Libraries, Archives, Museums: Aviation primary sources: UAF Rasmuson Library, Alaska and Polar Regions Collections and Archives

UAF Rasmuson Library, Alaska and Polar Regions Collections and Archives

Most of the materials listed below are held by the Archives (manuscripts and photographs). For further details about those collections, search the Archives catalog by collection name. Some materials are held by the Film Archives or Oral History Collections and are noted as such.

Alaska Aviation Miscellanea. 1914-1990
The Alaska Aviation Miscellanea contains brochures, gray literature, clippings, and ephemera related to aviation in Alaska.
James E. Anderson Papers. 1950s-2012
The James E. Anderson Papers contain digital prints that document some of the work performed by aircraft mechanic, Jim Anderson. The bulk of the images document several aircraft accident recoveries performed by James and his colleagues. Other images include a variety of aircraft, hangar interiors, fellow mechanics, and a few images of family and friends.
Louis M. Applegate Papers. 1940-1992
The Louis M. Applegate Papers consist of personal correspondence, photographs, and memorabilia of Louis M. Applegate, as well as ledgers, receipts, invoices, and other records of Mr. Applegate's business, Lou's Aircraft Repair Company (LARCO), of Fairbanks, Alaska.
Bernt Balchen Papers. 1925-1998
The Bernt Balchen Papers contain biographical material, correspondence, clippings, artwork, and photographs relating to Balchen specifically, and to polar aviation and exploration in general. Balchen was an aviator, explorer, and Air Force officer.
Walter B. Blue Collection, ca. 1950-1971
The Walter B. Blue Collection consists of a history of Alaska, a history of the 222nd Aviation Battalion (Combat), 1966-1971, and other material written by Blue. It also includes a number of research papers on Alaskan history and other topics written by Blue's students and colleagues.
Clara Browne Papers. Undated
This collection contains a typescript of Browne's unpublished autobiography, Rainbow on my Wing. The story includes memories of her childhood, including life at her parents' cannery at Copper Mountain. It describes Browne's life in Bethel after World War II, when she was married to bush pilot, Nat Browne. It includes descriptions of wartime Anchorage, Bethel, Native dress and customs, the activities of a bush air taxi service, types of aircraft, and Browne's activities as a licensed FCC radio operator.
Crosson Family Papers. 1920-1980
This collection primarily covers the activities of Joe Crosson's flying career in Alaska and the Arctic from 1926 through 1949. Photographs, correspondence, newspaper and magazine articles chronicle the transition in Alaska from ground to air transportation as well as historic flights in Alaska and Antarctica. There are also photographs and newsclippings of his sister Marvel's flying career.
Carl Ben Eielson Collection. 1924-1957
The Carl Ben Eielson Collection has two components: a scrapbook of newspaper clippings concerning the search for Eielson and his mechanic, Earl Borland, after they failed to return from a flight in 1929; and clippings, articles, miscellaneous typescripts, and transcripts of interviews concerning Eielson's accomplishments and memorials honoring him.
Brother George Feltes, S. J. Papers. 1929- circa 1970s
The Brother George Feltes Collection consists of over 300 photocopies of photographs as well as photograph identification sheets, photocopies of Brother Feltes' pilots and aircraft mechanics licenses, a photocopied narrative of early flying experiences by Brother Feltes, photocopied newsclippings, photocopied newsletters from the Copper Valley School, and a booklet describing the Packard Diesel Aircraft Engine.
Paul Gentle Papers. 1942-circa 1945
Paul Gentle studied to become an airplane mechanic and shortly before graduation, was hired by Northwest Airlines in their Northern Divison. The Paul Gentle Papers contain six typed pages of reminiscences of Gentle's time in Alaska starting in late September of 1942 and ending around 1945. There are also 58 black and white photographs.
Harold Gillam Sr. Photograph Collection. Undated
The collection consists of photographs relating to aviation. There are images of pilots, perhaps mechanics or other crewmembers, airplanes, and several wrecks.
Lloyd Gray Papers. circa 1930 - circa 1996
The collection includes Gray's flight log books, records of the work done on aircraft, and newsclippings about Gray's fellow workers. Additional documents include correspondence from Fairbanks residents, the bulk of which came from Gray's niece, Mary Ames, who resided in Fairbanks, Alaska, and other areas in Alaska and describe her life trapping, homesteading and flying planes from the mid 1980s to mid 1990s.
Mary Hodges Papers. circa 1950s - circa 1980s
The Mary Hodges Papers consist of newsletters, brochures, annual reports, employee benefits information and labor agreements relating to Wien Air Alaska Inc. and its previous incarnations as Wien Alaska Airlines, Inc. and Wien Consolidated Airlines, Inc. In addition, the materials include ephemera and memorabilia in the form of calendars, posters, certificates, pins, buttons, decals, playing cards, a bolo tie and other items produced by Wien Air Alaska.
Percy M. Hubbard M. Papers. 1929-1970
The Percy M. Hubbard collection consists of newspaper clippings describing air crashes and rescue operations, especially focusing on the 1935 crash that claimed the life of Al Hines, Hubbard's partner in Service Airways. There are also photographs depicting Service Airways aircraft, and an index to the photographs.
Jack Jefford Collection. 1940-1968
Jack Jefford [1910-1979] was the chief pilot for the Federal Aviation Administration and its predecessor agency, the Civilian Aviation Administration for 32 years. Before that, he was a bush pilot throughout Alaska, principally for Hans Mirow's air taxi firm in NomeThe Jack Jefford collection consists of business correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, weather reports, maps, and World War II papers.
Sandy Jensen Papers. 1930-1974 [bulk]
