The isolation of life in most places in Alaska can take a toll on people. In Fairbanks, there are few roads that lead anywhere. You can go to Anchorage or Valdez with not much in between and this can be a hazardous drive in the winter. You can go to some of the interior villages, but some of those roads are closed in the winter. There is no way out of the state in the winter except by air and that is expensive. There is one carrier that will take you out of state and it costs about $500 per person just to get to Seattle. I have seen this isolation take its toll on people.
Sometimes the stuff that happens seems kind of quirky and cute—at least when you first get there. Then you start to see the darker undertones. There is far too much alcohol, way too many drugs and weapons in Alaska. Combine that with the idea that Fairbanks is “the end of the road,” and the people there are mavericks and independent types who don’t need any rules or government interference, and the results can range from the tragicomic to devastating.
Here are a few examples: A young man had been drinking with his brother and decided to engage in some target practice—with the pipeline as the target. This resulted in an oil spill of several thousand gallons.
A man was found wandering around naked with knives sticking out of his buttocks. He seemed unaware of them until police asked him about the knives. He was happy to find them he said because he had been looking for them but his girlfriend had told him they were lost. Apparently she found them before she stabbed him. Alcohol was involved.
A man and his stepson were snow machining when they came upon a “no trespassing” sign. They turned around and were heading back when the owner of the property shot at them, paralyzing the boy. He said his property rights were in jeopardy.
A drunk Native man called police to inform them that, “Shit, I think my girlfriend is fucking dead.” She sure was and he was convicted of the crime. Another native man and his wife came to town for something and checked into a local motel, where he killed her.
One guy took hostages at a restaurant on one of the roads north of Fairbanks. He declared that the ‘highway’ was his. The stand-off lasted a few days before he surrendered.
Alaska has the highest rates of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault per capita in the nation. It can be an ugly scene, in spite of the natural beauty of the place.
