Guide to the William H. Chase photographs
circa 1915-1930
Collection number: HMC-0087.
Creator: Chase, William H.
Title: William H. Chase photographs.
Dates: circa 1915-1930.
Volume of collection: 0.2 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in the collection are in English.
Collection summary: Photographs of an Alaskan doctor, health commissioner, and mayor of Cordova.
Biographical note:
William H. “Will” Chase was born in Warsaw, New York, in 1874. He studied medicine at Bellevue Hospital in New York. In 1897 he came to Alaska and lived in various Alaskan towns including Skagway, Dyea, Dawson, Fairbanks, and Valdez. In 1908 he moved to Cordova where he served twenty-four terms as Mayor. He was also Deputy Commissioner of Health Third Division, and Alaska Game Commissioner from 1925 to 1931. He was the author of The Sourdough Pot, Captain Billie Moore, and Pioneers of Alaska; and in 1948, he received the Jessen’s Weekly Distinguished Service Award. He died in Seattle, Washington in 1965.
Collection description:
The collection consists of 461 copied black and white photographs and negatives of Alaska, Cordova, and the Valdez area. The photographs are of people and family members, hunting, camping, airplanes, boats, structures, towns, scenery, and other activities and events.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged by type of material, separating prints from negatives.
Digitized copies: Selected photographs 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: William H. Chase photographs, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Acquisition note: The original negatives were loaned to the Archives for copying by Richard Davis in 1982.
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 negatives were returned to Richard Davis in 1983 and their current location is unknown.