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A blog by Bill Hess

Running Dog Publications

P.O. Box 872383 Wasilla, Alaska 99687

 

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Wasilla

Wasilla is the place where I have lived for the past 29 years - sort of. The house in which my wife and I raised our family sits here, but I have made my rather odd career as a different sort of photojournalist by continually wandering off to other places to photograph people and gather information, which I have then put together in various publications that have served the Alaska Native Eskimo, Indian and Aleut communities.

Although I did not have a great of free time to devote to this rather strange community, named after a Tanaina Athabascan Indian chief who knew Wasilla in the way that I so impossibly long to, I have still documented it regularly over the past quarter-century plus. In the early days, my Wasilla photographs focused mostly upon my children and the events they participated in - baseball, football, figure skating, hockey, frog catching, fire cracker detonation, Fourth of July parade - that sort of thing. 

In 2002, I purchased my first digital camera and then, whenever I was home, I began to photograph Wasilla upon a daily basis, but not in a conventional way. These were grab shots - whatever caught my eye as I took my many long walks or drove through the town, shooting through the car window at people and scenes that appeared and disappeared before I could even focus and compose in the traditional photographic way.

Thus, the Wasilla portion of this blog will be devoted both to the images that I take as I wander about and those that I have taken in the past. Despite the odd, random, nature of the images, I believe they communicate something powerful about this town that I have never seen expressed anywhere else. 

Wasilla is a sprawling community that has been slapped down hodge-podge upon what was so recently wilderness of the most exquisite beauty. In its design, it is deliberately anti-zoned, anti-planned. In the building of Wasilla, the desire to make a buck has trumped aesthetics and all other considerations. This town, built in the midst of exquisite beauty, has largely become an unsightly, unattractive, mess of urban sprawl. Largely because of this, it often seems to me that Wasilla is a community with no sense of community, a town devoid of town soul.

Yet - Wasilla is my home and if I am lucky it will be until I grow old and die. Despite its horrific failings, it is still made of the stuff of any small city: people; moms and dads, grammas and grampas, teens, children, churches, bars, professionals, laborers, soldiers, missionaries, artists, athletes, geniuses, do-gooders, hoodlums, the wealthy, the homeless, the rational and logical, the slightly insane and the wholly insane - and, yes, as is now obvious to the whole world, politicians, too.

So perhaps, if one were to search hard enough, it might just be possible to find a sense of community here, and a town soul. So, using my skills as a photojournalist and a writer, I hope to do just that. If this place has a sense of community, I will find it. If there is a town soul to Wasilla, I will document it. I won't compete with the newspapers. Hell no! But as time and income allow, it will be fun to wander into the places where the folks described above gather, and then put what I find on this blog.

 

by 300...

Anywhere within a 300 mile radius of Wasilla. This encompasses perhaps the most wild, dramatic, gorgeous, beautiful section of land and sea to be found in any comparable space anywhere on Earth. I can never explore it all, but I will do the best that I can, and will here share what I find and experience with you.  

and then some...

Anywhere else in the world that I happen to get to, such as Point Lay, Alaska; Missoula, Montana; Serenki, Chukotka, Russia; or Bangalore, India. Perhaps even Lagos, Nigeria. I have both a desire and scheme to get me there. It is a long shot. We shall see if I succeed.

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Tuesday
Jul192011

Cowboy ahead - I am not on the road to Fairbanks

DateTuesday, July 19, 2011 at 11:00AM

Here I am in severe retreat mode. No time to blog. Two weeks ago, I had made up my mind that by today Margie and I would either be in Fairbanks or on the road to Fairbanks, to take in the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics 50th anniversary games.

But it is impossible. I can't go. If I do, I will not finish what I must finish by the time it must be finished.

So here I am, driving down Sunrise, behind a cowboy.

Go, Olympians! I will be with you in spirit, and there will be many photographers present. Your accomplishments this week will be well documented.

AuthorWasilla, Alaska, by 300 | Comment6 Comments |
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Reader Comments (6)

OOOO...NOOOOO!!! Was looking forward to meeting you face to face. Too bad.. HUGE GATHERING TONIGHT!! I will participate in the Eskimo Stick Pull on thursday.. hoping to keep the young.. girlies off my tail for a few more years! Hope you complete your projects and enjoy some summer to relax. Hope to meet you soon.. someday :)

July 19, 2011 | Unregistered Commenterannette donaldson

Me, too, Annette. I was looking forward to meeting you and getting into the spirit of the games. The fact that I can't reminds me of how far behind I am on ever meeting my online publishing goals - because if I had even come close to reaching them, I could pick up and go.

I hope you do well in the stick pull!

July 19, 2011 | Registered CommenterWasilla, Alaska, by 300

Annette, Good Luck & happy pulling!

July 19, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterKat

Thanks for the encouragement.. another GOLD in the books.. I'm so HAPPY AND PROUD!! The World Eskimo Indian Olympics has given so much to me beyond my medals, my sense of pride, confidence, and dedication to the games and what they represent holds a large part of my heart. I now hold the title along with Big Bob Aiken of having the WEIO-World Record for the most wins in both the Eskimo Stick Pull and Arm Pull. I will have to get a pick of both of us together and post it.

I totally understand your MANY OBLIGATIONS.. and will look forward to reading your blog again in September. You will still be on my FAVORITES!! Many blessings to you and your family! GOD BLESS :)

July 22, 2011 | Unregistered Commenterannette donaldson

Annette - congratulations! I can't imagine better company for you to be in than Big Bob's. I wish I could have been there and I thank you for your understanding.

May God bless you and your family, too :)

July 25, 2011 | Registered CommenterWasilla, Alaska, by 300

28 comments so far on your july 28 post! i was gonna say, How will we ever live w/o you until September 15, but stopped myself. i'll stop by anyway. and, hey, the photo of this white truck with the two cowboys is priceless! i always said you should sell your images as posters. maybe when the grandkids get older they can help you. also, bill, you're still young. who says you can't fly your own plane again. i'm betting on it!!!

July 28, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterRuth Deming

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