Stuff You Missed in History Class

Episode: Walter Harper and the Summiting of Denali, Part 1
Hosts: Tracy V. Wilson & Holly Fry
Date: December 15, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode kicks off a two-part series spotlighting Walter Harper, the first person to reach the summit of Denali. The hosts explore Harper’s multicultural background, the changing landscape of Alaska around the turn of the 20th century, and the intricate web of cultural, economic, and missionary influences that shaped his life and the broader region. The episode concludes with preparations for the historic Denali expedition, setting the stage for the next installment.

Main Themes & Purpose

• Highlighting the untold story of Walter Harper: An Athabascan-Irish Alaskan who played a central role in the first successful summit of Denali in 1913.
• Exploration of Alaskan history: Focus on gold rush impacts, missionary influence, and the complexities of Indigenous experiences during that period.
• Interplay between cultural preservation and colonial pressures: Particularly through missionary efforts and government policies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Inspiration for the Episode & Cultural Sensitivity

• Sparked by a clip from Molly of Denali raising awareness about the inappropriate use of Indigenous regalia as costume, the hosts stress respect for cultural traditions.
  • Tracy: “This is a really sweet clip...about friendship and about being respectful of people's cultures and traditions. But my first thought was, hey, do we have an episode about Walter Harper? Now we are about to have two...” (02:25)

2. Walter Harper’s Multicultural Heritage

• Parentage: Harper’s father Arthur (an Irish immigrant and prospector, described as the “first man ever to come to the Yukon country seeking, making gold”) and mother Cintana (Koyukon Athabascan, sometimes called Jenny).
• Unique Upbringing: Unlike siblings sent “outside” to English-speaking schools, Walter grew up with his mother in Tanana, immersed in Athabascan traditions and language.
  • Tracy: “He was the only one of his siblings to be raised in this way rather than being sent away to an English language school.” (04:04)

3. The Alaskan Gold Rush and Its Aftermath

• Sweeping Social Change: The gold rush (1897–1907) brought a massive influx of people, crime, disorder, and alcohol, transforming many temporary mining camps into towns.
• Federal Policy: Alaska’s organization into a U.S. territory was motivated partly by the desire to establish mining laws.

4. Missionaries in Alaska & The Role of Hudson Stuck

• Denominational “Divide and Conquer”: Christian groups divided Alaska into exclusive zones, denying Indigenous people a say in their region’s religious leadership.
• Hudson Stuck's Arrival: An adventurous Englishman turned Episcopal archdeacon, both a reformer and a missionary.
  • Holly: “One of the Episcopal missionaries who came to Alaska during all of this was Hudson Stuck, who would become a huge part of Walter Harper's life.” (07:41)
• Missionary Impact: Schools, hospitals, and clinics often operated by missionaries—frequently entangled with forced assimilation and the federal boarding school program.
  • Tracy: “The federal boarding school program was an attempt to separate indigenous children from their families and their cultures and to force them to assimilate with white society, making it an act of cultural genocide.” (09:41)

5. Stuck’s Perspectives on Cultural Assimilation

• Contrarian Missionary: Stuck opposed forced assimilation and cultural erasure, although his views reflected some of the prejudices of his time.
  • Stuck (via Tracy): “I do not view with complacency the solution of racial problems by the absorption of the lesser breeds into the overwhelming white race. I hate the thing, even though I cannot shut my eyes to it... I do not see why different races should not perpetuate themselves with their special cultures and their special tongues.” (10:16)
  • On languages: “There is no sort of advantage in seeking to expedite the process beyond its natural rate, nor in repressing the Indian tongue...” (11:44)
• Advocacy: Stuck would tour the U.S. raising funds and awareness for Alaska Native rights and difficulties imposed by industrialization.

6. Walter Harper’s Education and Relationship with Stuck

• Meeting at Fish Camp: Stuck met a teenage Harper in 1909; impressed by his skills and character, he persuaded Cintana to send Walter to St. Mark’s Mission School.
  • Tracy: “Harper was deeply knowledgeable in Athabaskan traditions and ways of living, including how to survive and live off the land. He was also relentlessly optimistic, charismatic, and personable.” (17:14)
• Mission School Realities: School aimed to assimilate; Indigenous students like Chief Peter John recalled harsh punishments for using their language.

7. Harper’s Early Role & Skills

• Mission Work: Hired by Stuck at 17 as a guide, riverboat pilot, sled dog handler, interpreter, and community liaison.
  • Holly: “He was also an interpreter and a liaison with Alaska's Indigenous communities and acting as a bridge between Stuck and his missionary work and the Indigenous communities that he was trying to help.” (18:35)
• Reliance on Harper’s Resourcefulness: Example of fashioning a needed boat part from a shotgun stock.
  • Stuck: “There are no limits to Walter's ingenuity.” (19:41)

8. Setting the Stage for the Denali Expedition

• Formation of the Team:
  • Hudson Stuck (funding and leadership)
  • Harry Karstens (tactical planner, expert outdoorsman)
  • Walter Harper (guide, crucial skills)
  • Robert Tatum (missionary postulant)
  • John Fredson and Esaias George (Alaska Native teenagers)
• Denali Nomenclature Debate:
  • Stuck staunchly objected to the whitewashing of Indigenous place names.
    • Holly: “Stuck wrote...‘they should stand no longer, since if there be right and reason in these matters, they should not have been placed there at all.’” (21:32)
    • Tracy on the importance of native names: “…the area...in which this mountain is now known as Denali preponderates so greatly as to leave no question which native name it should bear.” (21:59)

