Guide to the Frank H. Whitney scrapbook
undated, 1925
Collection number: HMC-0894.
Creator: Whitney, Frank H.
Title: Frank H. Whitney scrapbook.
Dates: undated, 1925.
Volume of collection: 0.2 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in this collection are in English.
Collection summary: Scrapbook of an operator of Jewel Mine in Crow Creek Pass.
Biographical note:
Frank H. Whitney was a miner who lived in Girdwood and operated the Jewel Mine in the Crow Creek Pass area in the mid-1920s.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the contents of a photograph album and scrapbook presumably created by miner Frank H. Whitney of Girdwood, Alaska. The collection contains: 54 original black and white prints; 6 black and white photo post cards; a black and white print of the “Loop” on the Alaska Railroad on the Kenai Peninsula (Bragaw’s Photo); three maps of Crow Creek area mineral deposits; various clippings. Subjects of the photographs include: Frank H. Whitney and other miners; Crow Creek area mines; Jewel Mill buildings and mill machinery; hydraulic mining; Girdwood buildings; pack horses, sleds, and a tractor; black bear cubs; mountain goat and brown bear kills; and the city hall and I.O.O.F. buildings in Seward. The maps include: a copy of a U.S. Geological Survey “Map of the Region Tributary to the Alaska Railroad Showing Geological and Mineral Deposits,” with handwritten notations marking specific mines and properties; a hand-drawn map entitled, “Crude drawing of the north side of Old Glory – Crow Creek Summit.”; and a hand-drawn map entitled, “Crude Drawing of Crow Creek Veins.” The clippings include: an article by Ernest N. Patty entitled, “Applied Geology for Prospector and Miner” from The Pathfinder of Alaska; a U.S. Geological Survey bulletin describing the geology of Crow Creek and other areas in the central and northern parts of the Kenai Peninsula; and various newspaper articles and advertisements concerning resource development in Alaska.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged by type of material.
Alternative formats: A xerographic copy of the scrapbook and 25 copy negatives of selected photographs are included in the collection.
Digitized copies: Selected photographs have been digitized and can be viewed on Alaska’s Digital Archives. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: The Archives and Special Collections does not own copyright to these photographs.
Preferred citation: Frank H. Whitney scrapbook, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Related materials: For more materials related to miners, please see our Miners and mining collections topic guide.
Acquisition note: Archives and Special Collections purchased the scrapbook from an online auction in 2006.
Processing information: The original scrapbook was dismantled and the collection described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2007. The guide was converted to current standards by Amanda Coffey in 2016.
Container list:
Note: item numbers of prints from scrapbook correspond to the page number and position on page of each photograph as they appeared in the original album, top to bottom and left to right. If there is one photograph on the page, only the page number will be used.
| Folder | Item | Description |
| 1 | Prints from scrapbook | |
| 1 | 1a | “Freighting: New Way” Man and tractor |
| 1 | 1b | “Freighting: Old Way, Bridge built by Jewel outfit.” (album page) “Pack horses carrying beds, etc. Miners on way up to camp at Milk Creek bridge” (back of print) Men and pack horses on log bridge |
| 1 | 2a | Jewel Freighters” Pack horses feeding next to log building |
| 1 | 2b | Bridge build by Jewel” Man and dog on bridge over creek |
| 1 | 3a | “Jewel Vein” (album page) “The Jewel Vein. This is what Frank Whitney found where he traced ‘float’ up the mountain. A true fissure vein with fine free walls. He has traced this vein 1500 ft. on the surface. We have driven 150 ft. of tunnel on it. The ore from full length of tunnel averages $71.00 a ton. This is the sort of vein that prospectors who know their business locate.” (back of print) |
| 1 | 3b | “Jewel Mt.” (album page) “1500 ft. of 2 in. air pipe” (front of print)” Pipe running up mountain |
