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Katherine "Katie" Ringsmuth

Katherine "Katie" Ringsmuth received her doctorate at Washington State University with concentrations in American, environmental and public history and is an independent historian based in Eagle River, Alaska. She is sole proprietor of Tundra Vision, public history consulting business that focuses on history exhibits and curator, Section 106 application, and education support. She currently is director of the <NN> Cannery History Project, and partners with local libraries in Anchorage to bring history-focused events to the general public via her Tundra Vision lecture series. She has taught history courses at the University of Alaska Anchorage, worked for the National Park Service and the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, and has served on the board of the Alaska Historical Society, including as president. Katie has written five books for the National Park Service, including two on canneries: Beacon of the Forgotten Shore: Snug Harbor Cannery, 1919-1980 and Buried Dreams: the Rise and Fall of a Clam Cannery on the Katmai Coast. Her recent book, Alaska’s Skyboys: Cowboy Pilots and the Myth of the Last Frontier (2015), was published through the University of Washington Press, and she has authored multiple National Register nominations. For more about Katie and her personal connection to the <NN> Cannery, see her profile on the <NN> Cannery History Project's website.

Katherine "Katie" Ringsmuth appears in the following new Jukebox projects:

NN Cannery History

As Interviewer

Interview Title	Archive #: Oral History	Project	Abstract
Trefon Angasan, Jr.	2018-13-10	NN Cannery History	Trefon Angsan, Jr. was interviewed on December 13, 2018 by Katie Ringsmuth at the Alaska Peninsula Corporation headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska. LaRece Egli was also present operating the digital audio recorder, and Trefon's son, Brad Angasan, also sat in to listen to his father's stories. The interview starts abruptly because Trefon was so excited to share his stories and memories that he began talking before the recording equipment was set up and the formal interview began. Some initial conversation has been edited from the beginning, in order to keep the discussion within the confines of the actual interview. In this interview, Trefon talks about growing up around the <NN> Cannery, his parents working there, and his time working for the cannery on spring/fall crew and as a fisherman. He openly discusses the preferential treatment given by particular superintendents, the racism that persisted, dealing with segregation, and the relationship between different ethnic groups and the local community and the cannery. He also mentions the importance of the cannery to the community and preserving cannery history.
Brad Angasan, Part 1	2018-13-08_PT.1	NN Cannery History	Brad Angasan was interviewed on November 27, 2018 by Katie Ringsmuth at the Alaska Peninsula Corporation headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska. In this first part of a two part interview, Brad talks about his family's cultural and historical connections to the region and to the <NN> Cannery, and the long-term impacts from the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic. He shares his childhood memories of the facility, including the smells associated with specific buildings, as well as his own connections to the cannery when he worked there on the spring/fall crew and beach gang.
Brad Angasan, Part 2	2018-13-08_PT.2	NN Cannery History	This is the continuation of an interview with Brad Angasan on November 27, 2018 by Katie Ringsmuth at the Alaska Peninsula Corporation headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska. In this second part of a two part interview, Brad talks about local people being hired at the cannery, segregation, and the benefit of working in the cannery's multi-ethnic environment. He also describes some of his experiences as a commercial fisherman and how the fishing industry has changed since his father and grandfather were fishermen. Finally, Brad shares his feelings about how working at the cannery shaped his life, the important role the cannery has played in the community of South Naknek, and why it's important to preserve the history and legacy of the cannery.
Denise Statz	2018-13-11	NN Cannery History	Denise Statz was interviewed on December 17, 2018 by Katie Ringsmuth at the Turkey Red Restaurant Store in Palmer, Alaska. LaRece Egli was operating the audio recorder, and student intern, Emily Mueller, was observing the interview. In this interview, Denise Statz talks about growing up in Dillingham, Ekwok and South Naknek around the canneries, and her own experience working in the Egg House and as waitress in the mess hall at the Bumblebee cannery in South Nakenk. Denise feels a deep connection to the Bristol Bay region and the people of the villages, as well as to the diversity of people she worked with at the cannery. Finally, Denise discusses the mutual dependency that existed between the canneries and the local communities.
Orin Seybert	2018-13-12	NN Cannery History	Orin Seybert was interviewed on December 27, 2018 by Katherine Ringsmuth and LaRece Egli at the Alaska Aviation Museum in Anchorage, Alaska (previously known as the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum). In this interview, Orin talks about growing up in Pilot Point, Alaska, getting interested in flying, and starting his own flying business, Peninsula Airways (PenAir) to provide service to people in Bristol Bay. He also discusses the importance of aviation to the canneries in the region, landing on beaches versus on airstrips, and working with George Tibbetts, Sr., another well-known Bristol Bay pilot, to service the needs of the canneries. Orin also talks about the connections between the canneries and local communities, and how things have changed in the region.