The Friends of SS Nenana have been working to document the stories of the crew members and passengers who worked on the SS Nenana or were passengers on the vessel.

Here are some of the stories we have been able to collect.

Memories from Elizabeth Keating, a passenger on the S.S. Nenana

Elizabeth was raised in Holikachuk, Alaska, until she was fourteen. She was raised by her grandmother, and her father ran a store in Holikachuk. He also had a contract with the Alaska Railroad to cut wood for the steam engine on the Nenana. The village is no longer there, having been washed away by the Innoko River. When her grandmother died, her father took her out of the village to relocate. This is her story of her life and adventure on the Steamer Nenana.

Memories from Crewmember Don Honea Sr.

Donald Honea, Sr., served as the First Traditional Chief of Tanana Chiefs Conference from 2008-2021. One of 17 children, Donald was born August 20, 1931, in Ruby to the late Margaret and Bill Honea. He attended school in Eklutna and married Clara McCarty in 1949. They lived in Kokrines for a while, living the “old way,” off the land, trapping and fishing, and using dogs for winter travel. Clara and Donald had 14 children together.

He worked for the State of Alaska DOT for 35 years as an equipment operator and foreman and is now retired. He founded the Ruby Native Council and served as Chief for 20 years, served as president for 20 years of the Dineega Corporation, served on the local Community School Committee for 30 years, and served on the City Council for about 25 years, both as mayor and council member. He served on the Doyon board, Tanana Chiefs Conference board, Koyukon Development board and RurALCAP board. He served both as chairman and board member of the Yukon-Koyukuk School District. He ran in the Iditarod 7 times and was an avid dog musher.

Chief Donald Honea, Sr., passed away on September 21, 2021, surrounded by family at the age of 90. 

Legends in Alaska Aviation: Al Wright

Pioneering Alaska aviator Alfred Forest Wright took his last flight on Sept. 29, 2022, at his home in Fairbanks. Al was the second son of Arthur and Myrtle Wright, born on April 26, 1925, in Tanana Crossing, Alaska, currently known as Tanacross, and lived in Nenana and Minto in his early years before making home on the Chena River in Fairbanks.

Al said he had wanted to fly almost from the time he can remember. He was about six years old and loved watching the aircraft land in Minto. He literally worshipped the pilots. His dream to fly would materialize years later after he had served in the US Army in World War II and used money from his G.I. Bill to obtain his long-coveted pilots license.

Al owned and operated many airlines during his career, but three will be forever etched in the memories of Alaska Aviators: Wright Airways (If there’s air, we’ll fly you there!) in 1948, Nenana Air Service in 1950, and Wright Air Service. Wright Air Service was started in 1966 and continues the tradition of serving the rural communities of Alaska to this day.

Al Wright spent a lifetime meeting the unique challenges that surround people here in Alaska: flying into places few others have been or would even dare to go. He has trained succeeding generations how to fly safely, passing on the richness that can only be experienced when we “slip the surly bonds of earth” and soar heavenward. His exploits, breadth of knowledge and willingness to pass these skills to others leave a legacy for those who will follow and have helped build the aviation foundation upon which we stand today.

Memories from Crewmember Alfred Wright Part 1

Memories from Crewmemebr Alfred Wright Part 2

Memories from Crewmember Alfred Wright Part 3 Wood Burning

Memories from Benedict Jones who worked on the SS Nenana

Benedict Jones was born in 1933 to Jesse Nelson Jones and Harry Jones at a fish camp where the village of Koyukuk, Alaska is currently located. 

Benedict has lived in Koyukuk most of his life, except for 20 years from 1970-1990 when he was in Fairbanks working as a highway maintenance operator. Benedict is well known in the middle Yukon River area as a sprint dog musher and subsistence expert. In winter, he spends lots of time at his trapping camp along the Koyukuk River, and in summer he is often out fishing for salmon. Benedict served on the federal Western Interior Regional Subsistence Advisory Council and on the State of Alaska’s Western Arctic Caribou Herd Co-Management Planning team. In 1959, Benedict married Eliza Peter from Cutoff, Alaska, near Huslia, and they had nine children. After retirement, the couple moved from Fairbanks back to Koyukuk, where Benedict has remained active in the community, continues to live a subsistence lifestyle and pass his knowledge on to the younger generation, works with wildlife managers and scientists to document traditional knowledge, and participates in language preservation efforts, including in recent years an effort to document traditional place names in the Koyukuk River region.

Friends of the SS Nenana (Benedict Jones 1) from Peter Van Nort on Vimeo.