The Handcrafted Life of Dick Proenneke

The Handcrafted Life of Dick Proenneke

Discover how Dick Proenneke built his own cabin and most of the things he needed to live in the Alaskan wilderness, from clever wooden door hinges to metal ice creepers for his boots. Many PBS viewers first saw him in “Alone in the Wilderness,” a program that follows Dick’s 30-year journey by Twin Lakes.

Experience this adventure by looking at the tools and objects Dick made in “The Handcrafted Life of Dick Proenneke.” Monroe Robinson, who cared for Dick’s cabin and belongings, wrote the book. It combines old photos, journal entries, and new drawings to show a man deeply connected to life and nature.

The cabin, its handmade objects, and this book all reflect Dick’s motto of “keeping it true,” showing how you can create what you need from almost nothing. In 1999, when Dick left Twin Lakes at age 82, he gave his cabin and everything inside to the National Park Service. Starting in 2000, Monroe and his wife, K. Schubeck, spent 19 summers caring for Dick’s cabin, always following his motto of “keeping it true.” For example:

August 17, 1970:
I needed a good cutting board. A gas can box end works, but it’s rare to find one that isn’t two pieces joined with corrugated fasteners. I had a wide spruce slab that would do. I cut it to one and one-quarter inches thick, trimmed it to fourteen inches long and nine inches wide, then planed and sanded it smooth before rubbing it with bacon grease.

This book is for anyone curious about how one person lived a purposeful life—the kind many people dream about. It features excerpts from over 7,000 pages of Dick’s journals, hundreds of photos, dozens of illustrations, and Monroe’s detailed commentary. It’s part nonfiction, how-to, adventure, and memoir, but above all, it’s a guide to living a “true” life using what you have and a few simple tools. Woodworkers, toolmakers, homesteaders, hikers, naturalists, conservationists, survivalists, and Alaska enthusiasts will all find something to enjoy.

"The Handcrafted Life of Dick Proenneke" is a 456-page hardbound book, sized 8-1/2 by 11 inches, and printed in full color on coated #80 matte paper. Like all Lost Art Press books, it is made entirely in the United States.

Contents

Foreword x
Introduction xi
Explanation to the Reader xx

1. Starting from Scratch 2
   2. A Land of Snow & Ice 78
   3. The Cache 166
   4. Five-gallon Gas Cans 182
   5. Made from Spruce 210
   6. Tin Cans 238
   7. The Elgin & the Arctic Tern 252
   8. Gifts & Barter 310
   9. Repairing with Zeal 368

Character Sketches 412
Acknowledgments 420
Epilogue 423
Index 432

About the Author

Monroe Robinson’s love of craft is matched only by his love of nature. After earning a fisheries degree from Colorado State University, he moved to Alaska. He turned down a job with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, built his own home and much of its furniture, and later worked with master log builder Lee Cole in 1977. Over the next two summers, he helped build a trussed-log bridge, which led to meeting Dick Proenneke. Their shared love of craft and wildlife sparked a friendship that lasted until Dick died in 2003. Working, Monroe has taught woodworking courses around the country and has written articles for Fine Woodworking magazine.