Alaska Midland Railway photograph album, 1909

Overview of the Collection

Title
Alaska Midland Railway photograph album
Dates
1909 (inclusive)
Quantity
66 photographic prints in 1 album (1 box) ; various sizes
Collection Number
PH0230
Summary
Photographs of survey of proposed railway line
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries’ Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Additional Reference Guides

Languages
English

Historical BackgroundReturn to Top

The Alaska Midland Railway was a venture of John Rosene, a Seattle entrepreneur who also organized mineral operations in Siberia and ran a number of other businesses in the early twentieth century. The Alaska Midland Railway was planned and surveyed to run from the port town of Haines (near Skagway), north through what is now Yukon Territory, ending at Fairbanks, Alaska. Rosene and his team of engineers chose this route because they believed its flat grade and connection of rich mineral, timber, and agricultural lands to the sea would make it a lucrative site. The company's original ambitions included connecting to other railways at Fairbanks and continuing the line westward into Siberia by bridge or tunnel across the Bering Strait.

While engineers set out to survey the line late in 1909, Rosene worked to make other preparations. He courted stockholders and attempted to raise capital and secure permission to use the route, to build the line across international borders, and to fund it with capital raised abroad. The railway was never completed, however. During World War I, the U.S. government completed a similar railway line from Fairbanks to Seward, Alaska, and the momentum for Rosene's project evaporated.

This album contains photos from the survey expedition for the first section of the railway line from Haines to the White River, Yukon Territory. It may be a copy of one of the albums Rosene sent with route maps to a French financier in December of 1909. The photographer is unknown, but the 1909 survey team may have included H.R. Robbins, H.P.M. Birkinbine, Steve Sheldon, and Gus Klaney, all of whom were involved in a later survey of the route.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Photograph album depicting the first portion of the railway route (Haines, Alaska to White River, Yukon Territory) made by members of the railroad survey team. Other albums from different portions of the route may have existed. Some photos were removed from this album sometime prior to 2009.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

The photographer numbered many photos in the album and these numbers are in the photo captions. They appear in the description as (number).

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

View the digital version of the collection

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Donor: William T. Perkins, July 1948

Processing Note

Processed by Renae Youngs, 2009.

Bibliography

Ward, Doris. "Alaska Midland Railroad." Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center, Haines, Alaska, 1987. (http://www.sheldonmuseum.org/alaskamidlandrailroad.htm)

John Rosene papers, 1901-1910. University of Washington Libraries Special Collections acc. 4206.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Alaska Midland Railway - from Haines to White River, 1909Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box item
1 1a 1909
1 1b 1909
1 2
Four-part panoramic image of Fort Seward and Haines Mission from Haines Wharf (29)
Markings on the photograph indicate the corners of the Mission and the initial point of the Alaska Midland Railway survey
1909
1 3a 1909
1 3b
Missing prior to October 2009
1 4a 1909
1 4b 1909
1 5a 1909
1 5b 1909
1 6 1909
1 7a 1909
1 7b 1909
1 8a 1909
1 8b 1909
1 9a 1909
1 9b
Missing prior to October 2009
1 10a 1909
1 10b 1909
1 11a 1909
1 11b 1909
1 12a
Missing prior to October 2009
1909
1 12b 1909
1 13a 1909
1 13b 1909
1 14a 1909
1 14b 1909
1 15a 1909
1 15b 1909
1 16a 1909
1 16b 1909
1 17a 1909
1 17b 1909
1 18 1909
1 19a 1909
1 19b 1909
1 20a 1909
1 20b 1909
1 21a 1909
1 21b October 23, 1909
1 22a
Snow covered buildings at Pleasant Camp near Haines, Alaska (71)
Alaska/British Columbia border is noted on photograph
1909
1 22b
Missing as of October 2009
1 23a 1909
1 23b 1909
1 24a 1909
1 24b 1909
1 25a October 26, 1909
1 25b 1909
1 26a 1909
1 26b
Mosquito Flats lowland (78)
Markings on the photograph denote the Alsek River, Isobel Pass and Chilkat River
1909
1 27a-b 1909
1 28a 1909
1 28b 1909
1 29a 1909
1 29b 1909
1 30a
Missing prior to October 2009
1 30b 1909
1 31a 1909
1 31b 1909
1 32a 1909
1 32b 1909
1 33 1909
1 34 1909
1 35 a-b 1909
1 36a 1909
1 36b
Missing prior to October 2009
1 37a 1909
1 37b
Missing prior to October 2009
1909
1 38a 1909
1 38b 1909
1 39a
Missing prior to October 2009
1 39b 1909
1 40-49
Missing prior to October 2009

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photograph albums