Gordon R. Sterud photograph album

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

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