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Connecting curious minds with uncommon, undeniably Northwest reads

Slick as a Mitten

Ezra Meeker's Klondike Enterprise

Dennis M. Larsen

$24.95

Ezra Meeker braved the Oregon Trail in 1852 and accumulated a fortune in the Puyallup hop-growing business. Suddenly, at the dawn of the new century, he lost his wealth, and despite his advanced age, ventured to Alaska and the treacherous Klondike. Four years of letters, most from Ezra to his beloved wife Eliza Jane, relay the details of his risky scheme to transport and sell more than 60 tons of groceries to Yukon gold miners.

“[A] remarkable assemblage.”—David L. Nicandri, director of the Washington State Historical Society, Overland Journal

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Description

Ezra Meeker braved the Oregon Trail in 1852, and eventually became a hop farmer and broker in the Puget Sound country. He platted the town of Puyallup, Washington and served as its first mayor. By the 1880s he had built a fortune and a mansion. Then suddenly, a devastating scourge of aphids followed by a severe national depression, swept his assets away, “slick as a mitten.” He rescued his friends and neighbors when the local bank failed, however, by tapping his own capital to return funds to account holders.

The Alaskan gold rush held renewed prospects for the financially ruined. Despite his advanced age, Meeker ventured to the treacherous Klondike four times, transporting and selling more than 60 tons of groceries to Yukon gold miners. The arduous hauling of eggs, potatoes, dried goods, and even live chickens, required steamers, dog teams, pack animals, human backs, flatboats, and scows. His wife, Eliza Jane, who remained closer to home, managed the food-drying and canning operation, manufacturing granulated eggs and dehydrated soup vegetables.

Ezra delighted in his infant grandson, Wilfred, who accompanied him to Dawson in 1900. Four years of letters, most from Ezra to his beloved Eliza Jane, relate the details of his risky schemes and experiences, from business pursuits, to keeping warm, to the daily antics of his grandchild.

Photographs / maps / notes / bibliography / index / 136 pages (2009)

Recognition

“[A] remarkable assemblage.”—David L. Nicandri, director of the Washington State Historical Society, Overland Journal

 “If you delight in letters—remember them? —as well as food, American history, and familial fondness, read this book.”—Food Museum blog

“The saga of Ezra Meeker, not a household name outside the Pacific Northwest, is a story the rest of America needs to hear.”—History Wire

“Slick as a Mitten gives a good account of those days through the correspondence of Ezra to his wife, Eliza Jane… Larsen fills in the historical background along the way, but doesn’t allow his commentary to intrude on the letters themselves, which tell the bulk of the story. The book is well-indexed and illustrated with historical photographs and maps. For people interested in the history of the West, especially in the Pacific Northwest and the Klondike, this will be a good read.”— Steve Rumsey, North Columbia Monthly

“The title of this book is the main reason I selected it as my introduction to the famous Northwest citizen, and I’m happy to say I wasn’t a bit disappointed with what I found inside… For a very personal look into a fascinating period in Ezra Meeker’s life, I recommend giving this week’s book a try.”— Jan Johnston, Fort Vancouver Regional Library District Collection Development Coordinator, The Columbian

Additional information

Weight .85 oz
Dimensions 11 x 8.5 in
Format

Paperback