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Shacks, bears and isolation - an Irishman's summer in a remote Alaskan town

McCarthy, population: 28.

3Y6A4007 Paul Scannell Paul Scannell

THE TOWN OF McCarthy, Alaska – population 28 – is not a place that’s easy to get to.

For starters, it’s nine hours from the city of Anchorage, and four to five hours away from the nearest town.

But for Irish photographer Paul Scannell, the small town had such a draw that on his first visit there, he skipped his flight home so he could stay. He wound up camping in the town for a few months, becoming a volunteer gardener in exchange for food.

He became fascinated with McCarthy – which swells to a population of over 300 in the summertime, but sees people leave en masse before the big freeze of the winter sets in – so set out to capture what he saw there.

3Y6A8206 Paul Scannell Paul Scannell

Now he has compiled his best shots into an exhibition (McCarthy, Alaska – A Frontier Town) that shows off the wildness, isolation and grand scale of the town.

During his time in McCarthy, Scannell lived in a tent in Wrangell St Elias National Park. It truly was a life in the wilderness – he couldn’t even bring toothpaste into the tent, for fear a bear would approach.

Into the Wild

He ended up in Alaska after going on a trek with a group of friends to see the bus from the movie Into the Wild.

This was the location where Christopher McCandless tragically died, aged 24, in 1992 after going on a solo trek in Alaska. After a book and subsequent film on McCandless’s death, the bus has become somewhat of a pilgrimage spot for people to visit, despite its location.

“Alaska had always been on the list so I thought now or never, so I rounded up a group,” he explained. “It’s not a good idea to try and get to the bus on your own, it’s 20 miles into the wilderness.”

3Y6A8468-4amwalk Paul Scannell Paul Scannell

Though his intention was to do a Greyhound bus tour of the United States afterwards, something about McCarthy captured his imagination.  As he and his friends were reversing out of the car park to head to the airport, Scannell suddenly announced: “I’m not going.”

My mate, she handed me an Icelandic kronur – she said flip it and if it lands you need to stay. So I landed it on heads, and I stayed.

The attitude towards creators in McCarthy is one of openness, said Scannell – many people living there are creative people themselves. So when he told them he had decided to stay for an extended holiday, the locals were happy to feed him in exchange for volunteer work, like gardening.

When you’re so remote – they are in the middle of nowhere – they are quite outward-looking, they aim to bring artist and musicians and glaciologists and all these people to the town.

McCarthy has somewhat of a shaded past – some of the residents were killed by another resident in a massacre in 1984. But it’s not a dark or foreboding place.

“When you get there it has this sense of history,” recalled Scannell. “Everyone you meet is quirky, everyone is creative. It’s at the end of an eight-hour drive, you can’t go any further.”

3Y6A8045 Paul Scannell Paul Scannell

“The area is amazing, as regards the history it’s pretty spectacular,” continued Scannell, who ended up being “one of the last men standing” as the winter approached. He described how isolated the town was:

“McCarthy is really two streets – if you go through the forest you’ll see the old main street and tiny lanes of wooden shacks.”

“The shacks are slowly disappearing. The new saloon is the only bar in town – the old saloon collapsed after 110 years a month ago, because of the weight of snow.

“It was the best trip of my life,” said Scannell. ”There is such a sense of human history there, the remoteness, the buildings were just spectacular.” He particularly enjoyed capturing photographs of derelict, run-down buildings “where humans were but are not anymore”.

The town emerged as a place to stop on the way to a copper mine at Kennecott (named after the Kennicott Glacier – complete with spelling mistake). “McCarthy was the centre of vice,” explained Scannell. Originally named Shushana Junction, it grew to look after the needs of people travelling to and from Kennecott.

3Y6A7787 Paul Scannell Paul Scannell

While there, he lived in a place called the meadow, where he was alone for most of the time, and would go on regular hikes, hiking over the Kennicott Glacier and into the mountains.

“Bears are an issue. If you walk between a cub and its mother you are in serious trouble.
You’d have to bring bear spray with you – it is like very intense pepper spray. A lot of people said it would take you a serious gun to take things down.”

