Guide to the Phyllis D. Carlson papers
1911-1982, bulk 1967-1982
Collection number: HMC-1431.
Creator: Carlson, Phyllis Downing.
Title: Phyllis D. Carlson papers.
Dates: 1911-1982, bulk 1967-1982.
Volume of collection: 0.5 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Collection materials are in English.
Collection summary: The papers of an Alaskan historian and researcher.
Biographical note:
Phyllis Downing Carlson was born in 1909 in Seattle. She moved to Alaska in 1914 when her father worked on the railroad from Cordova to the Kennicott mines. Upon reaching adulthood, she earned her teaching certificate and taught in Cooper Landing and Tyonek. She then moved briefly to Anchorage with her husband. After World War II, Carlson returned to Cordova and began her long career as a free-lance journalist and historian. In 1965, Carlson moved back to Anchorage. She served on the Anchorage’s Historical Landmark Preservation Commission, as historian for the Alaska Press Women (now the Alaska Professional Communicators), and Alaska reference librarian at the Z.J. Loussac Library. She also assisted in the planning of the Alaska Bicentennial celebration. Carlson died in Anchorage in 1993.
Collection description:
This collection contains the research files and notes of an Alaskan historian collected between 1967 to 1982. Topics of research include steamships, the Alaska Railroad, highways in Alaska, the oil industry, World War II, Pioneer Homes, libraries, aviation, the Russian diocese, and tourism. The research files contain clippings, photographs, ephemera, and Carlson’s own notes on specific subjects. There are also limited records from Carlson’s participation in various historical organizations including the Alaska Historical Society, the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation, the Alaska Historical and Transportation Museum, Inc., the Alaska Historical Commission, and the Cook Inlet Historical Society.
Arrangement: This collection is arranged by record type and topic.
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: The Archives holds copyright to materials in the collection created by Carlson.
Preferred citation: Phyllis D. Carlson papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Works used in preparation of inventory:
“Phyllis Carlson Obituary.” Anchorage Daily News. July 10, 1993.
Separated materials: Unannotated publications, clippings, and newsletters available elsewhere were removed from the collection. Select materials were separated into other collections (see related materials note).
Related materials: HMC-1430, Alaska Heritage Review records, EPH-0516, Alaska Historical and Transportation Museum, Inc. newsletters, EPH-0517, Sitka Troika newsletters, EPH-0518, Kodiak Baptist Mission KBM News newsletter, EPH-0519, Covered Bridges from Alaska’s Past article by Glenn Hayes and Joseph Conwill, EPH-0520, Pacific Alaska Airways Alaska Services brochure, EPH-0521, Crash of the B-29 Clobbered Goose photographs, EPH-0522, Kodiak Chamber of Commerce information guide.
Acquisition note: This collection was separated from the Alaska Professional Communicators records in 2023. A deed of gift was signed at that time.
Processing information: This collection was described by Becky Butler in 2023.