Guide to the Barb Manz papers
1970-1976
Collection number: HMC-1179.
Creator: Manz, Barb.
Title: Barb Manz papers.
Dates: 1970-1976.
Volume of collection: 0.20 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in this collection are in English.
Collection summary: Correspondence of a woman who lived and worked in Alaska in the early 1970s.
Biographical note:
Barbara (Barb) Ann Manz was born in 1948. She graduated from Olympus High School in Salt Lake City in 1966 as one of 50 Presidential Scholars, and became one of University of Washington’s first two women forestry majors that fall. In 1968, she enrolled at the University of Mexico, in order to attend the Olympic Games, but later found her credits were not accepted at University of Washington (UW). In the summer of 1970, Manz went to Alaska to earn money in order finish her degree at UW. She travelled between Seattle, Washington and Alaska and eventually obtained a B.S. in Fisheries from UW in 1975. While in Alaska, Manz worked for the Forest Service, the Department of Fish and Game, and held several waitressing jobs at various Alaskan lodges and restaurants. She also worked as a cook and deckhand on fishing boats and tugboats. In 1976, Manz went back to Seattle to study law at the University of Washington. While attending UW, she also took classes in diesel mechanics at Seattle Community College. During this time, she worked for the Washington State Ferry Service as an oiler and engineer. Manz graduated with a law degree in 1982, but still continued working for the Ferry Service until her death in 1983.
Collection description:
The collection contains college transcripts and the correspondence of Barb Manz during her time in Alaska from 1970-1976. In the letters, Manz described her experiences in Alaska to UW forestry professor David R. M. Scott and his wife Carolyn. Some of Manz’s letters were written over several days. In the letters, Manz often tells of the sexual discrimination she faced while applying for jobs and working for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Forest Service, and as a deckhand on a tugboat in Cook Inlet. Also in the letters, Manz describes her life and work conditions in Alaska. She describes her work at the Portage Glacier Lodge, the Sportsman Lodge in Whittier, Summit Lake Lodge in Moose Pass, and Eureka Lodge on the Glenn Highway, Portage Café, salmon fishing out of Kodiak, and Club Valdez. The places she mentioned, lived in, or visited, include Moose Pass, Portage, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Whittier, Kodiak, Kitoi Bay Hatchery on Afognak Island, and Valdez. The collection also contains two copied photographs of Barb Manz.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged in chronological order.
Alternative formats: Transcriptions to the letters in this collection are available with the original letters.
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Archives does not hold copyright to materials in this collection.
Preferred citation: Barb Manz papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Acquisition note: The collection was donated to the Archives by Victoria Scott in 2014.
Processing information: Transcriptions to the letters in this collection were completed by Victoria Scott prior to donating them to the Archives. Biographical information was also provided by Victoria Scott. This collection was described by Veronica Denison in 2014.