Keep Going
The name of our journey’s next stop in Alaska was Petersburg. It was named after Peter Buschman, who was born in Norway in 1849, where he made a living from fishing salmon. In 1891 together with his wife and eight children they came to America, and after stops in Tacoma and Seattle the family moved to Alaska, where he founded “Little Norway”. First he built a sawmill and cannery. He sent a word to his friends and family to Norway and many came to work. Peter realized that by using ice from the Le Conte Glacier he could ship barreled halibut as far as Seattle.
After successfully operating several cannery operations for ten years, he sold his business to the larger company and was paid in common stock. When the company went bankrupt only a year later, he lost everything. Being overwhelmed with the responsibility that he encouraged others to invest in his company, in 1903 he took his life. His children continued in their father’s footsteps, and in our days Petersburg is one of the major fishing ports in the United States, which keeps spirit of “Little Norway”. For me the lesson from this story is keep going regardless life’s setbacks.
From the three images you can see how the memory of Norway persists for over 170 years in a small place in huge American Alaska to attract 50,000 tourists every year.
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