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Dave Evans

Dave Evans was born and raised near Boston, Massachusetts, and his family spent summers in New Hampshire. From an early age, he spent his summers working on a farm, and he speaks fondly of the hard work. After spending some time in Canada's Yukon Territory, in 1974 Dave moved to a cabin on the Nation River in eastern Alaska, where he lived a subsistence lifestyle along with many other "back to the landers." He enjoyed the remote lifestyle of fishing, hunting, trapping, and working with his hands on cabin construction and other wood working projects. Eventually, Dave moved off the river and settled in Anchorage. Despite his initial dislike for the National Park Service because of how they handled settlers after establishment of Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, he made his living as an expert restoration carpenter repairing historic structures for the National Park Service. He enjoyed the job because it gave him the opportunity to apply his cabin building and wood working skills and knowledge, and provided for the amenities of urban life with ample time and opportunity to be in the backwoods during the summer. Dave went on to be cultural resources manager for national park units in the Southwest.

Dave Evans appears in the following new Jukebox projects:

Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve

Interview Title	Abstract	Archive #: Oral History	Project	Date of Interview
Dave Evans, Part 1	Dave Evans was interviewed on November 11, 1991 by William Schneider in Anchorage, Alaska. The interview was conducted in Dave's living room, sitting on comfortable couches. Dave's walls were decorated with fine art; there was an antique china chest, and a wooden lamp and clock which are examples of fine woodworking. This setting is in many ways a contrast to the life he describes out on the river, a life which was, in the early years, quite austere. In the interview, he describes his life on the river in a manner which demonstrates that he has thought hard about his experiences and is able to articulate what they mean to him now. In this first part of a two part interview, Dave talks about living in a remote cabin on the Nation River in what is now Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, his reasons for moving out there, building a cabin and making a living by trapping, fishing and hunting, and his love of being connected with nature and the other people living in the region. He also talks about why he chose to leave and then work for the National Park Service on restoration of historic structures, despite previoulsy challenging relations between river residents and the National Park Service.	91-22-39	Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve	Nov 11, 1991
Dave Evans, Part 2	This is the continuation of an interview with Dave Evans on November 11, 1991 by William Schneider at Dave's home in Anchorage, Alaska. In this second part of a two part interview, Dave talks about working for the National Park Service on historic building restoration in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, his life living a subsistence lifestyle in a remote cabin, and the future of nature preservation in Alaska.	91-22-40	Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve	Nov 11, 1991