| 1 | 3c | “Ore bunker at Jewel tunnel” Wooden structure |
| 1 | 4a | “James Girdwood’s placer camp – Crow Creek” log buildings |
| 1 | 4b | “7 ft. Goat killed on Crow Creek” Man holding up mountain goat hide by the antlers |
| 1 | 4c | “Brown Bear killed on Crow Creek” (front of print) “An 8 foot Brown Bear killed at Girdwood’s camp…” Three men, woman and dog with bear kill at Girdwood camp |
| 1 | 5a | “Flowers in Girdwood” House with flower box in window and flower bed |
| 1 | 5b | “F. H. Whitney” Portrait in wool clothing and fur hat |
| 1 | 6a | “Inquisitive Black Bear and Goat hide” (album page) “An inquisitive ‘cub’ investigating mountain goat hide. This goat killed on Crow Creek. Hide measured seven feet.” (back of print) Bear on ladder next to hanging goat hide |
| 1 | 6b | “Scared Chicagoian on first trip into hills.” Woman on horseback with log cabin in background |
| 1 | 6c | “F. H. Whitney Cabin, Girdwood” Clapboard house on street |
| 1 | 7a | “Brown Bear 9 Miles from Seward, Emswiler Guide, Seward, Alaska” Hunter with rifle and hanging bear kill (photo post card) |
| 1 | 7b | Two dogs and black bear cub playing next to cabin |
| 1 | 7c | Two black bear cubs on log |
| 1 | 8a | “Jewel Mill, Assay office & Mess house” (album page) “Mill building, Assay Office & Mess & Bunk House.” (back of print) Large building at mine |
| 1 | 8b | “Jewel Bunkhouse” Building on side on mountain in pass |
| 1 | 9a | “Jewel 25 ton Mill” Ball mill inside mine building |
| 1 | 9b | “Jewel Wilfley Table” Table inside mine building |
| 1 | 10a | “Jewel 14 X 12 Ingersol-Rand Compressor” Detail of compressor wheels |
| 1 | 10b | “First Jewel tent camp” Distant view of tent camp with water pipe in foreground |
| 1 | 10c | “Jewel Mt.” View of mountain from pass |
| 1 | 11a-c | “Winter pictures taken of Jewel Mill, Nov. 15, 1925” (3 prints) |
| 1 | 12a-c | “Grant Lake prospect taken Nov. 30, 1925” (3 prints) |
| 1 | 13 | Street scene in Seward with International Order of Odd Fellows building at right |
| 1 | 14 | “The ‘Loop’ Alaska Railroad”; Bragaw’s Photo, Anchorage |
| 1 | 15a | “Go-develing” (album page) “An Alaskan Go-devil” (back of print) Man on white with harness and sled |
| 1 | 15b | “Double Enders” Horse and sleds |
| 1 | 16a | “Old Glory taken from Jewel camp” (album page) “This picture shows Old Glory from 1 mile north of Brenner Gold Mines Mill Building. Tents used for Mess & Bunk houses before permanent house was built” (back of print) View similar to 10b |
| 1 | 16b | “Prospecting Cabin built by F. H. Whitney in Crow Creek Pass” Winter view of cabin near lake |
| 1 | 17a | Hydraulic mining scene from below |
| 1 | 17b | Hydraulic mining scene with nozzle in foreground at left |
| 1 | 18a | “Alaska Moose, Kenai Peninsula” |
| 1 | 18b | “Gov. Hospital, Anchorage, Alaska.” Alaska Railroad Hospital; Logemann Photo |
| 1 | 18c | Group photo of Girdwood men, women and children gathered on and near small railcar on berry picking outing |
| 1 | 19a | “S.S. Alaska. Bound for Alaska.”; Thwaites, Photo No. 4102 (damaged). |
| 1 | 19b | “On the Inside Passage to Alaska.”; Thwaites, Photo No. 1714. |
| 1 | 19c | “Sunset on ‘Inside Passage’ to Alaska.”; Thwaites, Photo No. 307. |
| 1 | 20a-c | “Grant Lake” (3 prints) |
| 1 | 21a | “Mile 29 on railroad” Log house and outbuildings |
| 1 | 21b | “Mile 29 on railroad” Log house |
| 1 | 21c | “Whitney-Case Cabin on Grant Lake” Small log cabin |
| 1 | 22a-b | “Two pictures show north side of Old Glory, and first bench. Lake just below O. Snow and ice between these two points a straight line of float assaying from $40 to $2000 pert ton found as indicated on drawing. All veins dip toward granite.” (panorama from two prints) |
| 1 | 22c | “Picture at right shows erosion of vein & country rode 100 ft. wide caused by intense mineralization. Have hard assays on Granite of $3.80 per ton. ste $3.00” Eroded mountainside |
| 1 | 27 | City hall building in Seward |
| 1 | 30 | “Red-top-Grass.” White horse grazing |
| 2 | Loose prints | |
| 2 | 1-5 | Man and dog with black bear cub at cabin (5 prints) |
| 2 | 6-7 | Jewel Mill buildings, similar to 8a (2 prints) |
| 3 | Maps | |
| 4 | Clippings | |
| 5 | Xerographic copy of scrapbook | |
| 6 | Copy negatives |