Please help my Father-in-Law remember an author.

March 18, 2022 8:18 AM

My Father-in-Law remembers an author who wrote short stories back in the 1930's. The characters were two men living in Alaska during the gold rush days. They worked at a gold placer mine and had various adventures. He had no other recollections about the stories. Can anyone identify this author?
posted by Raybun to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

Short Stories from the 1930's.
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:22 AM on March 18, 2022

This doesn’t fit perfectly — the bit where all the stories are about the same two men is wrong — but I’d start by checking Jack London’s gold-mining Yukon/Alaska stories.
posted by LizardBreath at 8:27 AM on March 18, 2022 [4 favorites]

Yes, came here to suggest Jack London’s Klondike stories.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 8:30 AM on March 18, 2022 [3 favorites]

Rex Beach?

One of his most famous novels, "The Spoilers," tells the tale of the conniving Nome judge. He later wrote in his autobiography, "Personal Exposures," that when it came time to write that first novel, "its plot was ready to use. About all I had to do was add a little imagination, flavor with love interest, season to taste and serve."

That 1906 fictional tale, which features two Yukon adventurers who duke it out over a gold claim, a beautiful saloon girl and a crooked gold commissioner, has been put to film five times – in 1914, 1923, 1930, 1942 and 1955 – and helped set the public's mind about both Alaska and the Yukon.

And here's his short story collection Pardners on Project Gutenberg.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:31 AM on March 18, 2022 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Rex Beach looks good. If Rex isn't the author my father-in-Law is still going to have a passle of god reading.
posted by Raybun at 8:45 AM on March 18, 2022 [2 favorites]