Guide to the Erickson family papers
1903-1971
Collection number: HMC-0356.
Creator:
Erickson, Arne S.
Erickson, Hans G.
Erickson, John A.
Erickson, Josephine.
Title: Erickson family papers.
Dates: 1903-1971.
Volume of collection: 1.20 cubic feet.
Language of materials: A majority of the collection is in English, however there are some materials in Swedish.
Collection summary: Papers and photographs of a family who lived in Anchorage and owned Crow Creek Mine.
Biographical note:
Josephine Erickson (née Johanson) was born in Sweden in 1887. She came to Iditarod, Alaska in 1913 to be with her sister, Jenny Strandberg. Josephine married miner Arne S. Erickson in 1914. The couple had two children: Hans (1917-1956), and John (1920-1971). The family moved to Anchorage in 1921. Arne S. Erickson was born in Breivit, Norway, in 1887. He came to Alaska in 1909 and worked in mining in Fairbanks. Erickson moved to the mining area of Flat and Iditarod in 1911, where he met and married Josephine Johanson. After moving his family to Anchorage in 1921, Erickson entered into a mining partnership with John Holmgren at Crow Creek in the Girdwood area. After purchasing Holmgren’s interests there in 1934, he continued mining at Crow Creek until the close of gold mining during World War II. Erickson then worked as a construction superintendent for the Civil Aeronautics Authority until his retirement in 1956. Josephine Erickson died in Anchorage in 1955. Arne Erickson married Cleora Bachner in 1961. Erickson spent much of his time in the summers at his Crow Creek property, also known as Erickson’s Gold Mine, which he sold to Cynthia Toohey in the 1970s. He died at the Pioneer Home in Fairbanks in 1978.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the papers and photographs of Josephine Erickson, Arne S. Erickson, and their sons Hans and John Erickson. Josephine Erickson’s papers include post card correspondence, primarily in Swedish. Arne Erickson’s papers include Christmas greeting cards, correspondence; and his story of Crow Creek area friend, Axel Linblad. Hans Erickson’s papers consist of school records, correspondence, and his discharge from the army. John Erickson’s papers include copies of his birth certificate, school records, and correspondence, military discharge records, college records from the University of Washington, his pharmacy licenses, and funeral records. The family photographs consist of copies of original albums, photographs from the Flat and Iditarod areas, Crow Creek Mine, Girdwood, and early Anchorage, relatives and friends of the Ericksons (primarily from Sweden and Norway), portraits and photographs of family members, and photo post cards. Locations depicted in the photographs include the Wilson Creek Mining Company, Marshall, Alaska, the Erickson home and garden in Anchorage, the Matanuska Valley, and the Shuyak Civil Aeronautics Authority station.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged in the following series:
Series 1. Josephine Erickson papers; 1903-1939
Series 2. Arne S. Erickson papers; undated, 1922-1967
Series 3. Hans G. Erickson papers; 1924-1947
Series 4. John A. Erickson papers; 1920-1971
Series 5. Photographs and cards; 1908-1971
Digitized copies: Selected images have been digitized and can be found online on Alaska’s Digital Archives. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Archives holds copyright to materials created by the Erickson family. The collection contains materials not created by the Erickson family which may be subject to copyright.
Preferred citation: Erickson family papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Related materials: HMC-0355, Lawrence and Olga Doheny family papers and HMC-0357, David and Jenny Strandberg family papers.
Acquisition note: The collection was deposited at Archives and Special Collections in 1981 by Olga Doheny and Odin Strandberg. A deed of gift was signed by Odin Strandberg in 1997.
Processing information: The photograph albums were dismantled, photographs rearranged, and the collection described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2000. The guide to the collection was converted to current standard by Veronica Denison in 2015.
Container list:
Series 1: Josephine Erickson papers; 1903-1939. 0.15 cubic feet.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1/1 | Incoming post cards, primarily in Swedish (these postcards were removed from a photograph album) | undated, 1903-1913 |
| 1/2 | Personal papers: Anchorage driver’s licenses, will, correspondence | 1910-1939 |
Series 2: Arne S. Erickson papers; undated, 1922-1967. 0.05 cubic feet.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1/3 | Christmas greeting cards and photo post card “Old Town Kanatak, Alaska” from H. and J. Telleson | undated, 1922, 1933 |
| 1/4 | Arne Erickson and Cleora Bachner Erickson correspondence: Letter from Olga Doheny to sister Genevieve Kuntz concerning Erickson-Bachner wedding, including clipping of wedding announcement in the Anchorage Daily Times; Expo 67 post card | 1961, 1967 |
| 1/5 | “The Story of Axel Linblad, and Arne Erickson Remembers, as told to Mary Louise Koeniger” by Arne Erickson | circa 1957 |
Series 3: Hans G. Erickson papers; 1924-1947. 0.05 cubic feet.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1/6 | Anchorage Public Schools and Anchorage High School: report cards, physical examination record, graduation announcement, commencement program, diploma; list of names of first grade classmates | 1924-1936 |
| 1/7 | Correspondence | undated, 1931-1945 |
| 1/8 | Honorable discharge record from U.S. Army | 1947 |
Series 4: John A. Erickson papers; 1920-1971. 0.10 cubic feet.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1/9 | Birth certificate, issued 1933 | 1920 |
| 1/10 | Baby’s Childhood Days: A Biography (baby book with photograph of John A. Erickson) | 1919-1920 |
| 1/11 | School records: Report cards, physical examination records, “Voyages of the Norsemen” a hand drawn map; Anchorage High School graduation announcement, commencement program, and diploma | 1925-1938 |
| 1/12 | Correspondence | undated, 1931-1933 |
| 1/13 | Military discharge records: Honorable discharge record from U.S. Army; Separation qualification record; Embarkation record from New York Port of Embarkation | 1945 |
| 1/14 | University of Washington college records: Diploma for B.S. in Pharmacy, copy of college transcripts | 1950, 1959 |
| 1/15 | Pharmacy licenses | 1959-1970 |
| 1/16 | Funeral records: Funeral program, cards from flowers from the Erickson family | 1971 |
Series 5: Photographs and cards; 1908-1971. 0.85 cubic feet.