The Sandy Jensen Papers include artwork, a program for bush amateur radio training (BART), notes on Alaska Native issues, aviation, and Alaskan pioneers, transcripts of taped interviews with and photographs of Alaskan pioneers, bush pilots and airplanes, and family records and correspondence.
George King Papers. 1915-1969
The George King includes aviation photographs, European travel photographs, and early postcards of Alaskan scenes, primarily of Interior Alaska. The manuscript material includes journal pages and two diaries which detail flight data such as pilot name, passenger names, cargo and flight mishaps both large and small, including the search for Carl Ben Eielson.
Chris M. Lample Papers. circa 1940-1960
The Chris M. Lample Papers consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, and photographs relating to Lample's career with the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Administration and Federal Aviation Agency, as well as to the construction of airports and airfields at various locations in Alaska.
Sigismund Levanevsky Photograph Collection. circa 1920-1940
The Sigismund Levanevsky Photograph Collection contains black-and-white photographs of Russian aviator Levanevsky, crew members, and officials and civilians at stops on his various flights.
Hans and Madeline Mirow Papers. 1927-1939 [bulk]
The Hans and Madeline Mirow Papers consist of a scrapbook of news clippings, photographs, and ephemera relating to the Mirows and Mirow Air Service of Nome, Alaska.
Norge Photograph Collection. circa 1926
The collection consists of images of the dirigible Norge on the 1926 flight.
Pan American Airways--Alaska Region Collection. Circa 1920s--[ongoing]
The Pan American Airways--Alaska Region Collection, donated over a period of years by a number of former employees, contains materials that document the airline's Alaskan operations. Included are printed materials, newsletters, correspondence, photographs, ephemera and memorabilia.
Dean W. Phillips Photographs. circa 1945-1951
This collection contains images mainly of Dean Phillip's life in Alaska, especially images related to Phillip's employment in the Federal Aviation Administration in Fairbanks and King Salmon, Alaska, and for Wien Airlines in Point Barrow, Alaska.
S. E. Robbins Collection. 1914-1970
The S.E. Robbins Collection [Sanis Earle Robbins] consists of one copy, in two volumes, of "S.E. Robbins - Pilot: One of a Kind - Born to Fly," a spiral bound compilation of digital prints of newsclippings, photographs, and documents relating to the life of pioneer aviator S.E. Robbins.
James S. and Hannah Rodebaugh Papers. circa 1916 - circa 1946 [bulk]
This collection is about Fairbanks aviation history and includes a photograph album filled with images of airplanes, bush pilots, plane hangars and airplane wrecks. Included are pictures of the Rodebaughs, Noel and Ralph Wien, A.A. Bennett, Ed Hudson and Fred Mueller. There are also images of the various planes flown in Alaska during this era of newfound commercial aviation and notable images include the "Anchorage" plane that Noel Wien flew non-stop from Anchorage to Fairbanks and the first plane James Rodebaugh purchased for his first airline company Alaska Aerial Transport Company in Fairbanks, Alaska. There are also photographs from planes, pilots and flight crews from the Bennett-Rodebaugh Company and Pan American Airways.
Archie Satterfield Papers. 1937-1990
This collection consists primarily of Satterfield's research for his books about Alaska and includes interviews, newspaper clippings, business and legal information, correspondence, subject files, and flight logs. The collection also contains notes on some of Satterfield's other aviation-related projects.
Captain Ralph W. Savory, Papers. circa 1935-1977
The Captain Ralph W. Savory Papers consist of correspondence, photographs, posters, newspaper clippings, awards, and memorabilia relating to Savory's career in aviation. Between the 1930s and the 1960s, sweeping changes took place in Alaskan aviation. Savory, a private and commercial pilot, was a witness to this transition.
Ransom T. (Tony) Schultz Collection. 1930-1981
Tony Schultz was a well-known pilot in Alaska, and this collection reflects his interest in aviation in the state. His papers consist of subject files on air service companies, airplanes, and Alaskan pilots, as well as periodicals, books, newspaper clippings, and photographs relating to aviation.
Shemya and Anchorage Photographs. circa 1950s
The bulk of the photographs were taken on Shemya and include images of the airstrip at Shemya, aircraft and military related work activities.
Norman Weaver Photographs. 1932 - 1946
The Norman Weaver collection consists of two series, with a focus on Alaskan aviation. The first series is composed entirely of photographs, while the second is manuscript material. The photographs depict various airplanes, pilots, and landing fields, as well as images of Fairbanks and other Alaskan towns and villages. The manuscript series contains Weaver's journals from 1932, 1934-1937.
Sam O. White Papers. 1927-1969
The Sam O. White Papers consist of diaries, published and unpublished writings, correspondence, and photographs. White's diaries dating from 1927 to 1944, describe in detail his travels throughout Interior Alaska by dog sled, auto, and airplane, and his hardships while traversing Alaska's rugged terrain in the course of his duties for the U. S. Department of the Interior.
Wien Family Papers. circa 1930s-1960s
The collection includes Noel Wien's personal and professional papers. They include biographical information, correspondence, Wien Alaska Airlines records and promotional publications, Noel and Ada's literary manuscripts, notes and speeches. Photographs and slides, many of which were taken by Noel Wien, feature early Alaska aviation, Wien Alaska Airlines, and Wien family.
World War II Alaska Aviation Photograph Collection. circa 1941-1943
The World War II Alaska Aviation Photograph Collection consists primarily of reprints of photographs documenting people and places of the Aleutian Campaign during World War II. Included are panoramic photographs of the Adak airfield in October 1942 and interior views of the Shemya officers' club and the Kiska weather station. Also in the collection are several newspaper clippings concerning the Aleutian Campaign and restoration of a WWII-vintage airplane.

