The Flip of a Coin-114 Years in Alaska

This is the story of my family's presence in Alaska, beginning 114 years ago when my grandfather, August Tobin, a Swedish immigrant turned gold-seeker at the turn of the century. He flipped a coin with his brother-in-law to see who would go to the Alaska gold fields in 1898. He endured severe hardships with unwavering stamina as one of the "stampeders" in the northern gold fields, particularly around the Wiseman district. The family story continues with his son and my father and mother, Emory and Clara Tobin, the founders of the well-known Alaska Sportsman Magazine in the 1930s. The last section is a personal memoir of my growing up in the magazine business in Ketchikan, Alaska, marrying Gordon Bordine, and happily raising a wonderful family to round out 114 years of our family presence in Alaska.