Butch Smith and Nels Hedlund

Roy Almon "Butch" Smith and Nels Hedlund near Butch's cabin at the confluence of the Koktuli and Swan Rivers, 1946-1947. Butch Smith was born in Idaho in 1882 and first came to Alaska in 1902. He was a Bristol Bay fisherman, trapper, prospector, and guide for anthropologist Ales Hrdlicka in 1931 on the Mulchatna River. He died in the Dillingham area in 1957 (?). Nels Hedlund (1913-1993) was known as an outstanding dogsled builder, and he and his wife, Rose, lived at Chekok on Iliamna Lake for many years.

Listen to Rose Hedlund talk about the photo.