9. Previous Attempts to Summit Denali

• Cook’s Discredited Claim (1906)
• Sourdough Party’s North Peak climb (1910)—reached a lower summit by mistake
• Parker-Brown Expedition (1912)—forced back by storms within 125ft of the summit, reliance on pemmican
• Recognition that success might be possible if the weather cooperated

10. Preparing for the 1913 Denali Expedition

• Provisioning Challenges:
  • Equipment difficulties: Inadequate, toy-like ice axes; custom heavy crampons; boots unfit for extreme cold. Eventually, moccasins with five socks provided the best solution.
    • Tracy: “Stuck described the ice axes that they ordered as gold painted toys with detachable heads and broomstick handles...” (32:10)
    • Holly: “They ordered alpine boots that turned out to be much too small...they bought rubber boots...moccasins with five layers of socks...” (32:58)
  • Some supplies lost or late; improvisation and local sourcing essential.
• Supplies & Equipment:
  • Food: German herbswurst sausage, milk chocolate, black tea, figs, sugared almonds; “a huge amount of food” for high-altitude stages.
    • Tracy: “They had 724-ounce packages of herbswurst...20 pounds of milk chocolate, 5 pounds of Chinese tea in tablets...” (34:59)
  • Shelter and warmth: Silk/layered tents, stoves, down/camel’s hair sleeping gear, wolf robe (25 lbs.).
  • Safety: Amber snow glasses (innovation vs. snow blindness).

11. The Expedition's Journey & Logistics

• Timing & Travel:
  • Set out from Nenana on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17, 1913)—balancing seasonal conditions for sled/travel.
  • Supply relay: Over 1.5 tons of supplies, moved in stages with dog sleds over shifting terrain.
• Food Sourcing:
  • Hunting and preparing pemmican from local caribou and sheep, contrasting with earlier expeditions’ reliance on canned meat.
    • Holly: “Here is how they made their pemmican...We made a couple of hundred of such balls and froze them and they kept perfectly...” (38:59)
    • Tracy, with a playful jab: “I feel like he is throwing some shade here at the earlier expedition.” (38:31)

12. Arrival at Denali & Base Camp Setup

• Local Encounters:
  • Mission and base camp close enough for Indigenous families to seek out Stuck’s religious services en route for baptism and community interaction.
• Final Preparations:
  • Establishment of glacier access and lasting sense of purpose.
    • Stuck: “That day stands out in recollection as one of the notable days of the whole ascent...our spirits leapt up that at last we were entered upon our real task...” (41:01)

Notable Quotes

• On Cultural Assimilation:

  • Stuck: “I do not view with complacency the solution of racial problems by the absorption of the lesser breeds into the overwhelming white race. I hate the thing...I cannot say see to save my life why it is so devoutly to be wished.” (10:16)

• On Native Place Names:

  • Stuck: “There is...a certain ruthless arrogance...in the temper that comes to a new land and contemptuously ignores the native names of conspicuous natural objects...” (22:24)

• On Harper’s Ingenuity:

  • Stuck: “There are no limits to Walter's ingenuity.” (19:41)

• On Expedition Challenges:

  • Stuck: “Such are the difficulties of any undertaking in Alaska, despite all the precautions that foresight may dictate.” (34:19)
  • On snow blindness: “The invention of the amber snow glass is an even greater blessing...than the invention of the thermos bottle.” (34:19)

• On Expedition Spirit:

  • Stuck: “Our spirits leapt up that at last we were entered upon our real task.” (41:01)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Inspiration & Context from Molly of Denali: 02:25
• Walter Harper’s family and early years: 03:28—04:58
• Alaskan Gold Rush and social change: 04:58—05:59
• Missionary roles and the arrival of Hudson Stuck: 07:41—09:03
• Boarding schools and cultural impact: 09:03—10:16
• Stuck on forced assimilation & language: 10:16—11:44
• Harper meets Stuck and begins mission work: 17:14—19:41
• Denali expedition planning & challenges: 27:00—28:31, 32:10—36:03
• Food sourcing and expedition logistics: 36:38—41:01
• Approach to Muldrow Glacier—culmination of preparations: 41:01—41:48

Memorable Moments

• The nuanced way the hosts handle Stuck’s complex legacy—pointing out his relative open-mindedness while not excusing his era’s prejudices.
• Relatable, humorous asides about pemmican and expedition “shade-throwing.”
  • Holly: “It’s the homemade versus canned cranberry debate of mountaineers.” (38:31)
• Vivid illustration of life on the edge—improvising with local resources, enduring harsh conditions, and balancing cultures and expectations.

Closing & Lead-in to Part 2

The episode leaves the team poised on the threshold of Denali, with scenes set for the historic ascent. Next episode promises “their crossing of the glacier and they're continuing to the summit.” (41:48)

For listeners new and returning, this episode presents the remarkable story of Walter Harper within its complex cultural and historical contexts—offering insights into Indigenous resilience, Alaska’s wild transformation, and the spirit of exploration.