The Early Years: The Journals of Richard L. Proenneke, 1967-1973, More Readings From One Man's Wilderness: The Journals of Richard L. Proenneke, 1974-1980. Filmed in 1977, this 27 minute long documentary can be viewed online for free at the National Archives website. Richard was fourth of his parents' six children. I remained close to Dick after Gary and I parted ways. Journal and DVD Documentary "Alone At Twin Lakes - 1965!" The very first known Journal kept and original film Richard shot at Twin Lakes in 1965! Cat Outta Hell: Springfield Armory Hellcat RDP is Poised to Pounce, 10 Key Tips to Clearing Corners That May Save Your Ass, Use Box Breathing Like Chris Hemsworth to Calm Down & Make The Shot, Zeroing Rifles & Pistols: Getting to & Maintaining Zeroed Sights, VIDEO: SIG Sauers Lena Miculek Debates .380 Vs 9mm for Defense. In mid-2007, his cabin and the outbuildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places. Dick eventually came to view the National Park Service as the lesser of two evils. 99653, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. (His belongings were there but without him there it was an empty shell.) But he also wanted to prove something to himself. Doing a job to completeness satisfies a man. Returning now more often to the Carrithers cabin at Twin Lakes, Dick found his answers in the solitary wilderness. In lieu of a fridge, Proenneke kept his food stored in containers he would bury deep underground so they wouldnt freeze during the seven months of severe winter. Dick Proennekes cabin sheltered him from the elements during cold Alaskan winters. Fortunately, he knew just the place. The ideal location was 200 yards west of the Carrither's guest cabin. In addition, Dick sought to improve his mental state as well. 1 death record. Sadly, I missed his birthday, but I did get up to see him a week later. A few feet to the south, he also built a 6-foot by 4-foot raised log cache, supported on four 9-foot-long wooden poles. They rode west and worked the wheat harvest in Oklahoma, then on to pick apples in Oregon. The fireplace and flue were made from stones he dug from around the site and mortared in place to create the chimney and hearth. Order your copies today! I asked him why he placed the pin on the map and he jokingly responded, So if anyone is interested enough, they would know where to look for my body! On a more serious note, visitors who had business with him could see where he was and perhaps, how long he might be gone. He ends by writing, 'I thank you for your time. Journals #3, #4, & #5 are now available in e-book form! In his minimalistic life he needed few material things. For several years, he roamed across Alaska, switching between his work as a salmon fisherman and a diesel mechanic, and earned enough money to save for his retirement. He made a film record of his solitary life which was later re-edited and made into the documentary Alone in the Wilderness. the heart becomes full The cabin is a popular attraction of Lake Clark National Park. This book, which includes excerpts . Dick Proenneke shot over 3000 feet of 8mm movie film. After one tiring hike up and over Low Pass to the Kijik area with my sister and Dick, who was then 79 years old, we returned to soak our feet in the lake in front of Dicks cabin and eat his famous blueberries with Tang. My backyard was a mountain, my front yard was a river and my best friends were the trails. His work can be seen in dozens of documentaries and short films. One day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Proenneke enlisted in the Navy. He wrote: I have found that some of the simplest things have given me the most pleasure. Today its overshadowed by his other accomplishments, but he was truly one of the premier wildlife photographers of his time. He donated his log cabin and most of his possessions to the National Park Service, which had managed the area since 1978, when it became part of Lake Clark National Monument. Astonished, Will asked, Well how did you do that?. Obituaries. After a moment, he asked, Well, girls, where are we going to hike tomorrow?. The Extraordinary Life Of Mary McLeod Bethune, The First Black Woman To Lead A Federal Agency, The Raucous Life And Tragic Death Of Bon Scott, Legendary Frontman Of AC/DC, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Port Alsworth, Six months later, he was discharged from both the hospital and the army. He came to know the landscape around him intimately, observing the changing seasons, wildlife patterns, and weather variations from year to year. We hiked and snowshoed miles and miles. About 45 feet east of the cabin, he built a woodshed-cum-outhouse with a slanting shed roof, modeled after Adirondack shelters. A week or so before Dicks 80th birthday, I flew up to deliver his mail. Too many men work on parts of things. This couldn't be further from the truth. When we share what we know, together we discover more. There were few comforts to be had in the way of material things during this time, but little was ever accomplished by complaining. There, surrounded by mighty glaciers and solemn pine trees, he would remain for the next 30 years. During those summers, from 2008 to 2014, they found that many visitors asked them a variation of the same question: What was Dick really like? It