‘He can use a sewing machine and an axe’

Most of Scannell’s photographs from the series are of buildings or landscapes – there is only one person featured in the series, a man named Mark who moved to the town aged 29. He’s now 60 years old.

“He cut a path a mile into the forest and built a cabin,” said Scannell. “He has supported himself on $4,000 a year for 30 years. He can use a sewing machine and an axe.”

3Y6A6593 Paul Scannell Paul Scannell

It’s how people learn to live and support themselves in such a remote place that really fascinates Scannell.  ”It’s like they have six seasons – they have the usual four, but they also have freeze and melt. What they have to do is go out and stockpile wood make sure it’s dry.”

Mark, he literally encapsulated every man that’s there – their capacity for survival. He can as easily use a sewing machine and make clothes as they can use an axe. He’s 60 years old and would have a tree down in a second.

Because of the nature of the climate, people in McCarthy have to be very aware of each other’s needs. “They support each other.  If any of them needed anything they’d rush to it.”

‘They welcome your quirks’

One of his friends there was “a 70-year old woman called grandma Pat” who had been married four times. “We ended up the last two in town me and grandma Pat,” said Scannell.

“Everyone is so welcoming in McCarthy. It’s a place where you are welcomed warmly and they welcome your quirks.”

3Y6A6401 Paul Scannell Paul Scannell

He was particularly fascinated by the hardy folks who stayed put for the winter. “Big burly men with their axes. Wild mountain men but are the most earnest people you would ever meet. The best folk you could meet.”

On the last night in town, one of the McCarthy residents would cook up all his meat and produce and give away all his beer – otherwise it would freeze in the winter.

But as winter began to set in, Scannell got set to leave. ”The weather turns, it’s like we have the seasons that morph into each other. Literally I was in a tent the whole time, the last three weeks in a hardware store. You would wake up and you just knew winter was coming.”

3Y6A5627 Paul Scannell Paul Scannell

It was when he was getting ready to leave that Scannell felt particularly creative.

“A lot of my photos were taken around that period because I felt you could present McCarthy as this party town but that’s not where I was coming from. It’s the people who visit in the summer who are the anomaly,” he said. His photos aim to show the real McCarthy, the one that’s there all-year round – not just in the summer.

“The real McCarthy is the 28 people. They enjoy the fun of us coming but they are happy they get rid of us as well. It just returns to this really quiet community.”

3Y6A7405 Paul Scannell Paul Scannell

McCarthy, Alaska – A Frontier Town will run from 29 March for the whole month of April at the Powerscourt Gallery, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, Dublin. 

Read: Wars, brothels and passionate love: Images from some of the best photographers in the world>

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18 Comments
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    Mute Steve T
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    Sep 25th 2018, 7:51 PM

    Throw away the key!!

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Sep 25th 2018, 10:53 PM

    @Steve T: No need , 3 years may as well be 50 for an 81 year old .

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    Mute Sarah Connor
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    Sep 25th 2018, 8:56 PM

    Infuriating arguments. “Legally Blind” does not mean can’t see, it means vision impaired (in fairness, to a significant measure, but usually can still see), and in the current photos he does not look “frail” at all. Even if he was a frail blind man, why exactly would that mean he shouldn’t serve time?

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    Mute O Swetenham
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    Sep 25th 2018, 8:01 PM

    So three years then.

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    Mute Shane Corry
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    Sep 25th 2018, 8:09 PM

    @O Swetenham: Shocking that it can end up as low as 3 years. 10 years is too low as well but at least there would be a good chance he would then die in prison so there’d be little chance of him getting out again.

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    Mute James O'Brien
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    Sep 25th 2018, 8:59 PM

    3 years. Thought Ireland was bad.

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    Mute tottkingham
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    Sep 25th 2018, 7:47 PM

    Hey,Hey,Hey!!!

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    Mute Joe Ryan
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    Sep 25th 2018, 9:01 PM

    Bill Crosby, an icon. How many of today’s celebrities will be exposed for who they really are in the future. Be careful who you idolize, if your into that sort of thing.

