Dick Gilliand was born in 1937 and raised in Michigan. As a very young boy, he was enthralled by his great grandfather's stories of sailing the seven seas on square-rigged ships, and knew he wanted his own life of adventure. While he was still wet behind the ears, his mother Katherine Marie gave Dick the freedom he desired to pursue outdoor interests. He and his young companions roamed the woods near home for days on end, living off the land and eating freshly-caught fish and turtle eggs, while continually gaining outdoor prowess. As Katherine Marie's trust grew in her young son's abilities, Dick's confidence and self-reliance grew toward the day he could cast his lot farther from home. After two years in college and three years in the 82nd Airborne, he built a canoe and headed northwest to a life he'd always wanted to live in the bush of Alaska. A jack of all trades, an artist and craftsman, he spent nineteen years captivated by the people, the awesome beauty, the extreme cold and natural power of the great land.
