The Call of the Last Frontier - Color version of the photo gallery from the book

Elgin (29) and Melissa (27) Cook Interview with Aleutians East

Anchorage, Alaska - April 1995

The Village of Nelson Lagoon, Alaska

photo taken by Lee Anne McDermott in 1994

Teacher Housing Units in Nelson Lagoon

Nelson Lagoon, Alaska - 1995

PenAir’s Piper Navajo Arriving with Passengers, Mail, and Freight

Nelson Lagoon, Alaska - 1995

Japanese Glass Float or Ball

Nelson Lagoon, Alaska - 1996

Frisbee-size Jellyfish

Nelson Lagoon, Alaska - 1995

Santa Visits Ethan (5), Sutton (8) and Everett (7) at the Nelson Lagoon Runway

Nelson Lagoon, Alaska - 1995

The Polar Bear Barge

Nelson Lagoon, Alaska - 1996

Melissa Cook (age 29) on St. Paul Island on the Bering Sea

Pribilof Islands, Alaska - September 1996

Pavlof Volcano at 48 Miles Away

Nelson Lagoon, Alaska -  October 1996

The Eruption of Pavlof Volcano

Nelson Lagoon, Alaska - November 1996

Tom Madsen’s 1959 Beechcraft 18 - the Aleutian Spirit

Nelson Lagoon, ALaska - 1996

Melissa Cook (age 29) Teaching Elementary

Nelson Lagoon, Alaska - 1996

Sutton (9), Melissa (29) Everett (8) Waiting for a PenAir Flight

Cold Bay, Alaska - December 1996

The Cook Family - Ethan (6), Sutton (9), Everett (8), Melissa (29) and Elgin (31) After the Christmas Party

Nelson Lagoon, Alaska - December 1996

Snake Eyes (Sam Egli) Grocery Run to Nelson Lagoon

Nelson Lagoon, Alaska - 1996

1997 Cook Job Search CD - Front Cover

photos from Wyoming in the summer of 1994

1997 Cook Job Search CD - Back Cover

photos from May 1996 in Alberta, Canada

Car Deck of an Alaska Marine Highway Ferry

Bellingham, Washington - August 1997

Elgin (31) and Melissa (30) Cook on the Malaspina Ferry

Inside Passage, Alaska - August 1997

Everett (9), Ethan (7) and Sutton (10) on the Malaspina Ferry

Ketchikan, Alaska - August 1997

Aurora Ferry Docked at Prince of Wales Island

Ketchikan, Alaska - 1997

City of Craig Harbor & Dock

Craig, Alaska - 1997

Melissa Cook (30) at Sandy Beach for the First Time

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - August 1997

Sutton (10), Everett (9), Ethan (7) and Elgin (31) Play on Sandy Beach

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - August 1997

Sutton (10), Everett (9) and Ethan (7) Salmon Fishing on Duke Creek

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - September 1997

Clear Cut by Clarence Strait

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - 2015     

Sutton Cook (10) Fishing with Brian Castle

Craig, Alaska - April 1998     

Ethan Cook (7) Shrimping Near Craig

Craig, Alaska - April 1998

Barge with a Ferry and Floatplane in the Distance

Ketchikan, Alaska - 2014

Elgin (33) and Melissa (32) Cook on a Ferry Heading to Ketchikan

Inside Passage, Alaska - August 1999

Claw from the Logging Heydays

Thorne Bay, Alaska - 2013

Thorne Bay - Once the Largest Logging Camp in the North America

Thorne Bay, Alaska - 2017

Sutton (12), Everett (11) and Ethan (9) Canoeing on Sarkar Lake

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - September 1999

Connie and Kenny Cook Enjoying the Dock

Craig, Alaska - June 2000

Kevin Castle, Elgin (34), Everett (12) and Kenny Displayinig King Salmon & Halibut

Craig, Alaska - June 2000

Elgin Cook (36) Volunteering His Time to Install Networks for Island Businesses Like McFarland Floatel

Thorne Bay, Alaska - 2001

Sutton (15), Elgin (37), Ethan (12), Everett (14) and Sampson as a puppy at Sandy Beach

