The most notable section at Rainy Retreat Books is the Alaskana section. Filled with some of Alaska’s best treasures! Wicked stories, historical recollections, photography from the turn of the 18th Century and beyond.
A favorite found in this section is a compilation of stories centered around the women who built Alaska during the Gold Rush. Alaska allowed women to vote 6 years prior to the US since they played such a vital roll in infrastructure. Orchestrating development, these female entrepreneurs were responsible for laundry facilities, school houses, exceptional entertainment, hotels, bars, restaurants, clothing repair, and more. Many of the men were out panning for gold, so the women stayed behind to build these newly established Gold towns. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Alaskan women are the toughest, most innovative, strong, and independent badasses I’ve ever come across. This stems from the nature and the genetics of long time Alaskans. I use to hear it from the tourists all the time when they’d choke finding out I was the guide and bus driver haha. They’d say how surprised they were that their boat captains, drivers, and pilots were female. Rolling my eyes I’d respond, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
One of my [many] favorite historical female badasses is Anna DeGraf. At 55 she left Seattle for Juneau in search of her son who had gone to strike it rich in 1894. After not hearing from him she packed up her sewing machine as she knew she could make a living wherever she went with it. Earlier in her life she had immigrated to Seattle from Germany after surviving the revolution and the death of her husband who left her with five children to raise! So, sewing was her jam and how she was able to make it. She stayed in Juneau for two years waiting on news regarding her son and when word spread that a DeGraf was in the interior she wasted no time making her way to Skagway to trek the Chilkoot Pass. With her sewing machine and feather bed she hiked over the 3,700ft Chilkoot Pass, wintering in Circle City and continuing the 800 mile Yukon River journey to
Rainy Retreat Books is a fabulous little gem that contains new, used, and rare books. Tucked snuggly away on South Seward Street, this bookstore is sure to leave you mesmerized.
Best,
All photos were captured by Sydney Akagi, a favorite photographer here in Juneau, Alaska.
