Rugged Gold

The book that this movie is based off of, O Rugged Land of Gold, was written by my great grandmother (under the pen name Martha Martin, real name was Helen Bolyan). Lloyd's name is really Clyde, my grandfather. I asked him after the movie first came out and we watched it, if he was as much of a brat as he was portrayed in the movie and he told me he was always a good boy. But the twinkle in his eye made me think otherwise :-)

My grandfather was born in 1915. The book states that my great grandmother complied events from her life to write the story. The movie loosely portrayed the book, for example the set it in the 50s. My dad was born in 43, so my grandpa couldn't have been a little boy in the 50s :-) There really was a mine. It's located on the Chichagof Island. You can read how it came to be if you Google "Cobol Chichagof Island". There is a Juneau parks and rec link about George A Bolyan (Don Martin) that my grandfather wrote. It won't let me post the actual link.

Keep in mind the movie was filmed in New Zealand, there are no possums in Alaska :-)

A movie that combines true life adventure, heroism, faith, hope, inspiration. Mothers will especially love this movie. This movie should have been advertised more and should be repeated around Mother's Day. I enjoyed it so much I looked a long time before I found the book - it had been out of print, but then rereleased. Based on true events, I count it as a classic and Jill Eikenberry was the perfect person to play the role as the mother.

The plot about a sheltered widowed American woman who remarries and moves to the outer reaches of Alaska in search of gold turned into an exciting learning and growing experience for her. She becomes pregnant and decides that she must move back to the lower states for the safety of her older son. Her son becomes lost and the stepfather goes in search of him, but he is severely injured in an earthquake after finding the boy and can't get back to the mother. She is also severely injured by the earthquake, pregnant and alone until the following spring after she delivers her baby alone. This is the story of courage and survival where she learns how capable she truly is. This movie was excellent. The acting by all was great, the story realistic, the settings beautiful. The plot was exciting and didn't lag. I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end and would recommend it especially on a cold winter's eve.

Having lived in Alaska for over 25 years, I was especially moved by the film, Jill Eikenberry's performance, and the hardships that Martha Martin endured. I would truly love to see this classic made into a video and have in fact been looking for it, however, it appears it is not available. Should someone hear of it becoming available, please contact , thnx Mavis