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    Mute KingCrisp
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    Sep 25th 2018, 8:02 PM

    Great to see a sadistic vile sexual predator jailed. All they have to do now is to jail Trump and his group of sexual predators that he calls fine people :)

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    Mute Jimmy jones
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    Sep 25th 2018, 7:46 PM

    Hey hey hey , all the way to rest of his life in prison.

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    Mute Jaune Fujisawa
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    Sep 25th 2018, 9:19 PM

    Don’t really understand this system. 3 years or 10 years. Which is correct. Both of course not enough but that’s another issue

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    Mute Ger
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    Sep 25th 2018, 10:05 PM

    @Jaune Fujisawa: I think it’s a minimum of 3 years and the rest will depend on his behaviour and attitude towards rehabilitation in prison. For example he claims he’s not guilty and shows no remorse so is likely to refuse treatment. If that remains the case it’s likely to be more than 3 years.

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    Mute Charlie
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    Sep 25th 2018, 8:03 PM

    A bipen and a bobben all the way to hell

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    Mute Brendan Oconnor
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    Sep 25th 2018, 8:33 PM

    The thing is that he was always criticising black kids..about how they behave.. dressed . ECT. .. In other words an Uncle Tom . I’m glad he got his cumupance. . Hey Hey Hey .

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    Mute Liam O Reilly
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    Sep 25th 2018, 9:27 PM

    @Brendan Oconnor: Yeah because that’s the big point here, he’s an Uncle Tom.

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    Mute Dougal67
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    Sep 25th 2018, 9:18 PM

    Knew he wasn’t a nice man years ago, as his old friend Robert culp got him a job starring in an old tv show I Spy, when not many black actors got work, culp put his kneck on the line for him, years later when Cosby was a huge star culp asked him for a favor and a role, Cosby replied he was too busy! Knew he was a you know what then, but this is beyond belief, “USA TVs daddy”??? Should throw away the key his age stardom is irrelevant!!

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    Mute Kenneth Hayden
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    Sep 25th 2018, 8:10 PM

    * claps hands *

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    Mute Lily Martin
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    Sep 26th 2018, 1:24 AM

    The fact that he is now old, “legally blind” and frail should not enter into it. He committed a heinous crime and that should be the only consideration.

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    Mute Mary Maher
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    Sep 25th 2018, 11:47 PM

    I am a softie, would usually feel distressed at the prospect of an elderly person, partially blind, being sent to prison. But not in this case. Bill Cosby was a very famous and powerful person. He could have had hundreds of girls very willing to sleep with him. Instead, he chose to drug and rape those vulnerable girls who came to him for help, hope and encouragement in their career. There is something sick in his psyche.
    So now, he gets to know how it feels to be vulnerable. Learning it, too late in his life. And, by the way, very few are taken in by his feeble, old blind man, fumbling his way about behaviour.. He was always a good actor.

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    Mute Eammon Collins
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    Sep 26th 2018, 2:53 AM

    Dont drop the soap in the shower Bill or it’ll be Zip zop wop bobbity bop for you :-)

    Take some Quaaludes,ease the pain man ;-)

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    Mute Pat Mooney
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    Sep 26th 2018, 1:10 AM

    The clergy commited worse crimes
    And nothing happened to them
    Just transferred to other places
    To continue at it

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    Mute Paul Wallace
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    Sep 25th 2018, 9:24 PM

    What a mad world, who’d have thought crosby was that sort…

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    Mute Pat Mooney
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    Sep 26th 2018, 1:12 AM

    Just stating I’m not condoning
    What Cosby done

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    Mute Frankie Mangan
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    Sep 25th 2018, 11:04 PM

    Billy baby these sadists wont bother drugging you before sex where you’re going.

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    Mute Dougal67
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    Sep 25th 2018, 11:48 PM

    @Frankie Mangan: lol

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    Mute Paul Wallace
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    Sep 25th 2018, 9:22 PM

    What a mad world, who’d have thought crosby was a paedo

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    Mute Ger
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    Sep 25th 2018, 10:06 PM

    @Paul Wallace: Cosby* isn’t. His victim was an adult.

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    Mute Richard W. Kendall
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    Sep 26th 2018, 5:05 PM

    Hey, hey, hey, “Grip it & Rip it ( his arse ), here comes a “Fat Albert” right up the Hershey Highway!

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