Why Did Noah Brown Leave the Homestead?

People were glued to the screen watching the Brown family endure the harsh conditions of Alaska, including the freezing winters, during the “Alaskan Bush People” docudrama TV show aired between 2014 and 2022. Ami and Billy, the patriarch and matriarch who lived in Alaska for decades, taught their seven children to thrive in the mountainous region of Chichagof Island. Four sons, Bam Bam, Bear, Gabe and Noah, and daughters Bird and Rain, still practice the homestead lifestyle and consider themselves a part of a “Wolfpack,” while the oldest son, Matt, left the family and the show in the eighth season.

Their TV show showed that, despite living away from civilization, the family held a mix of traditional values, such as courting and writing letters, and modern ones, such as moving out of the homestead to start a family. Noah displayed those values when he married Rhain Alisha, a girl who led a different lifestyle in her home state of Oregon, in 2018. However, viewers suspect that wanting to raise their two children elsewhere wasn’t the only reason Noah gathered his belongings and left for Colorado, shortly after tying the knot. His decision also came several months after his mother beat Stage 3 lung cancer.

However, his move was temporary; Noah missed his roots, and relocated to Washington State to live on the family property. Moreover, he recently revealed that he plans to spend summers back home in Alaska, and settle there when he retires.

Noah’s departure wasn’t so serious

Noah Darkcloud Brown, born on 18 July 1992, was raised to be the head of the household; he’s capable, strong, supportive, and devoted to Christianity. His parents claimed that the entire family is well-adjusted to living alone, and unbothered by not seeing anyone else for months. However, they always preached love and union to their children, and guided Noah to wait to date until he found someone whom he could see himself marrying.

Rhain fitted that role perfectly, and the couple moved to Trinidad, Colorado, after the wedding ceremony. They now have two children, Eli and Adam, however, the sudden move indicated a discord in the family, and rumors started circulating that Noah especially hurt his sister, Bird. Luckily, people with behind-the-scenes information know that Billy wholeheartedly supported his son’s move to Colorado before he died on 7 February 2021 from a seizure. Moreover, his sister Bird demonstrated no bad blood after 2018. Most importantly, Noah returned to the Alaskan homestead with his wife and children in recent seasons, and is still close to his family.

He was unsuccessful at romance before Rhain

All “Alaskan Bush People” family members were adept at living off the land; some were better at foraging, others at hunting and fishing, however, they all loved their non-livestock animals, including cats, dogs, rabbits and birds, and their love made up for the absence of other human beings.

Noah proudly bore the title of the family’s inventor, tinkerer, and do-it-yourself (DIY) guy. He was also passionate about bow hunting, and was also seen reading and performing magic, which made him happy, his family proud and at times amazed.

That, combined with the family’s traditional Christian faith and the homestead’s isolation, meant that Noah hadn’t been around girls other than his sisters and was awkward at dating. Although his love life was rarely the show’s topic, the moment Noah revealed that he once sang about an ex-girlfriend on his first date was hard to forget. However, most viewers ultimately found it endearing, and knew that he would learn from his mistakes.

His relationship surprised everyone

After his embarrassing confession, Noah undoubtedly learned a lot about relationships, potentially from his father and older brothers. He even found, then maintained his romance, amid one of the worst times in his life. His mother was diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer in April 2017, which prompted the entire family to move from Alaska. They stayed in Los Angeles while she was undergoing treatment, before moving to Washington State during her recovery.

Most people don’t realize, primarily because Noah is a private person, that he met Rhain Alisha Merrill shortly before his mother began her therapy. They started things in the old-fashioned but predictable way, writing letters and courting until they had their first chance to meet, when Rhain flew to Browntown, the family’s unofficial town in Alaska – she later revealed that she immediately knew Noah was ‘the one.’ They married a year after his mother beat cancer, in August 2018, and welcomed their first child, son Elijah “Eli” Connor Brown, on 26 February 2019.

His father supported him

Shortly after Noah’s son was born, the family moved to Trinidad, Colorado. They branded the decision as ‘simply having a break from the overbearing family, and the hardships that they endured.’ However, viewers were unsure if Noah was renting the home and why he left. Luckily, a deeper dig into the move revealed that Billy backed his son’s decision and bought the Colorado house where they lived.

That meant that Noah had his parents’ blessings to relocate and start working on his goals. Thus, his move was nothing more than wanting a change of scenery and a fresh start for his newly expanded family. Moreover, Noah and Rhain quickly got a family dog, Freya, which suggested that they were in a good place.