actually wasnt all that hard to answer: Although he lived by himself, Proenneke interacted with many people pilots, hunters, fishermen, neighbors, park rangers and as his legendary status grew, more and more visitors traveled to the far reaches of the park to meet him. Canoeing with Dick was easy. After hiking on a mountain near San Francisco he contracted rheumatic fever and was hospitalized at Norco Naval Hospital for six months. Dick never changed his clock for daylight savings time and thought it was dumb when Alaska merged all its time zones. Publisher: Friends of Donnellson Public Library Proenneke died in 2003, but his journals continue to find new audiences, and every year, visitors make the long journey to the Richard Proenneke Site to see his carefully preserved home in what is now Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. I grew up here in Alaska. He spent his early years in Alaska, working as a heavy equipment operator and repairman on the Naval Air Station at Kodiak. With the U.S. Congress passing the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the Twin Lakes area became a prime destination spot almost overnight. In his time at Twin Lakes he would fill some 100-pounds worth of notebooks. After an eye injury that threatened to leave him blind in the late 1960s Proenneke wanted to put down roots far from civilization by building his own cabin amid the natural beauty of the Twin Lakes region. Monroe Robinson's "The Handcrafted Life of Dick Proenneke" is a treasure and complement to the story of Alaska's . IN 1968, two years before I arrived in Alaska as a newborn, a 51-year-old heavy-machine operator named Dick Proenneke decided to build a cabin on the remote shores of Twin Lakes and live out his . Was I equal to everything this wild land could throw at me? he wrote in his diary. Everything that came in he either hauled back out or re-proposed in some form or another. In October, the couple published Dick Proenneke: Reflections on a Man in His Wilderness, a compilation of essays written by (or drawn from interviews with) his friends and admirers. Select "Add Memory" to share stories and photos. (2016), Author: Richard L. Proenneke, Branson, John B., ed. No one holds a more intimate knowledge of Dick's handcrafted life than Monroe, and just as Dick shared his life through letters and film, Monroe knew he had a responsibility to share all that he had learned. Where we share what we remember to make discoveries and meaningful connections with others. Free Shipping on all orders within the United States. The map was so full of holes from past pin placement that it looked like one of those old-time punchboards. After serving there for nearly two years, he was sent to San Francisco in order to join a new ship assignment. Having visited the area before, he set up camp on the southern shores of the lake. Riflespeed Gas Control System: Is This the Ultimate Recoil Management? For me, this event was quite a good lesson in etiquette and the importance of treating everybody with utmost regard. Despite his remote location and fierce independence, Dick was not a hermit; he maintained friendships and wrote back to anyone who sent him a letter. He and Will Troyer, a park wildlife biologist, were in the middle of a caribou calf count at Turquoise Lake. His pants were just flapping in the wind where the seam used to be. From start to finish, Dick would keep meticulous weather records, maintain daily journal entries and filmed much of his life on the lake. I remarked one time about how clean his cabins gravel floor was. Some guests would be a little timid at the prospect of a screaming gray jay landing on them, and they would just place the cracker in the palm of their hands. Protecting Our Future. AncientFaces is a 100% free and family-friendly community to share memories and connect with others to discover more about Uncovering Our Shared Memories: An Introduction to the Community Standards at AncientFaces The following spring, working alone and with only hand tools, he built the now-famous Dick Proenneke cabin. Alan and Laurel Bennett knew Proenneke from their time working at Lake Clark, and after they retired, they served as volunteer guides at his cabin for six years. Everyone, it seemed, had a story about him, and the Bennetts decided to collect some of them before it was too late. One fall, I came to visit Dick over my birthday. . An experienced solo traveler and NPCA staff member offers pro tips to make the most of your park visit. He came to outside the crumpled remains of his beloved Arctic Tern. His friend and Lake Clark National Park employee John Branson edited his journals to publish two books, 'More Readings From One Man's Wilderness' and 'The Early Years: The Journals of Richard L. Proenneke 19671973'. Once when we visited, I noticed a fish line in the lake with what appeared to be fish intestines carefully threaded on the hook. During his convalescence the war ended and he was given a medical discharge from the Navy in 1945. He lived alone in the mountains of the arctic from 1969 through 1999! To say he was frugal is an understatement. Id love to go back just to pick blueberries. He would hike, paddle and snowshoe thousands of miles each year, exploring the land he loved and checking in daily on all of his animal neighbors.. Today, Proennekes slower, simpler lifestyle remains an inspiration to many. He set up camp on the shores of Twin Lakes. The source of Sam Keith's book "One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey," Dick Proenneke embodies humanity's fascination with wilderness. An estimated 850,000 people attended. Dick explained that he scooped up the gravel from the floor one bucket at a time, took the bucket to the lake shore, washed the gravel, then spread it back on the floor of the cabin. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data. Physically, his lifestyle and attitudes about work kept him fit as a fiddle well intohis 70s. She went on to spend another 20 years teaching science, math and other subjects in Alaska. Thanks to his carpenting skills, Proenneke was able to construct a cozy cabin from trees he cut and carved on his own. Wikimedia CommonsDick Proennekes cabin sheltered him from the elements during cold Alaskan winters. 56 minutes), 100 % of your donation goes to support the Richard L Proenneke Museum, To our Canadian Friends, for assistance with your purchases please contact. Proenneke hunted, fished, raised and gathered his own food, and also had supplies flown in occasionally. in the family tree section to add relatives, or press the "X" Volume I. If we take this deeper look, we soon realize that Proenneke isn't really starting from nothing when he retires. Proenneke spent the next several years working throughout Alaska as both a salmon fisherman and diesel technician. Where was Richard born and where did he live? Share what Richard did for a living or if he had a career or profession. Proenneke would stomp out a runway for pilots during the winter. (2005), Author: Richard L. Proenneke, Branson, John B., ed. In October of 1976, Dick nearly met an untimely demise while flying south to Iowa. View images of Proenneke's cabin and of the beautiful Twin Lakes area where he built his wilderness home. Dick loved those things as much as anybody Id ever met. He had suffered severe damage to his lower spine and numerous lacerations to his face. He had two brothers, Robert and Raymond (Jake), and three sisters, Helen, Lorene, and Florence. To my knowledge, the cabin door was never locked. Anyone wishing to keep up with him in the rugged terrain would most certainly sleep well that night. (Running time is approx. The book, edited by John Branson, a longtime Lake Clark National Park employee and friend of Proenneke, covers the years when the park was established. He was a good friend and I miss our friendship and letter exchanges. Hard work and determination, however, kept the wolf away. In 2016 and 2018, respectively, A life in Full Stride: The Journals of Richard L. Proenneke 1981-1985 and Your Life here is an Inspiration: The Journals of Richard L. Proenneke 19861991 were published. (Running time approx. 1st edition: 2016, Read More Books or Watch More Films About Dick Proenneke. For several years, he worked as a heavy equipment operator and repairman on the Naval Air Station at Kodiak. After 56 years, Richards first handwritten Journal has found its way back to his film. Back in the 60s, however, people knew it only as a was a complex of deep blue lakes nestled between tall, snow-covered mountains. He passed away at his home in Kenney. A view of the cabin and raised storage shed from the lake. In a feat one can only chalk up to adrenaline, he managed to walk to the highway where a passing motorist picked him up. That year, two associate regional Park Service directors flew in to meet Dick. In 1941, by the time he was 25 years old, in his State of the Union address on January 6th, President Roosevelt detailed the "four freedoms" that everyone in the world should have: Freedom of speech, Freedom of worship, Freedom from want, and Freedom from fear. The site is a popular attraction for many who want to personally experience parts of Proenneke's life and values. In 2011 a sequel was produced after enough footage for at least two more programs was discovered. Most of the footage is available at dickproenneke.com. Betty Sue died from complications of emphysema in Waverly, Tennessee. (He never had valid title to the land, but some park administrators consider the cabin a gift nonetheless.). "I have found that some of the simplest things have given me the most pleasure. But he didnt yet know how. I took off my boots and Dick noticed how callused the balls of my feet were. The Alaskan wilderness is as beautiful as it is dangerous, especially if youre traversing it or inhabiting it alone. Experiences, organizations, & how he spent his time. The war had already ended by the time he recovered six months later, so the Navy gave him medical discharge in 1945. As Proenneke's friend and journal editor John Branson writes: "Proenneke was a keen observer of wildlife and the natural world, but he was also an astute observer of human nature." Richard would also accompany Spike and Hope and beagle Missy on a couple of their fishing trips. when he died at the age of 86. I considered it an honor to have met and spent some time with this remarkable man. - January 18, 1981. Finally, he used his knife to drill a hole in the wider end of the needle. Richard Louis Proenneke was born on May 4, 1916, in Primrose, Harrison Township, Lee