Guide to the Lois Little papers
1931, 1935
Collection number: HMC-0575.
Creator: Little, Lois.
Title: Lois Little papers.
Dates: 1931, 1935.
Volume of collection: 0.25 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in the collection are in English.
Collection summary: Scrapbook and travel diary of a schoolteacher from Iowa who took a trip to Alaska and Canada.
Biographical note:
Lois Little was a schoolteacher from Sioux City, Iowa. In August 1931, she took a trip to Alaska with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Little, and friends Mr. and Mrs. Ben Rose and Miss Inez Cobb of Akron, Iowa. The tour was arranged by the National Education Association, Division of Educational Travel. The group traveled from Sioux City, Iowa to Seattle, Washington by train. On August 7th, the group sailed on the S.S. Dorothy Alexander from Seattle on a voyage up the Inside Passage to Skagway. The outgoing voyage included stops at Victoria, British Columbia, Ketchikan, and Sitka. In Skagway, they took a White Pass and Yukon Route train to Lake Bennett, British Columbia. On the return voyage to Seattle, they stopped at Juneau, Mendenhall Glacier, Taku Inlet, Wrangell, and Prince Rupert. Before returning home, the group traveled by train on the Canadian National Railway, visiting Jasper National Park, and proceeded on to Edmonton, Alberta, and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the contents of Lois Little’s scrapbook concerning her August 1931 trip from Sioux City, Iowa, to Southeast Alaska, as well as a travel diary documenting the trip. Contents of the album include 159 black and white photographs and photo post cards; an Alaska Steamship Company map of Alaska; menus, a passenger list, passenger accommodation plan, and newsletter pages from the S.S. Dorothy Alexander; an article written by Lois Little on her Alaska trip published in theTeacher’s Club Reporter; and other small souvenir items. Subjects of the photographs include the U.S. Government Locks at Seattle, Washington; Victoria, British Columbia; Ketchikan; Sitka; Skagway; Lake Bennett, British Columbia; The White Pass and Yukon Route Railway; Taku Glacier; Auke Lake and Mendenhall Glacier; Wrangell; Prince Rupert, British Columbia; and Jasper National Park, Alberta. The travel diary contains daily entries concerning Little’s activities aboard both the ship and trains, and in the cities she visited, as well as the scenery. In addition to the photographs from the scrapbook, there are there are 7 loose black and white negatives.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged by type of material. Photographs are arranged by size.
Alternative formats: A xerographic copy of the original scrapbook was made to indicate original order. Additionally, copy negatives were made from 15 of the prints in the scrapbook.
Digitized copies: 28 images from this collection have been digitized and placed on the Alaska’s Digital Archives. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Archives and Special Collections does not own copyright to the collection.
Preferred citation: Lois Little papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Acquisition note: The collection was purchased by the Archives on eBay in 2002.
Processing information: This original scrapbook was dismantled, its contents arranged by type of material, and the collection described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2002. The guide to the collection was updated to current standard by Gwen Sieja in 2015.
Container list:
The original scrapbook was dismantled, and the photographs and paper items were put into separate folders. The photographs are arranged by size. The folder and item refer to the location of an item in a collection. The page indicates the page or pages on which the items were located in the original scrapbook. Decriptions are based on the original scrapbook captions, and not every item is individually described.
| Folder/Item | Page(s) | Description |
| 2/18 | Inside front cover | “Trip to Alaska: Sioux Cityans Plan Jaunt to North Country”; 1931 July 25 (newspaper clipping on trip) |
| 1/1-12 | 1-3 | “Enroute to Seattle via the C., M., St. P., & P. Ry.” (10 black and white prints); “Visiting at a great cedar mill in Seattle” (2 black and white prints) |
| 1/13-19 | 4-5 | U.S. Government Locks, Seattle, Washington (7 black and white prints): Commercial travel photos (5 different); Lois Little and Inez Cobb at the locks (2 different) |
| 1/20-24 | 6-7 | “At the Anderson Chicken Ranch” (5 black and white prints): “Auntie B. and Guy;” “Kinsfolk” Group photo, left to right: Arthur Little, Auntie B., Mrs. Little, Guy, and Lois Little |
| 1/25-34 | 9-11 | “Victoria, B.C.,” commercial travel views of Victoria, British Columbia (10 black and white prints): “The Inner Harbour, Victoria, B.C.;” “Douglas Street, Victoria, B.C.;” “C.P.R. Offices and Docks, Victoria, B.C;” “Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C.;” “Pendary Gardens, Victoria, B.C.;” “Olympic Range from Oak Bay Golf Links, Victoria, B.C.;” “Hatley Park, Victoria, B.C.;” “The Empress Hotel, Victoria, B.C.;” “Crystal Gardens Swimming Pool, Victoria, B.C.;” “Colwood Golf Links, Victoria, B.C.” |
| 1/35-39 | 12-15 | Ketchikan (5 black and white prints): “Our first Port of Call in Alaska,” view of Ketchikan waterfront from ship; “Totem Poles at Ketchikan” (2 different); “Mr. and Mrs. Carroll from Mason City and two Inez’s” (2 different) |
| 1/40-66 | 16-25 | “‘Sitka the Beautiful,’ The old Russian Capital of Alaska” (27 black and white prints): “In the harbor at Sitka” (9 different); Commercial travel photos of Sitka from across sound and from Mt. Edgecumbe (2 different).
