Indigenous people inhabited Alaska for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. But from the Gold Rush of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and continuing today, explorers and settlers find themselves drawn to America’s largest and least densely populated state in pursuit of fortune, adventure, solitude and majestic beauty. Elizabeth Marino, cultural and environmental anthropologist with OSU Cascades (PhD, University of Alaska Fairbanks) was one of these settlers. In this presentation Marino explores what makes Alaska irresistible to so many people and why this last frontier continues to draw visitors and settlers alike. Marino highlights both the difficulties and the rewards of life in the Arctic and addresses how the North is changing now, even before our eyes.



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