Guide to the Wilson W. Brine papers
1919-1967, bulk 1919-1926
Collection number: HMC-0074.
Creator: Brine, Wilson W.
Title: Wilson W. Brine papers.
Dates: 1919-1967, bulk 1919-1926.
Volume of collection: 0.7 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in the collection are in English.
Collection summary: Papers and photographs of a clerk for the St. Michael Board of the U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service.
Biographical note:
Wilson W. Brine served as Clerk of the St. Michael Board of the U. S. Steamboat Inspection Service from 1919 to 1926. As a part of his job he made annual trips from his office in Seattle, Washington to visit Nome and St. Michael, and to travel up the Yukon and Tanana Rivers to inspect steamboats and conduct accident investigations. He resigned from the service in 1926 and went to work as an agent for a ferry line in Washington.
Collection description:
The collection primarily consists of copies of the diaries, letters, and photos of Wilson W. Brine while serving as Clerk of the St. Michael Board of the U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service. The diaries date from 1921 and 1924-1926 and discuss his work at his office in Seattle, trips to Alaska and Canada, and his personal life. The letters, dating from 1920 to 1926, are primarily from Wilson Brine to his wife, Mae, and discuss his trips to Alaska and Canada on business. The collection also includes as a small number of clippings concerning the 1938 robbery of a ferry office where Brine worked, and an article written by Brine in 1967, as well as a map of Alaska and a poem. There is a xerographic copy of Wilson W. Brine’s photograph album from his Alaskan trips, as well as 464 photographs and negatives reproduced from the album. The photographs depict ships, Alaskan towns and villages, and scenery.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged by document type.
Digitized copies: Selected images from this 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: Wilson W. Brine papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Acquisition note: The collection was loaned to the Archives for copying by Mae Brine in 1981.
Processing information: This collection was described prior to 1995. The guide to the collection was converted to current standard by Gwen Sieja in 2015.
Location of originals: The original papers and photographs were returned to Mae Brine in 1982, and their current location is unknown.