Totem National Monument and Lovers Lane (4 different: 1 personal, 3 commercial): “Lovers Lane, Sitka, Alaska;” “Totem National Monument, Sitka, Alaska;” “Totem, Sitka, Alaska.” Commercial travel photos (11 different): “Reproduction of Russian Block House, Sitka, Alaska;” “St. Michael’s Cathedral, Sitka, Alaska;” “Madonna, Sitka, Alaska;” “Interior Russian Church, Sitka, Alaska;” “Episcopal Church, Sitka, Alaskal;” “Presbyterian Native Church, attended by President Harding;” “Russian Orphanage, Built in 1843, Sitka, Alaska;” “Sitka’s Famous Blarney Stone;” “Bridge crossing Indian River, Sitka, Alaska;” “Sugar Loaf Mountain, Sitka, Alaska;” “Community Grindstone Used by the Russian Colony in 1830.” Woman visiting Tlingit gift shop (print) |
| 1/67-70 | 26 | “On Deck” of the S.S. Dorothy Alexander (4 black and white prints): “Our Gang,” group photos (2 different); “Sight-seers in Alaska,” men and women in deck chairs (2 different) |
| 1/71-82 | 27-29 | “Scenes along the Inside Passage” (12 black and white prints, 2.75 X 4.5 inch): “A Battleship in Puget Sound” |
| 1/83-85 | 30 | People aboard the S.S. Dorothy Alexander (3 black and white prints): Two women in life preservers during lifeboat drill; “‘Cutie’ and John;” “Lois in Gypsy costume ready for the masquerade” |
| 1/86-91 | 31-33 | Skagway, Alaska (6 black and white prints): “Skagway’s Main Street;” “‘Ma Pullen;'” “The Blanchard Gardens in Skagway” (4 different) |
| 1/92-99 | 34-35 | “At Lake Bennett, B.C.,” group photos and scenery (8 black and white prints): “Surveying the ruins of the old town of Bennett” |
| 1/100-107, 138-139 | 36-39 | Trip on White Pass and Yukon Railway to summit of White Pass (8 black and white prints; 2 color-tinted photo post cards): “Pitchfork Falls on White Pass & Yukon Route,” Made by Curt Teich & Co., Inc., Chicago, No. 1240-30 (photo post card); “Deadhorse Gulch, Trail of ’98 on White Pass & Yukon Route, ” Made by Curt Teich & Co., Chicago, No. 1241-30 (photo post card); Pitch Fork Falls, Alaska (3 different); “‘Blondie,’ our deck steward;” Mrs. Little and group at stop along railway (2 different); International boundary sign at summit of White Pass, and U.S. and Canadian flags (2 different) |
| 1/108-112, 140-141 | 41-44 | “Ice-strewn waters of Taku Inlet and Glacier” (6 black and white prints; 1 black and white photo post card): “Taku Glacier, Alaska,” Ordway, Juneau; 1929 (photo post card) |
| 1/113-119, 142-145 | 45-48 | Mendenhall Glacier and Auke Lake (10 black and white prints; 1 black and white photo post card): Auke Lake and Mendenhall Glacier (photo post card); “Mendenhall Glacier and Lupin Fields, Alaska,” Ordway photo, Juneau, No. 35259, 1930; “Auke Lake, Mendenhall Glacier,” view with bridge, Ordway photo, Juneau, No. 35515, 1930; Auke Lake area views (4 different); “At Mendenhall Glacier,” Lois Little, Inez Cobb, and others at glacier (4 different) |
| 1/120-123 | 49 | “Wrangell, Alaska (4 black and white prints): “The waterfront;” “Inez amidst the totem poles;” “Lois and an Alaskan ‘Husky;'” “Dad and Mother on deck” |
| 1/146-147 | 50 | “Prince Rupert, B.C., Our last port of call” (2 black and white photo post cards): “A View from the Air, Prince Rupert, B.C.;” “The Wolf Totem Pole, Prince Rupert, B.C.” |
