The infamous 'Into the Wild' bus, which was featured in the eponymous book and movie, could be placed into the University of Alask...
The infamous 'Into the Wild' bus, which was featured in the eponymous book and movie, could be placed into the University of Alaska's Museum of the North after it was airlifted from the backcountry earlier this month.
The vehicle, also known as Bus 142 or 'The Magic Bus,' became a hotspot for hikers after Christoper McCandless died inside the bus in 1992 after taking shelter there.
McCandless's journal which he kept in his final days inspired the book 'Into the Wild', which was later made into a film.
But the bus was removed by army officials this month to discourage unprepared tourists from making the same dangerous journey.
Several search search-and-rescue missions have been launched to find lost tourists and the most recent death involved a 24-year-old woman who drowned in a river near the bus.
The infamous bus featured in 'Into the Wild' will likely be placed in the University of Alaska's Museum of the North (pictured)
Officials with the University of Alaska's Museum of the North (pictured) was one of several individuals or institutions that a submitted proposal for the bus
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources said Thursday that it intends to negotiate with the University of Alaska's Museum of the North to display the bus.
'Of the many expressions of interest in the bus, the proposal from the UA Museum of the North best met the conditions we at DNR had established to ensure this historical and cultural object will be preserved in a safe location where the public could experience it fully, yet safely and respectfully, and without the specter of profiteering,' Natural Resources Commissioner Corri Feige said in a press statement.
The press statement acknowledged the abandoned bus over the years had attracted 'unprepared travelers' who sometimes become lost or injured.'
The 'Into the Wild' bus became a beacon for those wishing to retrace the steps of McCandless.
McCandless was hiking through Alaska when he found shelter inside the abandoned bus in Alaska's wilderness.
The 24-year-old Virginia man later became stuck in the bus when the Teklanika River swelled. He starved to death there, and weighed just 67lbs when authorities discovered him.
He kept a journal of his ordeal, which was discovered when his body was found.
McCandless´ story became famous with author Jon Krakaue's 1996 book 'Into the Wild,' followed nine years later by director Sean Penn's award-winning movie of the same name.
Christoper McCandless (pictured) hiked through Alaska's backcountry and found shelter inside Bus 142 before he died in 1992
Authorities discovered McCandless' dead body inside the bus, which only weight 67lbs and an autopsy said the hiker likely starved to death
The book and film tell the story of a young idealist who wanted to remove himself from society by hitchhiking to Alaska to live in the wild with very few supplies.
Over the years, people from around the world have traveled to the bus, located about 25 miles from the town of Healy, to pay homage to McCandless.
Two women have drowned in the Teklanika River on such visits to the bus, one from Switzerland in 2010 and the other from Belarus nine years later.
Veramika Maikamava and her husband, Piotr Markielau, both 24, traveled to Alaska from New York City to see the 1940's-era bus.
Although they lived in the Big Apple at the time, Veramika is originally from Belarus.
The couple attempted to cross the River along the Stampede Trail near Healy when Veramika was swept underwater due to the current.
The river was flowing high and fast because of recent rains.
Veramika Maikamava, (pictured), was swept away by a river in Alaska while trying to reach an abandoned bus with her husband, Piotr Markielau, on Thursday night
Markielau reported that he was able to pull his wife out of the water a short distance away downriver, but she had died by then, the troopers said.
There have been 15 other search-and-rescue missions since 2009, state officials said, including five Italian tourists in February who needed rescue last winter. One had severe frostbite.
Alaska State Troopers said the five Italians were rescued from a camp they set up after visiting the dilapidated bus on the Stampede Trail near the interior town of Healy.
Members of the Alaska Army National Guard removed the 'Into the Wild' bus from the wilderness using a helicopter
The bus was removed to deter tourists from attempting to the same dangerous, and sometimes fatal, trip as McCandless
The hikers were found 13 miles from the trailhead, Trooper spokesman Tim DeSpain said. He didn't know how far they were from the bus.
Rescuers were alerted by the hikers with a satellite-based emergency device that notified the International Emergency Response Coordination Center of a medical emergency, troopers said.
The draw of the bus became too much for state officials, who arranged for the Alaska Army National Guard to remove the bus with a helicopter last month as part of a training mission.
The National Guard had previously said the bus was a public safety issue because it was luring fans of McCandless to venture out into the dangerous Alaskan wild.
The bus had initially been used to house construction workers building a road in the area. It was abandoned in 1961, and became a shelter for those using the backcountry to recreate or hunt.
After its removal, the department received dozens of suggestions for use of the bus that came from individuals, museums and institutions nationwide, with varying plans to preserve, exhibit, monetize or memorialize it, Feige said.
The department decided to consider the university´s proposal, which had several advantages.
In February, Alaska emergency crews had to rescue a group of Italian tourists at a desolate campsite after they traveled to see the bus
Natural Resources Commissioner Corri Feige: 'It can honor all of the lives and dreams, as well as the deaths and sorrows associated with the bus, and do so with respect and dignity'
It's just one of three official state repositories, and the only one in the Fairbanks area able to accept and curate state-owned historical items. The museum also has the staff to restore, curate and display the bus.
This proposal also allows the Department of Natural Resources to retain ownership of the bus, and decide future uses, including whether to lend it out for display and where.
'I believe that giving Bus 142 a long-term home in Fairbanks at the UA Museum of the North can help preserve and tell the stories of all these people,' Feige said.
'It can honor all of the lives and dreams, as well as the deaths and sorrows associated with the bus, and do so with respect and dignity.'
The department anticipates signing final paperwork within the next few months.
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