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Charles W. Arvidson photographs

Guide to Charles W. Arvidson photographs
1943-1947

Collection number: HMC-0567.
Creator: Arvidson, Charles W.
Title: Charles W. Arvidson photographs.
Dates: 1943-1947.
Volume of collection: 0.25 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in the collection are in English.
Collection summary: Photographs taken during the construction of the Canol Pipeline.

Biographical note:
Charles W. Arvidson was born in Morrison County, Minnesota, in 1898. Arvidson was a construction worker who traveled extensively with his family for employment, mainly on electrical plants and dams. In 1943, Arvidson began work for Bethel-Price-Callahan Construction Company of Edmonton, Alberta, on the construction of the Canol (Canadian Oil) Pipeline in the Yukon Territory. He was a carpentry foreman for the pipeline project until April 1944. The Canol Pipeline runs from the Norman Wells oil fields in the Northwest Territories to Whitehorse on the Alaska Highway. The Canol Road and a corresponding telegraph line running north of Johnson’s Crossing were also constructed at this time to service the oil pipeline. Charles W. Arvidson died in Little Falls, Minnesota, in 1972.

Collection description:
The collection consists of the contents of a photo album, which has been dismantled, as well as additional photographs. The collection contains 46 black and white photographic prints from the album; the original album cover, two inside pages, and a clipping of a magazine article from the album; and 55 loose black and white prints. The subjects of the photographs from the album include construction camps along the Canol Road, welding crews working on the pipeline, a crew erecting telegraph poles, and area scenery. Camps identified include those at Johnson’s Crossing and miles 127, 177, 236, 268, and 276 of the pipeline or road. Other places identified include Lapie Lake, Evea Lake, Mount Sheldon, and the McMillan River. The magazine article, “Aleutians’ First Farm Is Run By Minnesota Soldier” (Minnesota Sunday Tribune, August 26, 1945), concerns Staff Sergeant Carl Baldauf, and includes two photographs. Subjects of the loose photographs include: Canol Pipeline and other construction sites, Anchorage, and the Matanuska Valley.

Arrangement: The collection is in the original order.

Digitized copies: 21 images from the collection have been digitized and are available on the Alaska’s Digital Archives. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.

Rights note: Archives does not hold copyright to materials in this collection.

Preferred citation: Charles W. Arvidson photographs, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.

Works used in preparation of inventory: Biographical information was provided by Charles W. Arvidson’s son.

Acquisition note: The collection was purchased via internet auction in 2002. Additional photographs were added in 2004.

Processing information: The photo album was dismantled, photographs rearranged by size, and the collection was described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2004. The collection was converted to current standard by Veronica Denison in 2014. The album contents were returned to original order by Shelby Lawson in 2021.

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