O.G. Herning, christened Orville George, was born July 30, 1863, in Eyota, Minnesota. He taught rural schools until 1888 then went into a produce business with D.W.A. Roby. They later moved to Nagatuck, Conn., where Roby had relatives. In 1894 Mr. Herning married Martha A. Rogers of Nagatuck, Conn. and had a son, G. Stanley Herning.

In 1897 the E.C. Davis company, Boston brokers, began to recruit men to go to Alaska to prospect and locate gold claims. O.G. Herning was to head up one of the groups. He went to Tyonek in 1898 to manage an exploration company. Mr. Herning settled in Knik and then in Wasilla, Alaska, managing the Klondike and Boston Gold Mining and Manufacturing Co., then established the Knik Trading Post. His diaries span almost 50 years of his life in these areas.

Beginning in 1898, Mr. Herning drew, published and sold three different maps of the Upper Cook Inlet mining area showing trails, geographical features and mineral areas. He was also an excellent photographer and from time to time wrote articles for various newspapers and trade magazines. [From: Louise Potter, Pre-Diary Notes.]