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Julius Sam

Julius Sam

Julius Sam was an Upper Tanana River Athabascan Dene Elder from Northway, Alaska. He was born in 1928 to Frank and Annie Sam. He grew up living a traditional subsistence lifestyle where they traveled around the region of Northway and Tetlin, moving from seasonal camp to seasonal camp for hunting, fishing, and gathering. Julius was a teenager when the Alaska Highway and the airstrip at Northway were built and experienced many changes that brought to the community. He passed away in 2015.
Date of Birth:
Sep 10, 1928
Julius Sam appears in the following new Jukebox projects:
Julius Sam's Slideshow
Interview Title Abstract Archive #: Oral History Project Date of Interview
Julius Sam

Julius Sam was interviewed on October 10, 2008 by Stacey Carkhuff Baldridge and Polly Hysolp at his home in Northway, Alaska. In this interview, Julius talks about the construction of the Alaska Highway and the airstrip at Northway and the changes these brought to the community and region. He discusses the traditional subsistence lifestyle of moving around the country and how the highway changed this, attending school and learning English, interacting with the black soldiers working on the highway, and being hired to work on the airport and highway. He also talks about negative impacts upon the youth, as well as some positives that the highway has brought.

 2009-07-06 Alaska Highway Oct 10, 2008