Heat and Ice - Frederick Funston's Exploration of Death Valley, Alaska, and the British Northwest Territory 1891-1894
Volume 2 of the Becoming Frederick Funston Trilogy
Book 2 of 3
Historical Non-Fiction
By:
Clyde W. Toland
This book traces the extraordinary journeys that shaped one of America’s most remarkable military figures. In this second volume of the Becoming Frederick Funston Trilogy, Clyde Toland brings to life the young Kansan who shouldered a Bible, Kipling, and a dictionary as he ventured into some of the harshest landscapes on the continent.
From the blistering heat of Death Valley to the deep snows of the Yukon and the rugged passes of Alaska, Funston pushed himself to the limits—collecting botanical specimens, chronicling his adventures for newspapers from Iola to The New York Times, and forging the resilience that would define his later career. Toland’s meticulous research and vivid storytelling illuminate the real story behind Funston’s later fame: the daring explorer whose grit, curiosity, and courage carried him far beyond the Kansas prairies. Heat and Ice stands as a compelling portrait of an old‑fashioned American hero on the path to greatness.
“Clyde Toland has brought to life a hometown Kansas hero from a century ago who plunged into the wilds of this incredible land and shaped the military genius he would become. With the Bible, Kipling, and a dictionary in his backpack, Fred Funston survived near-starvation, killing heat in Death Valley, and snows up to six feet in the Yukon while collecting botanical species and writing about it for publications ranging from his hometown paper to The New York Times. I enjoyed immensely reading Heat and Ice.”
-- Shirley Christian, Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist and author
“It’s easy to get distracted by the accomplishments of Fred Funston that warranted a personal letter from President Woodrow Wilson upon his death. But his journey to get there is the real story. It’s been meticulously documented in Clyde Toland’s magnificent Volume Two of Funston’s life. Rising from the Kansas prairies, his exploring spirit took him where few dared, from the intense heat of Death Valley to the Chilkoot Pass in Alaska. And that’s just the beginning. Mr. Toland has brought to life an old-fashioned hero from Kansas to take his place among the greatest Americans. I can’t wait for Volume Three.”
-- Bill Kurtis, BS University of Kansas, JD Washburn University School of Law, JD (1966). In 1988 he founded Kurtis Productions to produce documentaries such as Investigative Reports and Cold Case Files for A&E Networks, 500 in all. Currently he produces American Greed for CNBC.