Guide to the Unidentified photographer Alaska photograph album
1958-1958, 1963
Collection number: HMC-0929.
Creator: unknown.
Title: Unidentified photographer Alaska photograph album.
Dates: 1958-1959, 1963.
Volume of collection: 0.2 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in this collection are in English.
Collection summary: Photograph album of an unidentified photographer, who took photographs of various locations in Alaska.
Biographical note:
The photographer who took these color photographs lived in, or visited, Alaska in 1958, 1959, and 1963. The person visited and took photographs of Anchorage, the Seward Highway, Kenai, Nome, Kotzebue, Talkeetna, Mount McKinley, Fairbanks, and towns in Southeastern Alaska.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the contents of a photograph album of an anonymous photographer who lived in or visited Alaska in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The collection contains: 134 original 3.5 X 5 inch color prints. The color of the prints has faded somewhat. Subjects of the photographs include: Downtown Anchorage; the Seward Highway; Russian Orthodox churches in Kenai; Cook Inlet; Nome, including streets, Fourth of July celebration, and a flag raising at statehood on July 4, 1959; Kotzebue; Ketchikan; Wrangell; Petersburg; Sitka; Juneau; Talkeetna; flightseeing over Mt. McKinley (now Denali); and Fairbanks.
Arrangement: The photographs are arranged in the order in which they appeared in the original scrapbook.
Alternative formats: A xerographic copy of the original 42 page album has been made to show the original order of the photographs and accompanying captions.
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Archives and Special Collections does not own copyright to this collection.
Preferred citation: Unidentified photographer Alaska photograph album, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Acquisition note: The collection was purchased by the Archives on eBay in 2006.
Processing information: This collection was described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2007. The guide to the collection was updated by Gwen Sieja in 2016.
Photograph list:
Note: item numbers correspond to the page number and position on page of each photograph as they appeared in the original album, top to bottom and left to right. If there is one photograph on the page, only the page number will be used.
| Item | Description |
| 1a | “4th Ave. in Anchorage looking south.” View looking west, 4th Avenue theatre in center |
| 1b | “4th Ave. in Anchorage looking north.” View looking east, McKay building at left |
| 2a | “5th Ave. Looking north in Anchorage.” View looking east |
| 2b | “5th Ave. in Anchorage. J.C. Penney newest dept. store in Anchorage. looking north.” View looking east |
| 3a-6d | “Seward Highway Trip which is a nice day’s drive from Anchorage.” Winter scenery along Cook Inlet and possibly from Mt. Alyeska |
| 7a-c | “Seward Highway, about half way to Seward.” Winter scenery |
| 8a-c | “Seward Highway trip. Lake about 30 miles from Seward” |
| 9a-b | Winter mountain and lake scenery. |
| 9c | “Summit Lake on Seward Highway.” Fall scene |
| 10a-11d | “Some more mountain scenery on highway to Seward.” Primarily winter scenery |
| 13a | “Newer and presently used Russian Church in Kenai” |
| 13b | “Original Russian Church in Kenai” |
| 14a | “View of the mountains from Kenai” Coastal scene |
| 14b | Cook Inlet scene |
| 14c-d | “Lake Kenai, about 35 miles from Kenai” |
| 15 | “Mountain Valley on Seward Highway. Contrast of winter and spring” |
| 16a | Cook Inlet scene. |
| 16b | Highway and mountain scene. |
| 17a | “Nome from air. Taken 1963 in April.” Distant aerial view |
| 17b | “Nome. View of town from the solid ice of Bering Sea. Taken in winter 1959” |
| 17c-d | “Main Street of Nome before being paved. Taken in 1958. Street paved in 1959” |
| 18a | “Natives in Nome on a quiet Sunday afternoon.” Men and women in parkas sitting on bench |
| 18b | “Nome. Blanket toss is great afternoon fun on Sunday” |
| 18c-d | “Nome. Native dances done on 4th July 1958. A day of great celebration.” Drummers, dancers and crowd on street |
| 19a | “Nome sunset over Bering Sea” |
| 19b | “Nome. Notice the fish drying on the line and little Native boy looking out the door.” Fish racks and clotheslines at rear of house |
