter who worked for the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. And as you can see, it was quite a unique design, built to fit snuggly into the corner in a triangular fashion. It looks like it was really well-made. I wonder if it's still there as the house is still in use today.

Happy 11th birthday, aunt Joyce!

Finally, not to be forgotten, maybe the most special items in this package were three crocheted snowflakes. These were made by my great grandmother Edith Feero Larson. One of my strongest memories of decorating the Christmas tree each year was the collection of handmade crocheted snowflakes that had been given to us by my great grandmother. Unfortunately, when I was emptying out the house a few years ago before it was to be sold, I couldn't find the ornaments no matter how hard I tried. Hearing this, my aunt Joyce included some similar snowflakes made by great-grandma in the package. And although they aren't the same size and design as my family's set they are still in excellent condition, especially when you consider they are probably 50 to 60 years old! Now, I will be able to put a piece of family history on the Christmas tree every year and eventually I hope to pass these down to my three children so that they can tell their children that their great-great-grandma made these snowflakes.