Debbie Turner

Harry Turner was interviewed on May 14, 2003 by his niece, Debbie Turner, and Karen Brewster at his home in Holy Cross, Alaska. Harry and Debbie sat talking on the large couch in the living room in front of the picture window with a view of the village and river below. Harry's wife, Lucy, sat at the kitchen table in the next room, carefully listening to the stories and memories Harry retold. In this first part of a two part interview, Harry talks about his childhood memories of living in a mining town, going to school, holiday celebrations, and traveling by dogteam and steamship. He discusses his work history and military service in the Aleutian Islands, tells the story of how he and Lucy met and were married, and describes his years of running the Turner Store in Holy Cross. At the time of the interview, Harry had not been feeling well so was not of full strength, but agreed to tell his stories anyway.

Gerald (Jerry) Walker was interviewed on September 2, 2003 by his life partner, Rita Paul, Debbie Turner from the Holy Cross Tribal Council, and Karen Brewster from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program in Anchorage, Alaska. Jerry was temporarily living in Anchorage at an assisted care facility due to health issues. In this interview, Jerry talks about living at Ghost Creek near the village of Holy Cross, his experiences on the trapline, being a riverboat captain, and other jobs he held around the region. He also discusses potlatches, holiday celebrations, and environmental changes he has observed in his many years on the trapline and on the river. Jerry's declining health prevented him from continuing to trap, hunt, and be on the river like he used to. He speaks of these activities with great fondness.

This is a continuation of the interview with Lillian Walker on September 2, 2003 by Debbie Turner from the Holy Cross Tribal Council and Karen Brewster from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program in the empty apartment Lillian was moving out of in Anchorage, Alaska. In this second part of a two part interview, Lillian continues to discuss getting an education at the Holy Cross Mission and what life was like there, and living at Ghost Creek, outside of the village of Holy Cross. She also talks about her wedding, sewing clothes for her family, homeschooling her children, the challenges of living and raising children at Ghost Creek, and when they first got electricity.

Mary H. Demientieff was interviewed on April 25, 2003 by her daughter, Carol Atkins, Debbie Turner from the Holy Cross Tribal Council, and Karen Brewster from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program at Mary's apartment in Bethel, Alaska. Mary had recently moved from Holy Cross to be near her family in Bethel and to be closer to better health care facilities. In this first part of a two part interview, Mary talks about about life at the Holy Cross Mission, the importance of religion in her life, and the other valuable lessons and life skills she learned there. She also talks about marrying her husband, Joe Demientieff and raising a large family together. She discusses subsistence hunting, trapping and fishing on the Yukon River, and shares her love of spending time at fish camp with her children and grandchildren. Mary also enjoys playing music, so during part of the interview she demonstrated her talents by singing and playing the guitar and keyboard. At the end of the interview, Mary describes photographs from her personal collection that she felt represented her life. She and Carol had selected some snapshots from her photo albums before the interview, and others were framed and hanging on the walls of her home. The photographs add another layer to understanding Mary's life and the history of Holy Cross.