I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964

Jackson’s classmates’ words haunt him, and he hopes he doesn’t see them down at the docks when he runs an errand for Uncle Solly. Walking to the waterfront, Jackson thinks of all the great times he’s had with Uncle Solly on the water, like seeing walruses and whales. Jackson arrives at the Chena ship and delivers Uncle Solly’s note to a sailor nearby. As he leaves the docks, he sees his classmates Chris, Nora, Leonor, and Mary walking together, chatting and laughing. Jackson is sad that he isn’t part of their group, which reminds him of a loyal wolf pack. Suddenly, he hears strange sounds and the ground begins to shake. He realizes that an earthquake has begun.

As everything shakes and people scramble in panic, Jackson kneels beside a car parked on a bridge and waits for the earthquake to stop. He knows Alaska has frequent earthquakes and has felt little ones before in the forest. As the earthquake gets worse, Jackson realizes that he should get off the bridge, but he can’t seem to move. Telephone poles crash down, and the buildings and docks began to slide into the water of the harbor.