Alaska Film Archives

The links below are to the main website for the Film Archives. Search the catalog for more details about the listings as well as to find other film materials with aviation content.

"Wings Over Alaska" recording, 1982
Early aviation in Interior Alaska is reviewed by pilots and mechanics who were involved in developing the form of transportation. Historical photographs and film accompany the comments of Jim Hutchison, Bill Lavery, Tony Schultz and Brother George Feltes, S.J.
Tony Schultz collection, 1928-1948, 1981.
Includes scenes of aircraft and small airports in interior and northern Alaska. Images include mountain flying, Stinson, Fairchild, Curtiss, Cessna, Piper and other airplanes, Wien and Alaska Airlines airplanes, Tony Schultz next to tail of DC-3. Also includes a 1981 recording of Tony Schultz talking about early flying in Alaska and adventures he had as a pilot.

Oral History

The Oral History Collection contains many recordings related to Alaskan aviation not listed below. Search the catalog linked in second entry for additional materials.

Pioneer Aviators Project Jukebox
This project highlights stories related to the history of aviation in Alaska and the role aviation has played in changing our state's economy and transportation system.
Pioneer Park Aviation Museum lectures.
Speakers include Jim Anderson, Andy Bachner, Holger Jensen, Pete Merry, Urban Rahoi, and Al Wright.
Wings over Alaska aviation conference tapes

Credits

This guide is supported in whole or in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Alaska State Library.