Guide to the Gordon R. Sterud photograph album
1941-1942
Collection number: HMC-0656.
Creator: Sterud, Gordon R.
Title: Gordon R. Sterud photograph album.
Dates: 1941-1942.
Volume of collection: 0.2 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in the collection are in English.
Collection summary: Photograph album of a soldier who was stationed at Fort Greely on Kodiak during World War II.
Biographical note:
Gordon R. Sterud enlisted in the United States Army in 1941. He trained at Camp Roberts, California, as a member of Company D, 77th Infantry Training Battalion. Private Sterud was then transferred to Fort Lawton in Seattle, Washington, before deployment to Alaska. His unit, Company E, 1st Battalion, 201st Infantry Regiment, arrived in Seward and then Kodiak in November 1941, serving at Fort Greely through July of 1942.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the World War II era photograph album of Gordon R. Sterud. The album contains 73 black and white prints; Sterud’s draft card, dated March 20, 1941; a pass from Camp Roberts, California; and a special privilege card from Kodiak dated November 21, 1941. Subjects of the photographs include: fellow soldiers; training at Camp Roberts, California; Fort Lawton, Washington; transport aboard the S.S. Chirikof from Seattle to Seward; the city of Kodiak; a field training exercise at Buskin Lake on Kodiak in the spring of 1942; Fort Greely; and troop competitions and ceremonies for the Kodiak Olympics in July 1942. The collection also contains a loose photograph and an Alaska Defense Command patch that were tucked between the pages of the album.
Arrangement: The album is arranged in original order.
Alternative formats: Copy negatives were made from 40 of the photographs in the album.
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Archives and Special Collection does not own copyright to the collection.
Preferred citation: Gordon R. Sterud photograph album, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Acquisition note: Archives and Special Collections purchased the collection on eBay in 2003.
Processing information: This collection was described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2003. The guide to the collection was converted to current standard by Gwen Sieja in 2017.
Photograph list:
Note: Item number reflects the album page where the photograph can be found and the order of photographs on the page.
| Item | Description | Date |
| 1a | “Sgt. Fuller, Plt. Sgt., Camp Roberts Aug. ’41” | 1941 August |
| 1b | “Rookies” | undated |
| 2a | “Willie, Art & I” Three soldiers with rifles | undated |
| 2b | “1st Platoon – Camp Roberts, Sept. ’41” | 1941 September |
| 2c-d | Three men aiming rifles. Same men as 2a | undated |
| 3a | “Open Air Theatre, Camp Roberts, Oct. ’41” | 1941 October |
| 3b | “Fort Lawton – Seattle, Nov. ’41” Tent camp and barracks from distance | 1941 November |
| 3c | “Hoy Man Woo. – Ft. Lawton, Nov. ’41” Asian soldier at door of tent | 1941 November |
| 3d | “Ft. Lawton – Officers’ Hill” Tents and buildings | undated |
| 4a | “Ft. Lawton, Casual Barracks” View of barracks in distance | undated |
| 4b | Steps, sign, and entrance to casual barracks at Fort Lawton | undated |
| 4c | “Roy – Center – On Top – Lawton – Nov. ’41” Soldiers with dog at casual barracks | 1941 November |
| 4d | “Aboard Chirikof – Nov. 10 – P.M. 1941, Seattle Harbor” Soldier on deck of ship | 1941 November 10 |
| 5a | “Seattle Skyline from S.S. Chirikof, Nov. 10 – ’41” | 1941 November 10 |
| 5b | “Last Look at Seattle Skyline, Nov. 10, 1941” | 1941 November 10 |
| 5c-d | “En Route to Alaska, Nov. 10th to 15th” Views from ship’s deck | 1941 November |
| 6a-b | Gordon Sterud at rail of the S.S. Chirikof | 1941 November |
| 6c | “Bob Wiseman, Nov. – ’41” Another soldier at ship’s rail | 1941 November |
