Alaska: The Last Frontier
By Kirsti Scott
Jean Pederson Curry is a beachcomber and artist from Mitkof Island, located in the Alexander Archipelago of southeast Alaska between Kupreanof Island to the west and the Alaskan mainland to the east.
She was born and raised in the main town of Petersburg, where her family of Scandinavian descent has worked in commercial fishing for several generations.
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Jean loves the beautiful scenery, wildlife, and ocean near her home along Sandy Beach Road. “A variety of wildlife passes by daily including Sitka black-tailed deer, humpback whales, orcas, bald eagles, crows, ravens, great blue herons, seals, sea lions, black bears, and numerous other critters,” she says.
When Jean was growing up, all the local garbage was dumped onto the beach about a mile from her house. “The garbage truck would back up to the end of the dock and dump all the garbage off,” she says. “It was always fun to drive out to ‘The Dump’ and watch the bears forage.” The strong tides carried trash out to Frederick Sound and other beaches nearby. The beach dumping stopped in the late 1960s, and most of the garbage, old cars, appliances, and furniture were cleaned up and hauled away. Jean says, “When we know better, we do better.”
When Jean’s three daughters were young, they would all go out to the area where the dump used to be and have marble-hunting contests. “We would find beach glass, marbles, bottles, shells, heart rocks, driftwood, and all sorts of interesting finds,” she says. Jean doesn’t beachcomb as much anymore, but her husband still does. With the limited light in colder months, Jean says he goes whenever he gets the chance.
While there is not nearly as much left to find on the beach in summer when locals and tourists visit the beach, Jean says that a colder season high tide or a big storm might wash up “a new shipment.” She and her husband find glass, marbles, bottles, shells, heart rocks, driftwood, and many other treasures. Jean says she’s collected several hundred pounds of glass, and they keep a good amount of it on display. She also uses her treasures for her arts and crafts.
Jean says she has too many favorite finds to pick just one. “My bottle stopper collection is a favorite,” she says. “It is displayed on a small driftwood shelf I made held by part of a cedar gillnet fishing float.” Their 40-year marble collection is also a favorite, along with a “sweet little glass vase that glows bright with uranium when black light shined on it.”
Jean says they occasionally find Union Oil credit cards that predate 1970, and they have given cards to surviving relatives in the area. Her husband even found her own family’s Union Oil credit card. She says they’ve found a myriad of fascinating marbles and a local 1947 gold class ring.
In 2024, Jean won prizes at the International Sea Glass Festival in Seattle for two of her finds, including Best Ceramics for a small porcelain container with a Native American design.
Jean has always expressed herself creatively through art. She is a wildlife photographer and creates handmade whimsical items called FanDangles, inspired by her love of beachcombing. These crafts include wind chimes, candle holders, bags of sea glass, and are adorned with driftwood, stained glass, copper wire, recycled glass beads, bells, beach glass, and many other found treasures. She makes her wind chimes with driftwood, vintage cedar fishing floats, or even deer antlers. They are adorned with beach glass, stained glass, charms, recycled glass beads from Ghana, and other little treasures. She sells these chimes along with other creations to local craft festivals, stores, and galleries around Alaska.
Petersburg, Alaska, was settled in 1897 by Norwegian immigrants. It rains a lot because Petersburg is located in the Tongass National Forest, but the scenery is spectacular. “There’s delicious food and many fun events, including the four-day Little Norway Festival, which includes Vikings and Valkyries,” says Jean. “There are fun trails, unique shops, and humpback, orca, and sea lion watching.” There’s also a great fishing museum, a slew of interesting fishing boats and, of course, friendly fishermen.
Now retired, Jean enjoys working on her crafts, gardening, and spending time with friends. “Walking on the beaches is so relaxing and fun especially when we find an unusual treasure.” You can often find Jean and her husband traveling in their class B motorhome camper van.
All photos courtesy of Jean Pederson Curry except as marked.
Learn more about the best beaches and destinations for sea and beach glass, seashells, fossils, rocks, and more beach finds around the world. Articles ›
This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 47 March/April 2025.
