From Historical Mystery to Modern Thriller: How Alaska’s Unsolved Cache Creek Murders Inspired “Stone & Steele”

Arriving This Summer 2025

When I first learned about the 1939 Cache Creek murders near Talkeetna, Alaska, I knew I’d found the perfect foundation for a modern mystery. These real unsolved killings had all the elements that make for compelling crime fiction: remote wilderness setting, gold fever, bitter feuds, and questions that remain unanswered more than 80 years later.

The Historical Mystery

In 1939, four people died violently in the gold fields near Talkeetna in a single day. Dick Francis and Frank Jenkins, veteran miners who’d feuded for years over claims and court battles, were at the center of the tragedy. Francis had seen his claims auctioned to satisfy court damages awarded to Jenkins - a public humiliation that intensified their animosity.

When the violence erupted, Frank Jenkins and his employee were found bludgeoned to death at Wonder Gulch. Three miles away, Helen Jenkins was murdered near the family cabin. Dick Francis was discovered at his Ruby Creek cabin with gunshot wounds to the head, a revolver beside him suggesting suicide after a revenge killing spree.

But here’s where it gets truly mysterious: the autopsy revealed Francis had been shot twice in the head - impossible for a suicide. Someone had used the notorious feud as cover for their own deadly agenda.

From History to Fiction

This historical puzzle provided the perfect inspiration for my fictional murderous character. Like the real Cache Creek case, my story explores how gold discoveries can trigger deadly conflicts, and how remote Alaska wilderness provides the perfect cover for murder.

But I wanted to modernize the themes. Instead of feuding miners, I created a scenario where environmental zealotry and illegal gold extraction collide. The murderer isn’t just protecting gold for profit - but genuinely believes they are preserving pristine wilderness from corporate destruction. This psychological complexity makes the murderer far more dangerous than a simple greedy killer.

The Alaska Advantage

Setting the story in modern Talkeetna allowed me to explore how Alaska’s vastness still enables people to disappear, to hide secrets, to live completely off-grid. The state’s boom-and-bust mining history creates a landscape littered with abandoned operations - perfect hiding spots for both criminals and their crimes.

The 1939 murders remain officially unsolved, but they taught me that Alaska’s most compelling mysteries often involve:

• Isolation that allows crimes to go undetected

• Natural resources that drive people to extremes

• Small communities where everyone has secrets

• Weather and terrain that become characters in their own right

  
  

Why This History Matters

The Cache Creek murders weren’t just about gold - they were about what happens when human greed collides with Alaska’s unforgiving wilderness. That same dynamic drives my fictional Detective Emma Stone and Agent Jeremiah Steele as they uncover modern crimes rooted in timeless human motivations.

By grounding my thriller in real Alaska history, I hoped to honor both the victims of the actual 1939 murders and the ongoing mystique of Alaska as a place where people reinvent themselves - sometimes fatally.

The mountains around Talkeetna still hold their secrets. Some mysteries, like the Cache Creek murders, may never be solved. But they continue to inspire stories about justice, greed, and the dangerous allure of Alaska’s hidden gold.

Happy Reading

AuthorMelissaSaulnier.com