Archives West Finding Aid

The Yukon Order of Pioneers photograph album consists largely of member portraits. The first page of the album displays a portrait of Alaska pioneer Ringwald Blix wearing an Alaska-Yukon Pioneers member badge. Aside from this portrait, the first part of the album consists of composite photographs, each depicting the Seattle No. 2 lodge YOOP banner in the center and two members wearing the YOOP sash, one portrait on either side. Several of the photographs are signed "James & Merrihew" and it likely most or all were taken by that Seattle photography studio. The photographs are inscribed on the front with the member's name, andoften with one or more of the following: birth date and/or place, death date and/or place, the date of arrival in the Yukon or Alaska, and place of arrival.

The second part of the album is largely comprised of individual portraits. These may be from a later date than the YOOP double portraits. Most of the photographs are inscribed similarly to the double portraits, along with occassional notations if and when a member was a Northern Chief. A few depict members wearing YOOP sashes, and many are wearing small "AYP" (probably Alaska-Yukon Pioneers) pins; many probably date from the period after the organization ceased to be the the Yukon Order of Pioneers and became the Alaska-Yukon Pioneers. Most of the individual portraits are signed by photographers Hartsook or Grady. Other photographers noted: Rogers, French, James & Merrihew, Bushnell, and Hamilton. A few group portraits of lodge members are interspersed throughout the album, including formal portraits, member families at annual picnics, and members at other events. All of the picnic photographs were taken by Frank Perkins or Perkins Studio.