Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Eric A. Hegg Copper River Railway Photograph Album, 1908-1910
Overview of the Collection
- Photographer
- Hegg, Eric A., 1867-1948
- Title
- Eric A. Hegg Copper River Railway Photograph Album
- Dates
- 1908-1910 (inclusive)19081910
- Quantity
- 1 album (circa 100 photographic prints) : black and white
- Collection Number
- PH0375
- Summary
- Collection of photographs by pioneer Alaska photographer Eric A. Hegg of the construction of the first 50 miles of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway, Alaska, 1908-1910.
- 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
-
The collection is 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.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Eric A. Hegg was born in Sweden in 1867 and moved to Wisconsin with his family in 1870. He opened his first studio in Washburn, Wisconsin, in 1882 at the age of fifteen. After moving in 1888 to New Whatcom on Bellingham Bay, Washington (present day Bellingham), he established additional studios. During this time, Hegg photographed the Lummi Indians and the local industries of fishing and logging. At news of the Klondike gold strike in 1897, he headed for Alaska. He and a partner photographed the gold stampede on the Chilkoot Pass and ran a studio in Dawson, Alaska. Hegg eventually made his way to Cordova, where he was taken on as company photographer for the Guggenheims' construction of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. Hegg left Alaska in 1918 and worked in Hawaii, San Francisco, and Bellingham. He died in San Diego in 1948.
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
The Alaska Syndicate was formed by the Guggenheims, J.P. Morgan, and two other banking firms to develop the copper resources in the Wrangell Mountain range of southeastern Alaska. The Copper River and Northwestern Railway was constructed along the Copper River from 1906-1911 to provide access to the Kennecott copper mine, owned by the Kennecott Mines Company, the predecessor of the Kennecott Copper Corporation. Originally, the railway construction terminus was to be at the seaside town of Katalla because of its proximity to the Bering River coal fields, which could provide fuel for smeltering the ore. Katalla, though, had no wharf, and difficult seas prohibited the construction of an effective breakwater for ships' moorage. As a result, the construction effort was often in short supply as tugboats could not meet the off-shore steamers' deliveries. The Alaska Syndicate headquarters moved to Cordova in 1908, 75 miles away by water. Cordova saw the regular arrival of steamships from the lower 48 states to its docks. Several miles of railway already existed to Eyak Lake, built by railroad contractor Michael Heney. Heney was subsequently hired by the Alaska Syndicate to complete the Copper River and Northwestern Railway, and his first contract required the completion of the first fifty miles of track to Ambercrombie Landing by the end of 1908.
The railway stretched 200 miles inland to the Kennecott coal deposits. Often the severity of seasonal elements challenged construction. Building the bridge across the Copper River from the Miles to the Childs Glaciers required rapid construction to take advantage of the winter months, before chunks of ice floated downstream during heavy spring run-off. At times the elements proved too difficult to conquer, as in the case of the trestle built across the river at milepost 133. The plans showed that a high, permanent bridge was to be constructed, but lengthy time and high cost persuaded the engineers to design a lower, disposable trestle that was allowed to wash out yearly and then be rebuilt. The Miles Glacier Bridge, with four spans and five million tons of steel, was touted as the "million-dollar" bridge, completed in 1910 at the price of $1.4 million.
The final spike of the railway was driven into the ground at the town of Kennicott on March 29, 1911 (the mine and company are spelled "Kennecott," while the town is spelled "Kennicott"). The final cost of the railway, which took a peak crew of 6,000 men nearly five years to construct, was $23,500,000. A week after its completion, the first train of ore moved toward Cordova. The deposit was so rich that the ore averaged 70 percent pure copper. The Alaska Syndicate enjoyed handsome profits for copper during the World War I years, but by 1938, the mine was depleted and the Copper River and Northwestern Railway abandoned.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists of one album of photographs taken by Eric A.Hegg of the construction of the first fifty-plus miles of railway laid by the Copper River and Northwestern Railway, 1908. Construction images show bridges, concrete piers, trestles, track laying, camps, freight trains, steam shovel, and river boats. The album begins with images of the beginning of the railway, at the construction headquarters at Cordova, Alaska, and continues along Eyak Lake. Photographs document the progress of construction to the Abercrombie Rapids and Abercrombie Canyon of the Copper River, and the Miles and Childs Glaciers. The last photograph in the album depicts the Miles Glacier Bridge, completed in 1910.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
The photograph album was aquired from Michael Maslan, Seattle, Washington, September 1992.
Processing Note
Processed by Sarah Nelson and Noella Natalino ; processing completed in 2004
Related Materials
Other images of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway can be found in the Eric A. Hegg Photographs, PHColl 274.
