George Lounsbury

George Lounsbury was interviewed on December 17, 1992 by David Krupa at George's home on Ester Dome, just outside Fairbanks, Alaska. George was surrounded by stacks of old photographs and other historic memorabilia from Wiseman, Alaska. The collection of materials were willed to him and his brother Jim ("Clutch") by the late Harry Leonard, a Wiseman old-timer who befriended the Lounsbury's during the pipeline construction days. Like his brother, George lights up whenever he's discussing Wiseman, an area that the two brothers have grown quite fond of since they began visiting there over twenty years ago. The Lounsbury's mined on claims near Wiseman that they inherited from Harry Leonard after his death. Harry Leonard's property, also inherited, has been upgraded with the addition of a Wiseman Historical Museum in one of the cabins. Many a weekend is spent shuttling back and forth between Fairbanks and Wiseman. George's interest in history led him to learn a lot of the local oral history, and on tape he tells many stories about colorful old-timers and important events in Wiseman history. He and Jim became close friends of Harry Leonard, and George tells stories about their friendship and some of Harry's endearing idiosyncrasies--including his tendency to treat his dogs as full family members, even going so far as to set a place for them at the dinner table. This tape is full of anecdotes that illustrate that the people of Wiseman are as interesting as the land itself.