. L. “Les” Plumb was born in 1895 near Green Castle, Pennsylvania. Jewel was born in Buffalo, New York in 1896 and the two were married in October, 1914. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Canada and homesteaded just outside of Calgary. In September, 1915, they moved back to Buffalo, where their son, Earl, was born.

For a while, they tried living in civilization, but the lure of the woods and mountains was too strong. They returned to Canada and homesteaded outside of Cochrane, Alberta until 1926. Still restless, they moved to Florida where they ran a small restaurant and gas stop until the Great Depression began.

In 1929 they were in Seattle, Washington where they were attracted by the opportunities in Alaska. By September of that year they had moved to Talkeetna, where Jewel worked as camp cook for the Alaska Railroad during the winter months and drove a tour bus in the summer, chauffeuring tourists around McKinley Park. Les worked for the Alaska Railroad and also for Mt. McKinley Tour Company as a mechanic.

The Plumb family built a home in Anchorage in 1932. Les continued to work for the railroad, while Jewel settled into being a housewife. For the next few years they spent summers prospecting at Lake Chelatna. Jewel kept busy in the winter months working at Crocker’s Department Store.

C.L. Plumb passed away in 1989 in Seward. Jewel died in 1996 at the Palmer Pioneers’ Home, just two weeks short of her 100th birthday.