Carrie M. McLain

Carrie Mary McLain (January 26, 1895, in Astoria, New York – 1973 in Palmer, Alaska) was an American writer and teacher known for her histories and memorabilia of Alaska.

Biography Caroline “Carrie” Mary Stipek was born in New York on January 26, 1895, to Kristiny Stipek (née Varousove) and Vaslov William Stipek. She had three sisters, Barbara, Anne and Helen, and brother Frank. In 1897, her father left New York for Alaska to join the Klondike gold rush. He returned to his New York family twice over the next eight years but with the death of his wife in 1905, he moved his five children to be with him in Nome, Alaska.

There, Carrie attended Nome high school and graduated as salutatorian in the seven-student class of 1913. When she completed additional schooling in Tacoma, Washington, she began teaching in Teller and Haycock, Alaska.

Legacy A community museum in Nome was named in McLain's honor.