| 1/124-129, 148-152, 154-159 | 51-57 | Canadian Pacific Railway and Jasper National Park, Canada (12 black and white prints; 6 photo post cards: 3 black and white, 3 color-tinted): “Mt. Robson from Railway” (photo post card); “Mt. Breda, B.C.;” Waterfall; “Jasper Park Lodge” (commercial print); “Pyramid Mountain and Lake Beauvert, Jasper National Park, Alberta” (color-tinted photo post card); “Bears in Jasper National Park” (2 different); “Old Man Mtn.”(commercial print); “Maligne Canyon,” view from canyon floor to bridge (commercial print); “Maligne Canyon, Jasper Park,” view from inside canyon (photo post card); “Maligne Canyon, ” waterfall in canyon (commercial print); “Mt. Edith Cavell,” view from lake (commercial print); “Mount Edith Cavell” (commercial print); “Edith Cavell Mt.,” view from road (photo post card); “Mt. Edith Cavell, Jasper National Park, Alberta” (color-tinted photo post card); “Beautiful Mt. Edith Cavell,” view from road; “Angel Glacier” |
| 1/130 | 58 | Ship captain, Inez Cobb, and unidentified woman aboard S.S. Dorothy Alexander (1 black and white print) |
| 2/1 | 59 | Alaska Steamship Company Map of Alaska; By Poole Bros. Chicago; Copyright 1917 |
| 2/2-12 | 60-69 | Menus from the S.S. Dorothy Alexander, The Admiral Line, Pacific Steamship Company; 1931 August 7-8 (dinner), 1931 August 9 (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), 1931 August 10-15 (dinner) (11 different) |
| 2/13 | 70 | Souvenir Passenger List for the S.S. Dorothy Alexander, Sailing from Seattle, Wash., August 7, 1931. A.W. Nickerson, Commander. The Admiral Line, Pacific Steamship Company |
| 2/14 | 71 | Cruising South-eastern Alaska”; By Lois Little, Teacher’s Club Reporter; undated (newspaper clipping, front and back) |
| 2/15 | 72 | Passenger Accommodation Plan for the S.S. Dorothy Alexander, The Admiral Line, Pacific Steamship Co. |
| 2/16-17 | 73-74 | Pages from passenger newsletter for the S.S. Dorothy Alexander; undated (2 pages, front and back) |
| 2/19-23 | 75 | Small souvenir items from Alaska trip: Canadian National Railway standard sleeping car ticket stub for trip from New Westminster, B.C., to Edmonton, Alberta; Pacific Steamship Company stateroom baggage tag; History of the Totem Pole flier from Hall’s Trading Post, Ketchikan, Alaska; Seal of the St. Michael Church, Sitka, Alaska; Pacific Steamship Co., dining saloon check for early dinner |
| 2/24 | 76 | White Pass and Yukon Route napkin, “Enroute to Klondike Gold Fields At Lake Bennett 1898” |
| 1/131-132 | 77 | Totem National Monument, Sitka (2 black and white prints) |
| 1/133-136 | 78-79 | Taku Glacier and Taku Inlet (4 black and white prints) |
| 1/137 | 80 | “Rosa Tisdale Among the Totems;” 1935 (1 black and white print) |
| 1/153 | 81 | Ben-My-Chree – West Taku Arm, Alaska and Yukon Scenes – White Pass & Yukon Route” Post card sent to Lois Little, Souix City, Iowa, from Rosa, Skagway Alaska; 1935 August 8 (black and white photo post card) |
| 2/25 | 82 | Newspaper photo clipping of steamship in the Inside Passage referring to Alaska tours arranged by the NEA Division of Educational Travel |
| 3 | Lois Little’s travel diary; 1931 August 2-20 | |
| 4 | Original photograph negatives (7 black and white negatives) | |
| 5 | Xerographic copy of album | |
| 6 | Copy negatives |