Celia Hunter flew a surplus warplane to Alaska in 1947 and built a life in the wilderness near Denali

In 1947, Celia Hunter flew a war-surplus plane to Alaska and began building a life near Denali that would become inseparable from the fight to protect the state’s wilderness.

Hunter co-founded conservation groups and spent decades campaigning for public land protection. Her efforts helped preserve more than 100 million acres of Alaskan wilderness.

She continued that advocacy until her final moments, writing letters to politicians to defend the landscapes she had dedicated her life to protecting.