Alaska and the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, 1867-1915

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Summary: History of Alaska territory and US Revenue Cutter Service
Review: Heretofore, little has been written about United States' early years governing their new territory of Alaska nor of the governmental thread that kept this vast territory intact. Archives do hold much of this history and that is where the two authors of this book went for sources for this intriguing tale of a little known service executing an enormous responsibility.

The U.S. Revenue Cutter Service arrived in the Bearing Sea soon after the purchase of Alaska in 1867. For the next forty-eight years, until it became the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, this small group of men, in mostly wooden ships, became the foundation for the government that established the sovereignty leading to the firmly established state it is today.

The cuttermen explored vast unknown areas in their multi-mission role. They provided humanitarian relief following natural disasters, brought medical care to isolated areas, fed starving North American natives, and rescued shipwrecked sailors, charted territories discovering isolated tribes in the wilderness and brought law to hostile surroundings. The small crews created a veneer of civilization in the rough frontier and the isolated settlements by their presence. Solutions to problems solved by a lonely unsupported sailor at the scene, a hundred years later became the laws of the new state so sensible were some of their actions.

From widely scattered documentation and records, maritime historians Truman Strobridge and Dennis Noble chronicle events in the service's colorful history. The story, filled with episodes high drama as well as events of historical significance, includes a number of notable figures. One is Capt. Michael A. "Hell Roaring Mike" Healy, the black revenue cutter captain who became a legend of the Alaskan frontier and was memorialized in James Michener's novel, Alaska.

The authors noted, "The early cuttermen have never received the credit due them for their efforts as seagoing policemen who served the indigenous people of an isolated region." Readers will quickly come to understand why the USRCS became so admired throughout the new territory and appreciate the effect the service had on the political, economic, and social life of this north Pacific region.

Each chapter can be made into full-length books from the materials developed by the authors' research. Most notable for biographies are two of the Service's officers: the above mentioned Healy and Lt. John C. Cantwell, who in addition to his shipboard duties, explored via river and land treks, a remote region of north-west Alaska.

This is a must read for students of Alaska history and it is a rare volume for maritime historians, as it covers one phase of the history of the mostly unrecorded U.S. Revenue Cutter Service.

The book is end noted, referencing rare and widely scattered original sources. The bibliography is extensive and the book is indexed. It is an excellent first choice for researchers and historians.

Truman R. Strobridge was an archivist and historian in the federal government for more than thirty years including being the Coast Guard's historian and a college teacher in Alaska. He is the author of nearly one hundred articles and two books.

Dennis L. Noble retired from the Coast Guard as a senior chief marine science technician where he made six Arctic voyages and two to the Antarctic. Following Coast Guard retirement he earned a Ph.D. in U.S. history is the author of nine books, seven on U.S. Coast Guard history.