Richard Proenneke followed his ultimate ambition beginning in the 1950’s by setting out to explore and then settle into an area within the untouched wilderness of Alaska. This area is located within a general region which is now called “The Lake Clark National Park”.
Dick, as he was called, was dropped off by seaplane at an otherwise inaccessible place called Twin Lakes. He arrived in early spring - and during that summer and fall, he built from scratch his own log cabin, elevated food cache cabin and later a woodshed / workbench structure with other details.
And there he lived alone with just the animals for 40 years. He possessed only the most basic essentials - and a canoe. He lived his life’s dream. And he in turn inspired thousands of people to go out and find their true wilderness and live the experience.
This video is my day trip to visit his museum, in the town adjacent to where Dick grew up. The museum has a partial replica of the actual log cabin, along with many of Dick’s artifacts. Definitely a trip worth taking. The museum is located in the new Donnellson Public Library, in Donnellson Iowa. One of the other prominent features shown in this video that is on display in the exhibit area is be the Richard L Proenneke Timeline - from his birth at Primrose, IA, in 1916, to his death in 2003, and his final resting place on Proenneke Peak, Twin Lakes, AK.Today the log cabin at Twin Lakes, along with all of the structures that go along with it, are all preserved and guarded by the Park Service staff of The Lake Clark National Park. It is somewhere you can still visit by seaplane, and see it as it actually was when Dick was there.
We will be going there in our Caravan Amphib next time we go up in Alaska. Stay tuned.
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