Guide to the B. Black photograph album
1944-1945
Collection number: HMC-0582.
Creator: Black, B.
Title: B. Black photograph album.
Dates: 1944-1945.
Volume of collection: 0.25 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in the collection are in English.
Collection summary: Photograph album of a woman who worked for the Civil Aeronautics Authority in Anchorage during World War II.
Biographical note:
B. Black was likely a clerk with the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) office in Anchorage during the latter part of World War II. The CAA office was located in the Federal Building on 4th Avenue. She had two close female friends with whom she associated and may have shared living quarters.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the contents of the World War II era photograph album of B. Black. The collection contains 227 black and white prints from the. Subjects of the photographs include: B. Black and friends (snapshots and portraits); scenes along the Glenn and Steese highways, and the Alaska Railroad; Anchorage area scenes; a CAA party held at the Idle Hour Country Club in Spenard on October 13, 1944; CAA office scenes; and snow skiing and ice fishing scenes. Glenn Highway area scenes depicted include: Palmer, Sheep Mountain, the Matanuska River, Eklutna Lake, and Eklutna Flats. Steese Highway area scenes depicted include: Miller House, 12 Mile Summit, Riley Erickson’s Central House, Circle Hot Springs, Birch Creek, Circle City, and the Yukon River. Alaska Railroad area scenes depicted include: the railroad depot in Anchorage, the ski train in the Grandview area, the McKinley Hotel, Nellie Kelly’s Moose Creek Road House, and Otter Lake. Anchorage area scenes depicted include city streets, Chester Creek, and Cook Inlet. People identified in photographs from the CAA construction party include: John C. Hooper (Chief, Airway Engineering Branch), Marshall C. Hoppin (Alaska Regional Manager), H. T. “Til” Hopewell (Chief, Construction Unit), U. M. “Buck” Culver (Assistant Chief, Airway Engineering Branch), Everett Goodwin (Chief, Planning Unit), Ed Fisher (Assistant Chief, Engineering Unit), Eileen Anderson, Sue Choberka, George Karabelnikoff, G. J. “Jack” Paulie, Gordon Wildes, Ralph F. Westover, B. Black, Sam Kelly, and Herbert Gay. Some of the snow skiing scenes may have been taken in the Hatcher Pass area and show an area lodge.
Arrangement: Photographs in the collection are arranged by size.
Alternative formats: A xerographic copy of the album was made to indicate the original order of the photographs. Additionally, copy negatives were made from 27 of the photographs.
Digitized copies: Selected photographs from the collection have been digitized and can be found on Alaska’s Digital Archives. For information about obtaining copies please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Archives and Special Collections does not own copyright to the collection.
Preferred citation: B. Black photograph album, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Acquisition note: The collection was purchased by the Archives on eBay in 2002.
Processing information: This collection was described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2002. The guide to the collection was converted to current standard by Gwen Sieja in 2015.