Anjuli Grantham interviewed Dexter Lorance on June 14, 2015, in Larsen Bay, Alaska, as part of the Kodiak Historical Society’s West Side Stories project. Dexter was born in 1951 in Oklahoma, went to school in California, and moved to Alaska in 1971 with his girlfriend, seeking adventure. He is the cannery foreman at Larsen Bay cannery, but his first job in Alaska was at the Whitney-Fidalgo cannery plant in Anchorage, where he worked long hours processing fish that arrived by rail and tender.

Jane Petrich was interviewed by Anjuli Grantham on August 1, 2015, in Farside, Larsen Bay, Alaska, as part of the Kodiak Historical Society’s West Side Stories project. Jane was born in Seattle and grew up around boat building and fishing, spending her college summers working in canneries in Bristol Bay. She moved to Kodiak to work at Larsen Bay Cannery in 1971 and recalls the party atmosphere of the time. After teaching for a number of years, she and her husband bought their first setnet fishing permit in 1978.

Jim Toteff, Jr. and Joe Lindholm were interviewed by Anjuli Grantham in Larsen Bay, Alaska, on June 13, 2015, as part of the Kodiak Historical Society’s West Side Stories project. 

This oral history is part of the West Side Stories project of the Kodiak Historical Society. West Side Stories is a public humanities and art project that intended to document the history of the west side of Kodiak Island through oral history, photography, and art. The oral histories chart the personal stories of individuals with a longtime connection to the west side of Kodiak Island, defined for the scope of this project as the area buffeted by the Shelikof Strait that stretches from Kupreanof Strait south to the village of Karluk.

Mark and Sheila Beardsley were interviewed by Anjuli Grantham in Larsen Bay, Alaska, on June 13, 2015 as part of the Kodiak Historical Society’s West Side Stories project. Mark and Sheila were born in Hood River, Oregon. Mark’s uncle owned a cannery in Kodiak, he has been visiting the area since 1974 and started fishing in 1980 in Uyak Bay when he was around 11. Sheila worked in the cannery as a teenager and college student, and has been fishing with Mark since they bought a permit together 21 years ago.

Mark Thissen was interviewed by Anjuli Grantham in Larsen Bay, Alaska, on June 13, 2015, as part of the Kodiak Historical Society’s West Side Stories project. Mark was born in Minnesota in 1957 and followed his siblings for summer work in the canneries when he was around 14. He describes his work at the canneries, the Kodiak connections to Mankato, Minnesota, and how he started fishing and tendering when he was 20.