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - Spring 2003

de Havilland Beaver

Thorne Bay, Alaska - March 2012     

Melissa Cook (37) with Sampson and Josie as a puppy at Sarkar Lake

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - Fall 2004

Everett (16) and Erik Robertson (by the window) Challenging Ethan (14), Stewart Robertson and Sutton (17) to a Game on the Ferry

Southeast Alaska - December 2004

Neva Robertson Climbing Aboard Her Sailboat

Ketchikan, Alaska - December 2004

Bob Robertson Dreamed of Sailing Around the World

Ketchikan, Alaska - December 2004

Ethan Cook (14) with Alaska House of Representative Don Young

Washington D.C. - January 2005

Melissa Cook (38) Instructing Teacher In-Service over VTC

Thorne Bay, Alaska - Spring 2005

Sutton (17), Ethan (15) and Elgin (40) Fishing the Thorne River

Thorne River - Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - September 2005

Melissa Cook (39) Climbing the District Office (former J.R. Gildersleeve School) Ramp at Low Tide

Thorne Bay, Alaska - Fall 2006

J. R. Gildersleeve School Became the School District Office in 2000

Thorne Bay, Alaska - Fall 2013

Thorne Bay Dock

Thorne Bay, Alaska - 2007

Melissa Cook (40) Flew In for a Graduation Ceremony

Port Alexander, Alaska - May 2007

Shrimping with Friends Joel and Deidre Jenson

Thorne Bay, Alaska - Spring 2008

903 Beaver Street - Our Home from 1999-2016

Thorne Bay, Alaska - 2017

Melissa Cook (44) Final Day Teaching Before Leaving on Medical Disability Due to MS

Thorne Bay, Alaska - April 2011

Meliah Cook (2) Gathering Easters Eggs on the Back Porch

Thorne Bay, Alaska - April 2012

Ketchikan International Airport with the Floatplane Dock (on the water)

Ketchikan, Alaska - 2012

Moss-covered Road Sign

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - 2013

Melissa Cook (45) Showing Exchange Students How It's Done

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - September 2013

Thorne Bay Dock Looking Back at Town

Thorne Bay, Alaska - 2014

A Floatplane Taxiing by as a Tug Boat Pulls a Barge Through a Snowstorm

Thorne Bay, Alaska 2014

Erika Heintz on Her First Floatplane Flight Overlooking Southside

Thorne Bay, Alaska - January 2015

Eveymarie Cook (4) Playing on the Dock

Thorne Bay, Alaska - April 2015

Melissa Cook (48) and Becky Welton Catch Up at the School

Thorne Bay, Alaska - September 2015

A Tug Boat Pulling a Barge into the Bay

Thorne Bay, Alaska

Everett Cook (27) Riding His Skiff Across the Bay to Southside

Thorne Bay, Alaska 2015

Melissa Cook (48) and Auron Cook (4) Decorating for Christmas

Thorne Bay, Alaska - December 2015

Melissa Cook (48) Strolling the Boardwalk of Eagles Nest Campground

Balls Lake, Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - April 2016

Eveymarie Cook (6) Keeping Solomon in His Place at Sandy Beach

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - May 2016

Melissa Cook (48) with Meliah Cook (6) and Auron Cook (4) on Their Final Visit with Patricia O’Flaherty

Thorne Bay, Alaska - May 2016

Melissa Cook (48) and Patricia O’Flaherty (76) Laugh - Melissa Standing on a Log to be Taller Than Her Mom

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - May 2016

Joy Weber Wins Best of Show at the Annual Quilt Show

Craig, Alaska - May 2016

Elgin Cook (50) Enjoying Sandy Beach with Josie and Solomon on Our Last Evening in Alaska

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska - June 2016

Prince of Wales Island Disappearing on Our Final Ferry Ride to Ketchikan

Southeast Alaska - June 3, 2016

Melissa (53) and Elgin (54) Standing by a Boiler at an Old Mine on One of Our Many Adventures in Retirement

Absaroka Range, Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming - 2020

Melissa (53) Standing by Her Jeep

Elk Fork Canyon, Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming - 2020