In the winter of 1983, residents of McCarthy, Alaska were pretty much stranded with no running water, telephones, and electricity, aside from the standalone generators some people owned.
During those freezing cold months, the process of getting your mail was pretty interesting. There are mail planes that come once a week, bringing letters and boxes, as well as groceries and other supplies. Mail planes operate year-round in super rural cities, and during the winter, these deliveries are crucial for survival.
People in these small Alaska towns are super nice and friendly, so if they were to meet someone new on mail day, they’d often invite them over for a warm beverage and a snack.
On February 28th, which was one day before the coveted mail day in McCarthy, 39-year-old Louis Hastings kicked back at his neighbor’s house, in the town of Kennicott, about four miles away from McCarthy. Louis’ neighbor was a 29-year-old man named Christopher Richards.
Christopher and Louis spent the evening drinking and playing board games. At the end of the night, Louis went home, and the next morning at around 8:30, he returned to Christopher’s house.
Christopher was cooking his breakfast and thought Louis was on his way to meet the mail plane, so he asked him to come in for a cup of coffee and Louis agreed.
The next part is a little murky, depending on the source you read.
