Features

This E.W. Merrill photograph shows Charles Christian Georgeson, special agent in charge of all agricultural experiment stations in Alaska, starting in 1898. (Photo from Alaska History Magazine, July-August 2020)

The Experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 1

Individuals deciding to explore Kenai’s historic district might start their journey by turning off the Kenai Spur Highway onto Main Street by the Kenai Visitors… Continue reading

 

This dish, an earthy and herbaceous vegetarian reimagining of the classic beef wellington, is finished nicely with a creamy maple balsamic sauce. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion

A special dish for a special request

This mushroom wellington is earthy and herbaceous, and its preparation comes with much less pressure.

 

John W. Eddy was already a renowned outdoor adventurer and writer when he penned this book in 1930, 15 years after the mystery of King David Thurman’s disappearance had been solved. Eddy’s version of the story, which often featured wild speculation and deviated widely from the facts, became, for many years, the accepted recounting of events.

King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 6

AUTHOR’S NOTE: The fate of King David Thurman, a Cooper Landing-area resident, had finally been learned in February and March 1915. Reports of his death… Continue reading

 

This virgin blueberry margarita made with blueberry flavored kombucha is perfect for sipping while playing cards. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion

Sweet fruit for sober fun

Blueberry kombucha gives this virgin margarita complexity in flavor and a lovely purple hue.

This virgin blueberry margarita made with blueberry flavored kombucha is perfect for sipping while playing cards. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
Public photo from ancestry.com James Forrest Kalles (shown here with his daughters, Margaret and Emma) became the guardian of King David Thurman’s estate in early 1915 after Thurman went missing in 1914 and was presumed dead.

King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 5

AUTHOR’S NOTE: King David Thurman left his Cooper Landing-area home in late July 1914 for another season of mining. He failed to return, and friends… Continue reading

Public photo from ancestry.com James Forrest Kalles (shown here with his daughters, Margaret and Emma) became the guardian of King David Thurman’s estate in early 1915 after Thurman went missing in 1914 and was presumed dead.
These heart-shaped chocolate sandwich cookies go perfectly with a glass of milk. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

Chocolate cookies for a sweet treat

A healthy layer of frosting makes these sandwich cookies perfectly sweet and satisfying.

These heart-shaped chocolate sandwich cookies go perfectly with a glass of milk. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
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Minister’s Message: Memento mori

In the early centuries of Christianity, the Desert Fathers — Christian monks who withdrew into the wilderness — practiced the strange and beautiful discipline of… Continue reading

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Emmett Krefting, age 6-7, at the Wible mining camping in 1907-07, about the time he first met King David Thurman. (Photo from the cover of Krefting’s memoir, Alaska’s Sourdough Kid)

King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 4

AUTHOR’S NOTE: In 1913, King David Thurman, a Cooper Landing-area resident who often seemed one step ahead of authorities, was finally convicted of violating game… Continue reading

Emmett Krefting, age 6-7, at the Wible mining camping in 1907-07, about the time he first met King David Thurman. (Photo from the cover of Krefting’s memoir, Alaska’s Sourdough Kid)
Bulgogi kimbap is a favorite lunchtime staple and easy travel meal. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion

Kimbap when craving Korean food

Bulgogi kimbap is a favorite lunchtime staple and easy travel meal.

Bulgogi kimbap is a favorite lunchtime staple and easy travel meal. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
The cast of Kenai Central High School’s upcoming production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” pose for a photo on Nov. 6, 2025. The play will open on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. Photo courtesy of Travis Lawson

Kenai students prepare to open ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

The play will premiere Friday at Kenai Central High School, with additional showings the following weekend.

The cast of Kenai Central High School’s upcoming production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” pose for a photo on Nov. 6, 2025. The play will open on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. Photo courtesy of Travis Lawson
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Minister’s Message: Considering the saints

This week, in many Christian churches, we celebrated a tradition called All Saints’ Day. It’s a time in our church year where we remember those… Continue reading

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There are two ways to make this complex and lovely sauce, which pairs sweetly with ice cream. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion

Dulce two ways

This dessert sauce can be eaten by the spoonful, but it’s best over ice cream.

There are two ways to make this complex and lovely sauce, which pairs sweetly with ice cream. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
This is part of the intake data entered when, in 1913, King David Thurman began his 50-day sentence in the Seward Jail for violating Alaska’s game laws. A 1911 attempt to nail Thurman for such a violation had failed.

King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 3

AUTHOR’S NOTE: King David Thurman, a miner and trapper who lived and worked in the Cooper Landing area during the early 1900s, was known for… Continue reading

This is part of the intake data entered when, in 1913, King David Thurman began his 50-day sentence in the Seward Jail for violating Alaska’s game laws. A 1911 attempt to nail Thurman for such a violation had failed.
Photo from the L.H. Peterson Collection, Lot 8749, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Simon Wible’s mining camp on Canyon Creek, August 1911, four years after the summer in which Emmett Krefting met King David Thurman here.

King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 2

AUTHOR’S NOTE: King David Thurman came to Alaska seeking gold. One of the earliest specific records of his movements was described by Emmett T. Krefting,… Continue reading

Photo from the L.H. Peterson Collection, Lot 8749, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Simon Wible’s mining camp on Canyon Creek, August 1911, four years after the summer in which Emmett Krefting met King David Thurman here.
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Minister’s Message: The ‘Unholidays’

“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Mark 7:6 “Better a dry crust with peace than a house… Continue reading

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Roasted pumpkin seeds are packed with healthy fats and antioxidants and are a perfect snack for fueling growing brains and bodies. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion

Seasoned seeds to snack on

Roasting pumpkin seeds reduces food waste and creates a perfect treat for fueling growing brains and bodies.

Roasted pumpkin seeds are packed with healthy fats and antioxidants and are a perfect snack for fueling growing brains and bodies. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
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Minister’s Message: Yet, I will rejoice!

“When you look at the world, what is it that you see? People find all kinds of things, that bring them to their knees,” sang… Continue reading

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The hardest part of making this classic Halloween treat is getting started, and maybe not burning your fingers. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion

Building confidence to do hard things

Although candy making is intimidating, it’s not impossible.

The hardest part of making this classic Halloween treat is getting started, and maybe not burning your fingers. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
Simon “Sam” Wible came to Alaska to mine for gold in the 1890s. Soon, he had a large hydraulic-mining camp on Canyon Creek. King David Thurman, at some point prior to 1907, was one of Wible’s employees. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Mining Hall of Fame Foundation)

King Thurman: An abbreviated life — Part 1

A probate court met in Seward on Jan. 28, 1915, to determine the fate of the personal property of Cooper Landing-area resident King David Thurman,… Continue reading

Simon “Sam” Wible came to Alaska to mine for gold in the 1890s. Soon, he had a large hydraulic-mining camp on Canyon Creek. King David Thurman, at some point prior to 1907, was one of Wible’s employees. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Mining Hall of Fame Foundation)
This photographic portrait depicts Eustace Ziegler, the then-nationally famous oil painter who agreed to provide the artwork for George Kosmos’ publication, “Alaska Sourdough Stories.”

Stories from the Kosmos

I had already purchased the book online — and was waiting for it to arrive in my mailbox — when I discovered an article about… Continue reading

This photographic portrait depicts Eustace Ziegler, the then-nationally famous oil painter who agreed to provide the artwork for George Kosmos’ publication, “Alaska Sourdough Stories.”