This starter originated in Hope, Alaska, in 1890. It has been replenished and kept fresh at least once a week for the past 74 years. To old time Alaskans, the sourdough pot is a prized possession. In the early days of Alaska, bread making at home was a necessity. Food supplies came only once or twice a year by ship and then they were transferred to small boats, river steamers, dog sleds or backpacks to each their destination. Many localities received supplies only when a steamer could navigate the river or the lake during the few months of summer thaw.

Orders placed the year before required careful selection with close attention to "keeping" qualities as the en route timing proved uncertain. Ordinary yeast plants, sensitive to the extreme cold, refused to grow. Various stories tell of the Sourdough Starter's origin. The most credible is as follows:

"Sourdough Pete, " when a young man, came to Alaska from Michigan at the turn of the century to seek his fortune. His grandmother, who had pioneered in the Michigan woods, knew a thing or two about hardships in a new land. Her parting gift, a crock of yeast starter, made him famous over the land. With the help of a sack of flour, "Sourdough Pete" always had hotcakes to eat, whether he struck it rich or not. He shared it with friends who, as the story goes, walked miles to get a starter from him. Pete became known for his generosity.

Other stories of the Sourdough's survival in spite of hardships and cold in the far north explain the pot of starter needed putting "to bed" in the coldest of weather. Under the covers, sharing its owner's body warmth, the starter survived to leaven the next day's supply of hotcakes. The owner, on long journeys, wore the starter in a bag around his neck inside his shirt. If the starter turned orange, it was not spoiled; but if it turned green, it had to be discarded.

Modern Alaskans keep the starter clean and fresh in a refrigerator or other cool place and use it daily or at least one a week. To take the starter to camp, add 2 or 2 1/2 cups flour to make a powdery mix and put it in a plastic bag. In the dried form the yeast goes into a spore stage which will keep inert for a long time. Water and warmth bring the yeast back to the active stage. To use the mix for hotcakes or other recipes, add 2 cups lukewarm water and 1/4 cup sugar, let stand for at least 8 hours.