| 19c | “Nome Water Service. The competitors side by side. Only piped water is in the summer via surface pipe.” Two water trucks |
| 19d | “Nome. Midnight sun would be visible if not for mtns. Taken 11:30 pm June 20, 1959” |
| 20a-b | “Nome. Dog sled lead dog in 1959 race” |
| 20c | “Inside of gift shop in Nome” |
| 20d | “Nome. Native women and how they carry their children on their backs” |
| 21a | “Nome. Statehood is here. Old flag being lowered for last time on July 4, 1959.” Outside post office and court house |
| 21b | “Nome. Statehood is here. New flag being raised on July 4, 1959, for first time.” Outside post office and court house |
| 22a | “Kotzebue on May 21, 1958. First actual dog sled seen in use as working tool in Alaska. ” Distant view of sled and team on coastal ice |
| 22b | “Kotzebue from the air 1963.” Distant view |
| 22c | “Kotzebue. Main Street spring 1963” |
| 22d | “Kotzebue. Ice in front of house is local water system.” Log building |
| 23a | “Kotzebue. Sanitary service.” Tractor pulling garbage sledge |
| 23b | “Kotzebue in April, 1963. Looking at Bering Sea, & a true example of a whiteout where one can’t see horizon.” Dog team pulling sled with four airplanes in background |
| 23c | “Kotzebue, Native dances in local theater spring 1963. ” Elder woman dancing to drums |
| 23d | “Kotzebue. Wein Airlines terminal in 1958. This is no longer used. This was taken 1:30 PM Dec. 13, 1958” |
| 24a | “Ketchikan, most southern city in Alaska.” Downtown street scene with city sign |
| 24b | “Ketchikan, and a view of fishing boats.” Boat harbor scene |
| 24c-d | “Ketchikan, and a view of the city as it stretches along the sea.” Harbor scenes from dock |
| 25 | “Ketchikan fishing fleet.” Boat harbor scene |
| 26a-b | “Wrangell, in Southeastern Alaska. Fishing economy.” Aerial views |
| 26c | “Unloading fresh halibut in Wrangell” |
| 26d | “Wrangell. A fishing boat leaving for more fish” |
| 27a-b | “Petersburg, and its fishing boats.” Boat harbor scenes |
| 28a | “Petersburg, in Southeastern Alaska. Fishing economy.” Harbor scene of public dock |
| 28b | Fishing boats at dock |
| 28c | “Sitka, the original capitol of Alaska. One of most beautiful cities in Alaska when it doesn’t rain.” Aerial view |
| 29a-b | “Juneau from air. Spring 1963” |
| 29c-d | Juneau street scenes looking toward mountains |
| 30a | “Mt. Juneau.” View from Juneau |
| 30b | “The Main Street of Juneau.” Gastineau Hotel in center |
| 30c-d | Aerial views of ice field |
| 31a | “Mt. McKinley 1 mile from Talkeetna.” View from road |
| 31b | “General store at Talkeetna.” B & K Trading Co. |
| 31c | “Main street of Talkeetna.” View looking down street, roadhouse in center |
| 31d | “Mt. McKinley with telephoto lens from Talkeetna” |
| 32a | “Mt. McKinley with telephoto” |
| 32b | “Mt. Foraker” |
| 32c | “Don Sheldon – Alaska’s most famous bush pilot.” Don Sheldon in front of airplane at Talkeetna airfield |
| 32d | “Moose’s Tooth mountain on flight around Mt. McKinley” |
| 33a | “Mt. McKinley as seen from Sheldon plane” |
| 33b | “Mt. McKinley” |
| 33c | “Mt. Foraker” |
| 33d | “Canyon at base of Mt. McKinley is twice as deep as Grand Canyon.” Mountains and glacier from air |
| 34a-c | Aerial views of mountains |
| 34d | “Mt. McKinley.” Distant view and airplane wing |
| 35a | Aerial view of Southeast Alaska town |
| 35b | Aerial view of coastal logging camp |
| 35c | Old fishing boats in dry dock |
| 35d | Coastal logging camp |
| 36a | Glacier |
| 36b | Matanuska Glacier view |
| 36c | Two fishing boats |
| 36d | Dog musher in race |
| 37a | Mt. Edgecumbe scene |
| 37b | Pioneer Peak scene |
| 37c-d | Mountain scenery near Mt. McKinley National Park |
| 38a | Aerial view of Sitka |
| 38b | Water tower in Sitka |
| 38c | Mt. Edgecumbe view from small boat harbor in Sitka |
| 38d | More distant view of small boat harbor and Mt. Edgecumbe from Sitka |
| 39a | Harbor scene in Sitka |
| 39b | St. Michael’s Cathedral in Sitka |
| 39c | Mountain and harbor scene |
| 40a | “The main streets of Fairbanks, 1963.” Street scene |
| 40b | “Inside Jonas Bros. Store in Fairbanks 1963.” Mounted Dall sheep ram |
| 41a | “Beach scene at coastal village” |
| 41b | Aerial view of Skagway |
| 41c | Skagway street scene |
| 42a | Aerial view of sunset |
| 42b | Aerial view of volcanic mountain |