Guide to the Robert E. Brennan letters
1942
Collection number: HMC-0962.
Creator: Brennan, Robert E.
Title: Robert E. Brennan letters.
Date: 1942.
Volume of collection: 0.01 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in the collection are in English.
Collection summary: Letters written by a soldier who worked on the Alaska Highway.
Biographical note:
Robert E. Brennan was from Seattle, Washington. During World War II, he was a soldier in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 1942, Brennan’s unit, Party No. 9, was involved in the construction of the Alaska Highway in the Yukon Territory.
Collection description:
The collection consists of two World War II era letters with envelopes written by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers soldier, Robert E. Brennan. Both envelopes are addressed to Brennan’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. D. H. Brennan, in Seattle, Washington, and were postmarked in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. In the first letter, dated July 13th and 14th, Brennan writes about receiving items from his parents, being at his fourth construction camp near the Yukon River, having another crew working south from Fort Selkirk, having passed the village of Carmacks working north, and working as a rear flagman. He also writes about the weather, insects and pests, food, keeping a diary, and sending paychecks home. In the second letter, dated August 21st, Brennan writes about sending photographs home, hauling away part of a moose shot by another soldier, his eagerness to go home, and possibly seeing some football games in the fall.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged in chronological order.
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized. 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: Robert E. Brennan letters, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Acquisition note: The collection was purchased via Internet auction in 2007.
Processing information: This collection was described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2007. The guide to the collection was converted to current standard by Veronica Denison in 2015.