Past beckons

August 18, 2006

By JOEL DAVIDSON

Frontiersman

PALMER - The dust and drama of history settled into Fran Seager-Boss at a young age.

A sturdy woman now in her 50s, two tightly-braided, silver-and-brown locks dangle from either side of her face.

Seager-Boss works for the Mat-Su Borough, helping collect and catalogue the history of civilizations that settled in the paths of receding glaciers.

Growing up with the ancients

You might say Seager-Boss' journey into history began with her very first breath.

She entered the world on the west coast of Turkey, not far from the Aegean Sea where the Peloponnesian War raged 2,500 years ago.

It was nearly impossible for Seager-Boss to ignore the echoes of ancient life.

Her blue eyes intensified recently as she recalled her early years playing amongst the remains of the ancients. Buildings, bones and artifacts of great Greek and Persian civilizations poked through the dirt of her childhood stomping grounds.

Growing up, she and her five siblings lived a day trip from the legendary city of Ephesus, where the temple dedicated to Artemis was once among the Seven Wonders of the World.

&#8220I just sort of fell into history,” Seager-Boss explained. &#8220There was always a lot of excavation going on. Anytime they expanded a railroad near our house, we went down there and watched people dig for artifacts.”

While many teenagers might have preferred malls and movie galleries, Seager-Boss chose to explore palace museums and old-world gardens.

&#8220I was just always interested in history,” she said.

Unearthing local history

After high school, Seager-Boss headed to Michigan and eventually studied archeology and anthropology.

&#8220I guess you could say I majored in pre-history - before the written record,” she said.

She moved to Alaska 22 years ago, and by 1989, the Mat-Su Borough hired her to start digging into Mat-Su's history.

Seager-Boss' local explorations delve into life as far back as 8,000 years ago. In an ongoing project with the University of Nevada, she has partnered with students to research what she believes to be remnants of a pre-Athabascan civilization on the Susitna River.

&#8220This work will hopefully fill in the gaps of history in the Valley,” she said. &#8220Where did people come from? When did they get here? What were they doing?

Seager-Boss works from a busy borough cubicle, where maps, photos, and ongoing research projects crowd in. When the day is done, she happily takes work home.

&#8220It is difficult to distinguish my vocation from my avocation,” she said. &#8220It all blends together.”

One fascinating aspect of Mat-Su history is the relatively recent Euro-American fingerprints, Seager-Boss said.

Over the years, she's spoken with many original colonists and area homesteaders, along with their descendants.

&#8220It's exciting to be able to talk to the people that actually helped establish some of the communities that form the area,” Seager-Boss said.

A sense of place

Of course, not everyone shares her passion for the past - that's something she aims to remedy.

&#8220Knowing your history is very important,” she said. &#8220So many people who come to Alaska are transient, so they know very little about the area in which they live.

&#8220It gives you pride in your community when you know a little more about how it came about, than if you just think history only happened in the Lower 48,” she added.

&#8220There is a rich history right here.”

This summer, Seager-Boss continues her work with area residents to establish a National Heritage Area in the Mat-Su Borough.

Only 27 such sites exist in the whole United States, but Seager-Boss believes the Mat-Su's combination of historical and natural history make it a prime candidate for national

recognition.

The United States Congress makes the final call regarding establishment of a National Heritage Area, and Seager-Boss said she knows much work remains before that becomes a reality.

The potential, however, excites her. Opportunities associated with a National Heritage Area include federal funding to restore historic trails, refurbish old buildings and improve area museums other areas that reveal the Mat-Su's modern and ancient

histories.

Seager-Boss said history has a greater impact if the physical landscape still shows evidence of the past.

&#8220It gives people a tangible connection, rather than going into an open space, surrounded by modern buildings and saying, ‘Oh, this was the old Colony Project,'” she said. &#8220It gives future generations a visual of how people really lived.”

Contact Joel Davidson at

352-2266 or joel.davidson@

frontiersman.com.