Jack Shelford, the author's father, set out for North America in 1903 in search of a new life. From points across North America, Jack wrote long letters back to his parents and three siblings in England. His journey took him west to San Francisco, then Vancouver and in June, 1904, to Alaska. He north of Fairbanks for six veto and later homesteaded the BC interior with his brother Arthur, Discovered decades later in a trunk, Jack Shelford's letters helped the author round out the many stories of pioneer days in Alaska and northern BC that form the basis of this book.