Project Jukebox

Digital Branch of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program

Project Jukebox Survey

Help us redesign the Project Jukebox website by taking a very short survey!

Frank Entsminger

Frank Entsminger

Frank Entsminger was born and raised in Great Falls, Montana, where he developed a strong interest in the outdoors and wildlife. In the spring of 1962, after graduating from high school, Frank drove to Alaska with a group of friends. He came to Fairbanks, Alaska and around 1965 started a taxidermy business with his friend, Marty Rinio. In 1977, Frank and his wife, Sue, bought property along the Tok Cutoff near Tok, Alaska and continue to live there. Frank and Sue have lived a subsistence-based lifestyle of hunting, fishing and trapping, and Frank also has operated a taxidermy business, been a hunting guide, and is an artist who makes bronze sculptures. Frank also has been involved with local and regional hunting management by being active on the Upper Tanana/Fortymile Fish and Game Advisory Committee and the Wrangell-St. Elias Subsistence Resource Commission.
Frank Entsminger appears in the following new Jukebox projects:
Interview Title Abstract Archive #: Oral History Project Date of Interview
Frank and Sue Entsminger, Part 1

Frank and Sue Entsminger were interviewed on April 22, 2015 by Barbara Cellarius and Leslie McCartney at their home on the Tok Cutoff Road near Tok, Alaska. In this first part of a two part interview, Frank and Sue talk about their personal backgrounds, interest in the outdoors and hunting, and coming to Alaska. They also talk about their hunting, guiding, and trapping, as well as changes in wildlife populations they have observed. Individually, Frank talks about his taxidermy business and becoming a bronze sculptor. Sue talks about earning extra income by selling hand-made fur hats and Native style dresses.

 2013-14-18_PT.1 Wrangell-St.Elias National Park Apr 22, 2015
Frank and Sue Entsminger, Part 2

This is a continuation of an interview with Frank and Sue Entsminger on April 22, 2015 by Barbara Cellarius and Leslie McCartney at their home on the Tok Cutoff Road near Tok, Alaska. In this second part of a two part interview, Frank and Sue talk about creation of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, finding ways to make a living, and changes in the nearby communities. They also talk about the guiding business, commercial fishing, trapping, and the various work they've done to be able to keep living their rural lifestyle.

 2013-14-18_PT.2 Wrangell-St.Elias National Park Apr 22, 2015