History reprinted in Palmer

In the summer of 1959, Louise Potter looked out from the door of her 12-foot-by-12-foot cabin with no running water and saw a frontier community at the end of the road but on the brink of great changes.

Wasilla, she wrote that summer, is a Knik Indian word meaning "breath of air."

"It has indeed been a breath of air in my life, for it opened up into reality a thing I previously believed could only be experienced in a dream this late in the 1950s -- that I could know at first hand life on a frontier," she wrote in the forward to "Early Days in Wasilla."

But Potter also recognized that this frontier land was entering a new era.

"It was not until the winter of 1958-59 [with statehood], when I sensed what incredible changes had already come about … and that these still seemed to be coming, faster and faster, that I began to write this in real earnest, lest the whole frontier picture should get away from me before I could get it down on paper," she wrote.

Potter stayed true to her word, recording these thoughts and words along with pages of meticulous history detailing what high school classes were offered in Wasilla 45 years ago and how much farmhands were paid in 1953. But despite her efforts half a century ago, her writing was in danger of being lost to time.

When people came in to Alaskana Books asking for information on Wasilla and Knik history, and more specifically for Potter's work, owner Lorie Kirker had trouble helping them. A history buff herself, Kirker said when she and her husband retired to the Valley several years ago and opened the bookstore at its new Palmer location, she also became interested in the pasts of the local communities.

"That was a part of it I wanted to fill … a hole in the inventory," Kirker said.

Several local residents had first editions of Potter's history books and highly recommended them to Kirker, but none could be found to purchase for the store.

"There were no copies … I couldn't even find them on the Internet," she said.

So Kirker decided to remedy the situation. She contacted former Book Cache owner Doris Riemann, who owns the rights to Potter's historical books "Early Days in Wasilla" and "Old Times on Upper Cook's Inlet."

"I just thought they would be very interesting books to have around, so I decided to print them," Kirker said. "Doris Riemann … was overjoyed. She said it would be a great idea to have them reprinted."

Riemann gave Kirker permission to publish 500 new copies of each of the books. And so, with the technical assistance of Valley author Cheryl Homme and the work of L&B Color Printing in Wasilla, Potter's works were reborn.

This weekend, Alaskana Books will celebrate the arrival of the two books. As the author herself, who passed away in the 1990s, cannot be on hand to autograph her books, Kirker decided the next best thing would be to have those who lived the history participate.

"I thought it would be fun if some of the early residents of Palmer and Wasilla would come in and write a little bit in the book, especially if their name or picture is in it. Or even their families, people who can say 'That was my grandmother,'" she said.

These signed and noted copies will be permanently displayed at the Palmer bookstore.

Kirker anticipates that both resident and visitors alike will be interested in the two history books. She was cautious with her first printing, making only 100 copies of each of the books, but she said that judging by the reception so far, she may soon be printing some more.

"Early Days in Wasilla," subtitled "A Study of a Frontier Town in Alaska," was first published in 1963. It includes information on the geography, people, economic life, education, food, clothing, shelter and community life of Wasilla as a growing town, along with maps and photographs. The recent reprint sells for $28.

"Old Times on Upper Cook's Inlet," originally published in 1967, describes early exploration of the area, Native history, the Russian period, early prospecting and mining and the first permanent American settlements. It, too, includes photographs and a pullout 1899 Herning map of the area. It is available for $18.

In addition to these two books, Potter also wrote books on local flowers and copied and edited O.G. Herning's diaries that relate to Knik and Wasilla between 1898 and 1947.

"Without realizing it, we all live in the midst of history in the making," Potter wrote in the forward to her study of Wasilla. "To become acutely aware that you are 'living in history' is an exciting experience."

Public invited to book signing

Longtime Valley residents and families are

invited to Alaskana Books in Palmer this weekend to sign and add personal notes to Louise Potter's "Early Days in Wasilla" and "Old Times on Upper Cook's Inlet." The signed books will be put on permanent display at the bookstore.

Alaskana Books is open this weekend from noon to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is located at 564 S. Denali St. near Valley Hospital in Palmer.