His move reportedly upset Bird

Viewers who have followed the TV show for years know that Noah has had a great relationship with his younger sister, Snowbird “Bird” Brown. They were born only two years apart, and so were understandably close. When Rhain entered the picture, the two women didn’t see eye to eye, moreover, Noah’s mother was allegedly shocked that her son’s girlfriend chose a similar name, Rhain, to one of her daughters. Thus, there were rumors that his relocation to another state hurt Rain and Bird, and they blamed Noah’s wife for taking their best friend, and Noah for not fighting to stay.

That was partially true since saying goodbye was difficult, but the siblings squashed all those rumors in the coming episodes, and remained on good terms. For instance, Noah jokingly wore a t-shirt with “World’s Okayest Brother” printed on it, a gift from Rain, Bird, or both. He also named Bird a godmother to Eli, while Rain said that she loves being an aunt, calling it the ‘favorite thing about herself,’ and looked enamored with Eli from the day that he was born.

He returned to Washington in 2020

The Brown family has had several devastating problems in the last five years. Ami’s doctors informed everyone that the harsh Alaskan conditions wouldn’t benefit Ami’s post-cancer recovery, and would increase the risk of further health problems. As a reminder, they only gave her a three percent chance of survival; hence, beating cancer was somewhat of a miracle. Moreover, being cut off from the world would make her appointments for regular CT and CAT scans more energy and time-consuming. Most importantly, the family wouldn’t be able to react in time to a potential medical emergency.

Therefore, Billy and Ami with most family members, left Browntown and moved to a 435-acre or 1,75km2 property in Tonasket, Washington State. Although it wasn’t remote, the new homestead had enough space for each family member to build a house and live with their family. Sadly, Noah never got the chance to do that. Most of the family’s property went up in flames after a wildfire – the Palmer Fire – swept through Okanogan County in 2020.

Noah posted on his Instagram account, @noah_dc_brown, to say that he was safe, but that the fire destroyed everything that they owned on the North Star Ranch, forcing them to rent a home nearby. Even worse, as soon as the family started rebuilding the following year, his father died from a seizure, leaving his feeble-bodied wife in charge. Additionally, Noah was busy at the time, because he’d learned that his wife was pregnant. Rhain gave birth to their second son, Adam, on 30 October 2021.

Noah will occasionally go back to Alaska

Ami’s health seemingly improved in the last two years, despite the apparent grief, during the 13th and 14th seasons. Those seasons also showed Noah taking Eli fishing and introducing him to spending time on the water. Consequently, he promised to teach his son as much about off-the-grid living as possible. Additionally, Noah wanted to visit Alaska with Bird and Rain in the 14th season, aired in 2022, because they were all homesick. Their plans were delayed by Bird’s unbearable abdominal pain, which turned out to be caused by non-cancerous growths on her ovaries and near her bladder. Doctors removed both, and the trio eventually traveled to where they grew up.

Noah told the cameras that he plans to ‘move to Alaska next spring or summer.’ He reportedly found an island, bought the land, and proudly reminded his brother Gabe that he promised their father that he would own an island someday.

However, Noah clarified in late 2022 that he would continue living in Washington on the family property, but visit his island every summer. He also revealed that he plans to work on it yearly until he grows old. Then, unless something changes, he would leave the Washington property to Eli and Adam, and retire with Rhain in Alaska.

Noah took a break from the family

Noah is undoubtedly dedicated to his wife and two sons but is staying close to his mother, Ami, and sister Bird, both recovering from invasive surgical operations. He was vague about leaving Alaska for Colorado, only saying that he ‘needed a break from family hardship’ after his first son’s birth. While he initially wanted to settle in Washington, on North Star Ranch, the family property and all his possessions were ravaged by the Palmer Fire in 2020.

Therefore, Noah had to rent a home and start from scratch, then had to reconsider his priorities after his father died in early 2021. He decided to stay in Washington and rebuild his portion of the property so that his sons could inherit it. Meanwhile, he would visit the Alaskan island that he bought a year or two ago every summer and work on building a house for his eventual retirement.

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He is expanding his online presence

Noah was always private, and didn’t want to comment on the show’s controversies or discussions about his personal life. However, he became much more forthcoming after his father’s death and his second son’s birth.

His first step was small; Noah and Rhain deleted the joint Instagram account under the handle @noah_d_and_rhain_alisha, and created separate ones, @noah_dc_brown and @rhain_alisha. Consequently, Noah launched a personal YouTube channel, @alaskannoahbrown, in early 2023. He also has a Cameo account, @noah_dc_brown, on which he charges between $20 and $40 to record a personal video responding to fans’ comments, questions, or requests. That suggests that Noah wants a failsafe in case, or when “Alaskan Bush People” gets canceled. Additionally, his content focuses on the skills required to keep his Alaskan island operational and is something other homesteaders will gladly pay for.