County, Iowa. Search Peoria obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. He documented his activities in journals and on film, and also recorded valuable meteorological and natural data. Ethical subsistence hunters, on the other hand, could always count on Proennekes help packing out and caring for game. I remarked, None of my other friends would do this for me., Dick responded with a twinkle, Then you need better friends.. Select the next to any field to update. Dicks brother Raymond collected both Dick and the Arctic Tern to recuperate at his home in California. Wikimedia CommonsAfter Dick Proennekes death, park rangers turned his cabin into a monument. He saw his correspondence, films, and journals as a way to share a life untethered to the commercial world. But they were still on California time, rushing about and trying to see and do everything they could. Until 1939, he worked in proximity to Primrose driving tractors, working with farm equipment, and doing typical chores Iowa family farms required at the time. Memorials for Richard may be made to St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Decatur, IL or the Kenney Fire Department. By the next summer he was back in Alaska. In our collection of film taken by Richard and Raymond Proenneke was film labeled 1965 Twin Lakes. He also worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service at King Salmon on the Alaska Peninsula for some time. We paddled at a steady but slow pace. The cabin stands today, a testament to his exceptional craftsmanship and resourcefulness. BY ANCESTRY.COM. PO Box 227 On my last visit to see Dick, in the late 1990s, he wanted to show some visitors the Teetering Rock above Hope Creek. Unfortunately, he contracted rheumatic fever while hiking a mountain near San Francisco, following which he was hospitalized at Norco Naval Hospital. I got up and did those 80 chin-ups. Then he paused. First thing I asked him was, Did you do those 80 chin-ups?, Oh, I felt good that morning, Dick said. Although he would make a full recovery, he would never forget how weak and helpless his illness left him. Welcome to The Official Richard Proenneke Website! Biographies are our place to remember and discover more about the people important to us. Well, maybe take the Klepper kayak over to the other side and see if berries are ripe. Off he went to his tool shed and back he came with a fine wood file. The last time I saw Dick was after a hike from Telaquana Lake to Twin Lakes in August 1998. Then Alaska came calling. [3][1]:xiii The year of Proenneke's birth is often given as 1917, but social security and census records note Richard Louis Proenneke was born in Primrose, Harrison Township, Lee County, Iowa, on May 4, 1916. Proenneke often credited his Iowa farm upbringing with giving him the skills needed to hunt, fish, and fend for himself. The Donnellson Public Library in Donnellson, Iowa, close to his hometown of Primrose, opened a Richard Proenneke museum exhibit in 2012. He went on to become a well-known Alaskan pilot and the mayor of the Lake and Peninsula Borough. It also allowed the government to stockpile, in advance, materiel to be used in wartime. Watch Proenneke's last visit to his cabin at Upper Twin Lake in the year 2000 at the age of 84. He knew that sport fishermen used that area during the summer and invariably somebody got a snag in their line, so they would just cut the line off and throw it on the beach or in the bushes. When you share a memory, or just show that you care by interacting with the biography, Once, when we were canoeing, I asked him, Do you get lonely, or is this enough?, But then he wrote me a letter afterward and said, After you left, I felt lonely.. Proenneke continued to vacation with them at their cabin on Upper Twin Lake in subsequent years. A welding accident that nearly cost Proenneke his eyesight proved the last straw. Select the pencil to add details. Photo on book cover courtesy of Richard L. Proenneke, "A boy 17 yrs. Richard Dick Proenneke was born on May 4, 1916, in Primrose, Iowa the second of four sons. He worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service at King Salmon on the Alaska Peninsula. In this edition readers find him going about his daily chores, documenting wildlife behavior, and . I was always amazed at his cabin, cache and woodshed how immaculate they were and the craftsmanship they exhibited. He left home with $30, and he returned some months later with $10. Richard Louis Proenneke died on Easter morning, 2003, in Hemet, Calif. Self-sufficient as he was, Dick was always dependent on the outside world. He said, Well, you arrived just after spring cleaning. How so? I asked. In addition, he had a keen mind and loved to learn, mostly through observation. Along with a biography composed by his friend Sam Keith, Proennekes notepads and camera footage were later turned into a documentary, Alone in the Wilderness, which shows Proennekes simple lifestyle in all its glory. Volume I "From The Heartland To the Great Northwest" follows Richard from his Homestead in Primrose IA to the Wilkinson Ranch in Heppner OR, and on to Portland, OR. Dick Proenneke retired at age 50 in 1967 and decided to build his own cabin on the shore of Twin Lakes. In 1999, 82-year-old Richard Proenneke left his cabin and came to live with his brother Jake in Hemet, California. He said that he had caught a lake trout that morning and rather than throw away the insides, he put them on a hook and figured he would catch a burbot for another meal. They just worked on my senses. Proenneke's cabin was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. I have found that some of the simplest things have given me the most pleasure, he wrote in his diaries. Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Richard's lifetime. Dick would stay on at Twin Lakes into the late 1990s, spending a little more time down south every year. It was a little ironic, considering Proenneke had technically never owned the land on which he lived. When old man winter forced him indoors, he enjoyed reading Thoreau and Leopold, both of which he was fond of quoting in his journals. Following his retirement, he decided to live alone in the wilderness of Alaska and on May 21, 1968, he arrived at the spot he had chosen near the Twin Lakes. (2020), This page was last edited on 5 April 2023, at 07:45. I felt so good, he continued, I just went ahead and did 100.. Proenneke had a very close relationship with the Park Service, assisting them in filming sensitive areas and notifying them if poachers were in the area. For Dick, nothing could be better than free film and a paycheck for doing what he loved. Diane Smith April 18, 2023 (59 years old . Now, on top of all his other self-appointed duties at Twin Lakes, Dick had fan mail to return as well. The Biography section is collaborative, where we work together to present the facts. Richard shot film throughout the entire stay at Twin Lakes which began on Aug. 8th, capturing on film the people we have come to know through reading Richards writings. Wikimedia CommonsThe cabin Richard Proenneke would build on Twin Lakes in his 50s included a stone fireplace. It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of Cassandra Faye Shaffer (Peoria, Illinois), who passed away on April 21, 2023, at the age of 55, leaving to mourn family and friends. More than once he verbally confronted them over leaving behind trash or useable meat. Pull on dry woolen socks after youve peeled off the wet ones? Beforehand, he made arrangements to use a cabin on Upper Twin Lake owned by retired Navy Captain Spike Carrithers and his wife Hope of Kodiak (in whose care he had left his camper). After Dick Proennekes death, park rangers turned his cabin into a monument. That summer Proenneke harvested spruce trees and in 1968 he began construction on what would become his cabin and wilderness home during the next thirty years. Man in His Wilderness, edited by Alan and Laurel Bennett, go to The world is full of such things.. we begin to show & tell who our loved ones were during particular moments in their lives. Not long after, he and a friend set out to see the country. He inherited his craftiness from his father William, a carpenter and well driller. Dick Proennekes built meat storage on stilts to keep off wild animals. His parents married in December 1909 and had three daughters and four sons: Robert, Helen, Lorene, Richard (Dick), Florence, Paul, and Raymond (Jake). From his first visit to Twin Lakes in 1962, Proenneke kept a journal. Proenneke's friend, bush pilot and missionary Leon Reid "Babe" Alsworth, returned periodically by seaplane or ski-plane to bring mail, food and orders that Proenneke placed through him to Sears.[7]. Dick always left a map of the area on the cabin table and a flagged pin to show exactly where he intended to go that day. Lemme see, Dick replied. Richard Proenneke did what most nature buffs can only dream of: At age 51, he quit his job as a mechanic and moved to the Alaskan wilderness to become one with nature. One day I learned that Dick did have a sharp side to his personality. He died in April 20, 2003. When we got back to Dicks cabin, we found a very large lake trout on the line, and Dick made much of it. Follow Richard Proenneke and explore their bibliography from Amazon.com's Richard Proenneke Author Page. [citation needed]. Next, he used his knife to cut a narrow wedge-shaped piece of metal out of that beer can, and he rolled it up tight in the shape of a needle. This section is to introduce Richard Proenneke with highlights of his life and how he is remembered. Again he was forced to lay low while he recuperated. He has since been writing for more than five years, developing his expertise in subjects like Soviet history as well as World War II, and his work has appeared in Esquire, Hyperallergic, Polygon, History Today, and The New York Observer. (2018), Author: Richard L. Proenneke, Branson, John B., ed. Proenneke built his cabin using only hand tools, many of which he fashioned himself. Also Known As: Richard Louis Proenneke, Dick Proenneke, siblings: Florence, Helen, Lorene, Raymond, Robert, See the events in life of Richard Proenneke in Chronological Order, https://www.realworldsurvivor.com/2014/08/04/dick-proenneke-simplest-wildest-man/, http://winter60.blogspot.com/2015/09/not-so-alone.html, https://m.outdoorrevival.com/featured/alone-wilderness-amazing-story-richard-proenneke.html, https://www.laguiadelvaron.com/iba-solamente-un-ano-a-alaska-y-se-quedo-por-30-anos/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTHLpA4267Q.