A question about the author of a book I read long ago,?

The title was "The Alaskan" about a man named Wade who stowed away on a steam ship to Alaska and on arrival got a job unloading it. He thought there was a mistake in his pay because of the high wages he made working. he met a old sourdough named "Mitch' and moved in with him and then met a Indian woman named Martha and later her sister named Alice who divorced her husband and married him. She died of alcoholism at the end of the book. Other names in the book were, " Boots", "Jack" and "Swede" This is all I can remember and any help would be greatly appreciated.