| 7a | “Wiseman – Fischer” Two soldiers on ship’s deck | 1941 November |
| 7b | Wiseman and Sterud on ship’s deck | 1941 November |
| 7c | “Herb Vierra” Soldier on ship’s deck | 1941 November |
| 8a | “First Land Sighted, Nov. 15th 1941” | 1941 November 15 |
| 8b | “Binninger & I –Entrance to Resurrection Bay, Approaching Seward” Soldiers at ship’s rail | 1941 November 15 |
| 8c | “Smitty” Soldier at ship’s rail | 1941 November 15 |
| 8d | “Glacier – Resurrection Bay – Nov. 15, 1941” | 1941 November 15 |
| 9a-d | “Views of Shoreline, Ressurection Bay” Views from ship | 1941 November 15 |
| 10a-c | “Seward, Alaska, Nov. 15, 1941” | 1941 November 15 |
| 10a | “Bud & I” Soldiers walking down Main Street | undated |
| 10b | “Bob & Bud” Soldier walking down Main Street | undated |
| 10c | “S.S. Aleutian, Seward” Steamship at dock | undated |
| 11a-d | “Arrived Kodiak Nov. 17, 1941” | 1941 November 17 |
| 11a | “City of Kodiak, Alaska” (Helsel Photo, photo post card) | undated |
| 11b | “Kodiak, Alaska” Street scene near Sears Roebuck & Co. office (tourist photo) | undated |
| 11c | “World’s Record Kodiak Bear” Men with mounted bear (tourist photo) | undated |
| 11d | “Kodiak, Alaska” View from above (photo post card, No. P-576) | undated |
| 12a | Photo of front page of the Kodiak Mirror | 1941 December 7 |
| 13a | “On Top of Barometer Mt., Early Spring ’42” Soldiers on mountaintop | 1942 |
| 13b | “Spring – Buskin Lake Area – Kodiak – Spring 42” Group photo of soldiers | 1942 |
| 13c | “Pyramid Mt. from Buskin Lake, Kodiak, Spring ’42” Soldiers next to their tent bivouac | 1942 |
| 14a | “Last Tent in Company St. Tent City, Kodiak, Spring – 1942” Four soldiers in front of latrine tent | 1942 |
| 14b | “Cliff, Diz, Hugo” Three soldiers in front of latrine tent | undated |
| 14c | “Hugo, Diz, P.G., Joe, ?” Five soldier in front of latrine tent | undated |
| 14d | “Pvt. Sterud” Gordon Sterud posed next to tent | undated |
| 15a | “P.G.” Soldier in front of tent | undated |
| 15b | Five soldiers in front of latrine tent | undated |
| 15c | Six soldiers in front of latrine tent | undated |
| 16a | “Joe” Soldier in front of tent | undated |
| 16b | “Kodiak Olympics, July ’42” Soldiers marching to competition | 1942 July |
| 16c | “Paul Stevens” Soldier running in event | 1942 July |
| 16d | “‘Big Parade’ July ’42” Soldier stand in dress parade | 1942 July |
| 16e | “Otis H. Pyne ‘Cross Country'” Soldier running in event | 1942 July |
| 17a-f | “Kodiak Olympics, July ’42” | 1942 July |
| 17a | “Taylor Takes First in Obstacle Race” | 1942 July |
| 17b | Soldier finishing race | 1942 July |
| 17c | “Cole Back From Mountain Climb” Soldier finishing race | 1942 July |
| 17d | “Lake Wilson Take Cross-Country” Soldier running in race | 1942 July |
| 17e | “‘The Press'” People seated on reviewing stand | 1942 July |
| 17f | Soldiers at starting line of race | 1942 July |
| 18a | Soldiers sitting on benches | 1942 July |
| 18b | “Bill Merrit – Press, Gen. Corlett – C.O., Lake Wilson – Winner” General shaking soldier’s hand from reviewing stand | 1942 July |
| 18c | “Eddie Yrigollen” Soldier in sweat suit | 1942 July |
| 18d | “Gen Corlett – Taylor – Stevens” Soldiers receiving awards from general at reviewing stand | 1942 July |
| 19a | “Sleeth, Cole, Pyne, Wintjen, Kodiak – Summer ’42” Soldiers in front of photo shop | 1942 |
| 19b | Sterud standing in front of house with white picket fence | undated |
| 19c | Sterud with three other soldiers standing next to shop in Kodiak | undated |
| 19d | “Cliff, Joe, Roy, Sgt. Marsh & Friend” Soldiers standing in front of photo shop as children pass | undated |
| 20a-20c | “Kodiak – Summer ’42” | 1942 |
| 20a | Sterud standing in street | undated |
| 20b | Sterud standing in doorway of photo shop | undated |
| 20c | Soldier standing in front of house | undated |