The majority of the series contains photographs. The photographs include family photographs and portraits, the Erickson home and garden in Anchorage, the Strandberg family, as well as relatives from Sweden, Alaskan scenery, family vacations, Crow Creek Mine, and Shuyak Civil Aeronautics Authority station and construction. The series also contains greeting cards. The photograph albums were dismantled, however copies of the photograph albums were made. Photographs from the albums appear to have been rearranged by subject.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1/17 | Xerographic copy of “Post Card” album | 1911-1925 |
| 1/18-19 | Photographic post cards taken from “Post Cards” album: photographs taken primarily by Arne and Josephine Erickson, most taken in the Flat/Iditarod area of their family and with David and Jenny Strandberg | 1911-1925 |
| 1/20 | Flat/Iditarod mining photos | 1915-1920 |
| 1/21 | Xerographic copy of family photograph album | 1922-1955 |
| 1/22 | Crow Creek Mine, Girdwood, and early Anchorage family and mining | 1922-1955 |
| 1/23 | Xerographic copy of photograph album “Alaska Photographs” | undated |
| 1/24-25 | Photos of and from relatives and friends of Josephine and Arne Erickson, primarily Swedish and Norwegian relatives | 1908-1967 |
| 1/26 | Wilson Creek Mining Company, Marshall, Alaska, placer mining operations and airplanes | circa 1925 |
| 1/27 | Jenny Strandberg and women friends in her Anchorage garden; Erickson house and garden in Anchorage, children, sawmill, and view from airplane; Erickson garden in Anchorage; boat next to lake; parade, 4th Avenue, Anchorage; Knik River Bridge, Strandbergs and Ericksons on auto trip in Matanuska Valley, family and friends; Ericksons and Strandbergs on trip to Copper Center Inn and Matanuska Valley; Dutch Island Civil Aeronautics Authority radar station; Hans Erickson with parents in Erickson garden, Ted and Peggy Strandberg with parents in Matanuska Valley; Arne and Josephine Erickson and child on winter trip to Kenai Peninsula; Arne and Josephine Erickson with daughter-in-law Mildred Erickson (wife of son Hans) and grandchildren; Shuyak harbor and Civil Aeronautics Authority construction crew and sheds | circa 1925-1948 |
| 1/28 | Shuyak Civil Aeronautics Authority station: harbor, facilities, and housing construction | 1948 |
| 1/29 | Rainier National Park, Christine Falls, Narada Falls, and Mount Rainier; Crow Creek Mine; Josephine Erickson with son John Erickson and family; Arne Erickson skiing at Crow Creek Mine; Josephine Erickson’s headstone in cemetery, Anchorage; Olga Doheny and Arne Erickson and friends at party; Arne Erickson skiing at Crow Creek Mine; friends and William Strandberg at party inside Erickson home; Florida | 1948-1956 |
| 1/30 | Arne Erickson at Crow Creek Mine in winter; friends; Southern Pacific Railroad station; group of nuns on outing at Crow Creek Mine; Crow Creek Mine; Alaska Railroad train; Arne Erickson entertaining at home in Anchorage; relatives of Ericksons; John Erickson in front of Thrifty Drug; Knik River Bridge and Old Glenn Highway; Erickson house and garden; parade passing Erickson house; Ericksons and Strandbergs in Strandberg garden; Shuyak Civil Aeronautics Authority station and construction; Hans and John Erickson with wives Mildred and Pauline, and children Marjorie and Arne; Seward Highway; Cook Inlet; grandchildren in Erickson garden; Hans Erickson; Florida | 1942-1960 |
| 1/31 | Kathryn Erickson in Erickson garden; flowered graves in cemetery; Crow Creek Mine; Arne Erickson at Josephine Erickson’s grave in cemetery; rodeo grounds in Florida and friends; parades in Anchorage; visit with relatives outside Alaska; family photographs | 1923-1960 |
| 1/32 | Hans Erickson: portraits, photographs, military service in Korea | circa 1950-1953 |
| 1/33 | John A. Erickson and family: mounted portraits | undated, 1942 |
| 2/1 | John A. Erickson and family: Anchorage; Crow Creek Mine; Creighton University, Iowa; and Washington, D.C.; Hawaii; Everett, Washington | 1939-1971 |
| 2/2 | Kathryn Evelyn Erickson Imbriani (daughter of Hans Erickson) and family | 1950-1958 |
| 2/3 | Erickson grandchildren | undated, 1948 |
| 2/4 | Cleora Bachner Erickson (Arne Erickson’s second wife), and George Bachner (Clara’s first husband) | undated |
| 2/5 | Erickson house and garden, Anchorage | undated |
| 2/6 | Civil Aeronautics Authority projects in Alaska | undated |
| 2/7 | “Cameron, Bailey & Galagher. Duncan Creek-Poorman. Ruby Gold Mining Dist. Alaska”; “‘Sourdough’ Train at Mile 132 Mainline, A.E.C.” | 1913, 1917 |
| 2/8 | Family photographs | 1947-1960 |
| 2/9 | Photo post cards: Alaska, Minnesota, and Montreal | undated, 1967 |
| 2/10 | Christmas greeting cards from family and friends: Arne Erickson, Peggy and Ted Strandberg, Dr. Goodman, Einar Storstein, Axel Lindstrom, and the Vernons | undated |