They called it America's Last Frontier. In truth, Alaska was the final proving ground for how American democracy really works-a story long buried beneath the mythology of the state's founders.
When Eddie and Bonnie Towson arrive in Anchorage in 1947-newly married, driving the ALCAN Highway, more muddy trail than road-they're swept into a world ruled by the "Princes of Alaska": two powerful publishers, politicians, Big Oil, and fixers operating between the legal and the criminal, all chasing statehood.
Eddie finds his place with the IBEW, forging a close friendship with Bigs Bigsby, a legendary fixer whose Union Bar booth serves as a true seat of territorial power. He believes in the cause. But Bonnie sees what Eddie cannot-the collateral damage as Native villages fray under encroaching capitalism. She watches with clear eyes, establishing the Penny Fund to support displaced Native families, with no illusions about what comes next.
