Artifact of the Month: March 2022

Isolated, But Never Alone

Few people embody a time and lifestyle as vividly as the logging couple Mabel and Jim "Becky" Becker. From 1941 to 1966, they logged remote bays, coves, and inlets from here to Wrangell. Their camps were always on floats and they seldom spent more than a year in one place. There were times when the Beckers would not see a town for a year. The couple relied on friends and travelers for supplies, mail, and news. While hard work and independence characterized the Beckers' unique lifestyle, their visitors helped them create a sense of community far from town.

Mabel recorded every guest that stopped at camp with photographs and notes on what they ate for dinner and dessert. No visit was complete without guests signing their name in her guest book. This month's featured artifact is the family's guest book showcasing the years 1947 to 1954. Three other volumes of photo albums and scrapbooks document their hospitality and the companionship of guests that visited over the decades they operated their float camp.

The Becker family guest book is on display at the Tongass Historical Museum in our new exhibit, Sustaining Community: How We Gather & Why It Matters.

Ketchikan Museums, KM 2005.2.43