Alaska collection - Archives West

Alaska collection, 1867-1937

Overview of the Collection

Title: Alaska collection
Dates: 1867-1937 (inclusive)
18671937
Quantity: 0.1 cubic feet, (1 folder in shared box)
Collection Number: Mss 1244
Summary: Collection of correspondence and ephemera regarding Alaska, including records relating to Russia ceding Alaska to the United States, a letter from William Gouverneur Morris to E. S. Kearney, statements about Deputy Marshal J. J. Healy, tourism brochures, a descriptive booklet of the Alaska Historical Museum, and photostatic reproductions of a newspaper article about the Aleutian Islands by Isobel Wylie Hutchinson.
Repository: Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research.
Languages: English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Alaska is located in the northwestern part of the North American continent, which has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Russian fur traders established trading posts along the coast. In 1867, United States Secretary of State William Seward purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. Alaska became a U.S. state in 1959.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists of records, correspondence, tourism brochures, and ephemera relating to Alaska. Records and correspondence are: photocopies of records relating to Russia ceding Alaska to the United States; a February 4, 1882, letter from William Gouverneur Morris of the Collector's Office in Sitka, Alaska, to E. S. Kearney of Portland, Oregon, regarding the use of George Kastromitinoff as a witness in a murder trial, and asking that Kastromitinoff be given a per diem payment; a land claim dispute filed by Otto Nelson in 1890; and statements of Silas Gibson, Bernard Moore, John O'Reilly, and Joseph H. Caldwell regarding Deputy Marshal J. J. Healy, given in July 1891. Other materials in the collection include: an announcement for a planned mail express from Nome, Alaska to Seattle and San Francisco, 1900; tourism brochures, dating from 1905 to circa 1930; a descriptive booklet of the Alaska Historical Museum, 1933; a certificate of authenticity for Alaskan "curios" given to Dr. Frank R. Mount, undated; a dinner program for clerks of the Department of Alaska, 1901; and two photostatic copies of a 1937 Glasgow Herald article about the Aleutian Islands written by Scottish botanist Isobel Wylie Hutchinson.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Alaska collection, Mss 1244, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Most materials acquired prior to 2012, most likely in the mid-20th century (RL2021-049-RETRO). Land claim dispute filed by Otto Nelson and statements about Deputy Marshal J. J. Healy were gifts of Frances Knapp Morgan, June 1959 (Lib. Acc. 8052). Photostatic reproductions of Isobel Wylie Hutchinson article were acquired 1970 (RL2021-050-RETRO).

Location of Originals

Originals of records relating to Russia ceding Alaska to the United States are located in the National Archives, Washington, D.C.

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