Gustave Edvard Holmstrom
1881, Finland —
1934, Seldovia, Alaska
GUSTAVE EDVARD HOLMSTROM was born in Finland about 1881. Gus was known
as “Contrary Gus”. In 1930 he was married to a 2nd wife Anna Walnusson.
Her five children from her previous marriage to a Slater,
Paul**, Peter, Sergei, Fina and Fevronia. Anna, took the Holmstrom last name. Gus was included in the 1934 Seldovia B.I.A. census and the Juneau Empire lists his death in November 1934, calling him “Contrary Gus”.
When Gus died in Seldovia in 1934, the Juneau Empire published the news, calling him “Contrary Gus”. The story of “Contrary Gus” comes from the shipwreck of the Alaska codfish schooner “John F. Miller” in 1908. The story of the rescue was printed in the San Francisco Call on May 16, 1908.
- News of Contrary Gus Whom, the Dead Saved From Freezing The schooner Ivy, Captain Lindquist, of the Union Fish company, arrived In port .yesterday morning, 23 days from Bear harbor. The Ivy brings news of the schooner John F. Miller, which went ashore on Unimak island, near Bear harbor. The John F. Miller drifted from its anchorage January 8 to a perilous berth on the rocks of Unimak Island. A rescue party set out at once from Eagle harbor and the first news of the only survivor, a man known as Contrary Gus, was brought in yesterday by the Ivy. Ten men of the crew were “found frozen to death. Three were frozen together and it required that work, of two men to chop Contrary Gus, who was still alive, from the two who were already stiff in death. Contrary Gus was carefully thawed out and is now working as a fisherman for the Pacific trading company in Northwest harbor. The mate of the Ivy states that the man did not suffer at all. He owes his life to his having sense enough to get between the two other men when he found out that the weather was” getting colder. What remains of the John F. Miller is still on the rocks. The Ivy brought down’ 100,-000 codfish, consigned to the Union fish company. None of the severe weather which has been felt on the southern coast for the last week was experienced by the Ivy.
May 16, 1908 The San Francisco Call from San Francisco, California · Page 15