Archives West Finding Aid
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Trip from Nome, Alaska, Photograph Collection, 1900?
Overview of the Collection
- Collector
- Dorpat, Paul
- Title
- Trip from Nome, Alaska, Photograph Collection
- Dates
- 1900? (inclusive)18951905
- Quantity
- 44 photographic prints (1 box)
- Collection Number
- PH0492
- Summary
- Photographs documenting gold mining in Nome, Alaska, localities in Seattle, Washington, and points on the Great Northern Railroad, ca. 1900.
- 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
-
Open to the public.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
Nome, Alaska, one of the state's oldest cities, was incorporated on April 9, 1901. The city is located on the south coast of the Seward Peninsula on the Bering Sea in northwestern Alaska. Nome experienced a population boom when, in 1898 and 1899, gold was discovered on nearby Anvil Creek and the beaches of Nome. Miners flocked to the area, setting up their tents on Nome's beaches. At one time, the population of Nome was estimated to have been 20,000 people. The city suffered a disastrous fire in 1934. During World War II, Nome was an important location as the last stop for planes on their way to Russia for the Lend/Lease program. Today, Nome is known as the finish spot for the Iditarod sled-dog race.
At the turn of the century, there existed two routes to Nome. One went over land through Canada, along the Yukon River. The second, the "All Water Route," started in Seattle and stopped in the Aleutian Islands at Dutch Harbor. The trip continued north through the Bering Sea to Cape Nome. The map at right shows the All Water Route; please click it to see a larger version of the image.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection contains photographs of mining operations and city life in Nome, Alaska, as well as locations on the Alaska coast, Seattle, and along the Great Northern Railway. The photographer is unknown.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
View selections from the collection in digital format
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The arrangement of the photographs is based on a surmised trip chronology beginning in Nome, Alaska, traveling by ship to Seattle, continuing by train over land, and ending at the headwaters of the Missouri River in Montana. The caption on photograph 21 ("our last glimpse of Nome") indicates that the trip began in that city. Because the photographs are undated and the provenance is unknown, the trip chronology has been deduced from the content of the photographs and what may have been the most likely route for the trip.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Paul Dorpat, 1996.
Dorpat, author of several books about early Seattle, is an expert in historical photography. Paul Dorpat is a columnist for the Seattle Times and is on the Board of Trustees and staff of History Ink, a non-profit organization which produces HistoryLink, an online encyclopedia of Washington history.
Processing Note
Processed by Shannon B. Lynch, 2003.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Nome, AlaskaReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
1 | 1 | undated | |
1 | 2 | ca. 1900 | |
1 | 3 | Aug. 1, 1900 | |
1 | 4 | June 23, 1900 | |
1 | 5 |
Six men with
shovels, mining equipment
On photo: "A group of miners. Knute with his hands in his
pockets."
|
ca. 1900 |
1 | 6 | Man kneeling on
ground beside bucket
On photo: "H.M.F. scraping bedrock with a large spoon."
|
undated |
1 | 7 |
Three men at
work, one holding gold pan
On photo: "At work with a rocker."
|
ca. 1900 |
1 | 8 |
Mining
operations on beach
On photo: "View of beach looking east from cemetery."
|
ca. 1900 |
1 | 9 |
Mining
operations on beach
On photo: "View of beach looking west from cemetery."
|
ca. 1900 |
1 | 10 |
Sluicing
operation with tents and crosses visible in background
On photo: "Hand mining, showing Nome Cemetery in the
background."
|
ca. 1900 |
1 | 11 |
Mining
operations on beach in Nome
On photo: "View of beach showing dredge and vessels."
|
ca. 1900 |
1 | 12 |
Mule pack train
on beach
On photo: "Coming in for provisions."
|
ca. 1900 |
1 | 13 | Looking out at
surf |
ca. 1900 |
1 | 14 |
Scow offshore,
ready to unload freight on beach
On photo: "Bringing in a load on the surf."
|
ca. 1900 |
1 | 15 |
Men unloading
lumber from scow on beach
On photo: "Unloading lumber, $1.00 per hour paid for men to
work."
|
ca. 1900 |
1 | 16 | View of beach
with people and boats
On photo: "View of beach looking west from [Steam Whaling?]
Co.'s derrick."
|
ca. 1900 |
1 | 17 | ca. 1900 | |
1 | 18 |
View of beach
and waterfront with small boat
On photo: "Schooner washed up into city."
|
ca. 1900 |
Trip south from NomeReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
2 | 19 |
View of town and
harbor from water
On photo: "A portion of Nome beach showing customs house and
barrack in rear."
|
ca. 1900 |
2 | 20 | View of town
from the water
On photo: "Nome in the distance."
|
ca. 1900 |
2 | 21 | View of Nome
across water
On photo: "Our last glimpse of Nome, from S.S. Ohio."
|
undated |
2 | 22 | View of water
with land mass in distance
On photo: "Cape Nome as it extends out into Bering Sea, taken
from S.S. Ohio, 20 miles distant."
See also
See also
Steamship Ohio
.
|
undated |
2 | 23 | undated | |
2 | 24 | undated | |
2 | 25 | undated |
Seattle to MontanaReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
3 | 26 | undated | |
3 | 27 | Man with large
dog on dock |
undated |
3 | 28 | White Star Dock,
Seattle
On photo: "Landing at Seattle."
|
undated |
3 | 29 | Steamship
Rosecrans docked in Seattle |
undated |
3 | 30 | Seattle docks
from Railroad Avenue |
undated |
3 | 31 | Yesler Mansion,
Seattle
On photo: "Public Free Library at Seattle, Wash."
|
undated |
3 | 32 | Locomotive
Chas D. Lane
|
undated |
3 | 33 | [Great
Northern?] locomotive crossing bridge
On photo: "Going up the Cascades."
|
undated |
3 | 34 | [Great
Northern?] locomotive in motion
On photo: "Entering [Tumwater?] Canyon, running at the rate of
76 miles per hour, train 8 hours late."
|
undated |
3 | 35 | Depot, Spokane,
Washington [probably Great Northern Station] |
undated |
3 | 36 | Steamboat and
rowboat on water
On photo: "Hospital boat Lottie M
in Snake River."
|
ca. 1900 |
3 | 37 | Riverboat and
machinery washed ashore |
undated |
3 | 38 | [Great
Northern?] locomotive in motion
On photo: "Double-teaming it up the Rockies, the entrance to the
last tunnel."
|
undated |
3 | 39 | Mountain house
on summit of Rockies |
undated |
3 | 40 | Foothills in
Montana |
undated |
3 | 41 | Bluff formation,
Montana |
undated |
3 | 42 | View on Muddy
Creek |
undated |
3 | 43 | Near the
headwaters of the Missouri River |
undated |
3 | 44 | View of body of
water from shore
On photo: "On the Missouri."
|
undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Beaches--Alaska--Nome--Photographs
- Gold miners--Alaska--Nome--Photographs
- Gold mines and mining--Alaska--Nome--Photographs
- Locomotives--Photographs
- Steamboats--Photographs
Corporate Names
- Great Northern Railway Company (U.S.)
Geographical Names
- Montana--Photographs
- Nome (Alaska)--Description and travel
- Nome (Alaska)--Photographs
- Washington (State)--Photographs
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)