View selections from Photograph Collection 274 in digital format
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Page | item | ||
1 | 1 | Wharf on Copper River at Cordova, Alaska, with beginning of railroad tracks | October 13, 1908 |
2 | 2 | Railroad tracks winding left through rock formations, Mile 1 | 1908-1910 |
3 | 3 | Railroad tracks winding right through rock formations, Mile 1 | 1908-1910 |
4 | 4 | Team of rowboats on Copper River laying cable | August 12, 1908 |
5 | 5 | Scene of Cordova with wharf on left, town buildings and team of horses on right | 1908-1910 |
6 | 6 | Wharf scene | 1908-1910 |
7 | 7 | Engine on railroad tracks, Mile 1-2 | 1908-1910 |
8 | 8 | Aerial view of Cordova with railway crossings and steamboat | October 12, 1908 |
9 | 9 | Buildings and wharf that served as headquarters of the Copper River Railway at Cordova | 1908-1910 |
10 | 10 | Engine on railway tracks over Odiak Bay, Mile 2 | 1908-1910 |
11 | 11 | Steamboat entering coastal town with mountain range in distance | 1908-1910 |
12 | 12 | Group of railroad workers posed on wrecking crane and railroad tracks | 1908-1910 |
13 | 13 | Railroad worker and two American Locomotive Co. (ALCO) locomotives, no. 3 and 20 | 1908-1910 |
14 | 14 | Interior of the temporary machine shop at Cordova | 1908-1910 |
15 | 15a | Frieght train with ALCO locomotive no. 20 on tracks, Mile 2 | 1908-1910 |
15 | 15b | Stacks of timber alongside body of water with railroad tracks platform in distance | 1908-1910 |
16 | 16 | Murchison Falls on Copper River | 1908-1910 |
17 | 17 | Midnight scene at Eyak Lake in Cordova with men on railroad tracks and mountains in distance | 1908-1910 |
18 | 18 | Railroad tracks leading through trees toward mountains | 1908-1910 |
19 | 19 | Railroad tracks, Mile 4 | 1908-1910 |
20 | 20 | Railroad tracks winding by Eyak Lake | 1908-1910 |
21 | 21 | Group of women and child posing by Rainbow Falls at Cordova Bay | 1908-1910 |
22 | 22 | Whitewater river surrounded by forest | 1908-1910 |
23 | 23 | Eyak Lake with snow-covered mountains rising in background | 1908-1910 |
24 | 24 | Railroad worker posing with machine on tracks, Mile 4 | 1908-1910 |
25 | 25 | Railroad worker posed on tracks with Mt. Eccle in distance | 1908-1910 |
26 | 26 | Railroad tracks, Mile 5 | 1908-1910 |
27 | 27 | Railroad track platform built alongside buildings | 1908-1910 |
28 | 28 | Railroad tracks winding through rocky embankments, Mile 5 | 1908-1910 |
29 | 29 | Eyak Lake with mountains in distance | 1908-1910 |
30 | 30 | Gravel pit at Eyak Lake | 1908-1910 |
31 | 31 | Man in canoe along coast of Eyak Lake | 1908-1910 |
32 | 32 | Railroad tracks traveling near gravel pit, Mile 6 | 1908-1910 |
33 | 33 | Railroad tracks with gravel pit identified in background, Mile 7 | 1908-1910 |
34 | 34 | Railroad tracks crossing bridge at Mile 6, looking toward the flats showing 11 mile tangent | 1908-1910 |
35 | 35 | Railroad tracks crossing over water, Mile 8 | 1908-1910 |
36 | 36 | Man in railroad car on tracks passing United Wireless Telegraph Company station, Mile 8 | 1908-1910 |
37 | 37 | Railroad tracks crossing flats with snow-capped mountains in distance, Mile 12-11 | 1908-1910 |
38 | 38 | Railroad tracks crossing flats as seen from sandy coast, Mile 10-11 | 1908-1910 |
39 | 39 | Railroad tracks stretching into distance alongside telegraph lines | 1908-1910 |
40 | 40 | Railroad workers hauling supplies next to camp | April 17, 1908 |
41 | 41 | Group of men on platform next to stacks of logs, Camp 4 | 1908-1910 |
42 | 42 | Sheridan Glacier photographed from Copper River Railway | 1908-1910 |
43 | 43 | Railroad crossing over water, Mile 16 | 1908-1910 |
44 | 44 | Railroad tracks covered in snow, Mile 17 | October 22, 1908 |
45 | 45 | Railroad tracks and telegraph poles, Mile 18 | 1908-1910 |
46 | 46 | Railroad tracks covered in snow, Mile 16 | 1908-1910 |
47 | 47 | Gravel train being loaded by railroad workers | 1908-1910 |
48 | 48 | Workers pile driving on the flats to Mile 20 | March 17, 1908 |
49 | 49 | Tracklayers and locomotive at Mile 20 | March 17, 1908 |
50 | 50 | River scene with ducks in water | 1908-1910 |
51 | 51 | River scene with camp and railroad platform in background | 1908-1910 |
52 | 52 | Railroad tracks winding through forest, Mile 20 | 1908-1910 |
53 | 53 | Railroad tracks bordered by creeks of melting snow, Mile 19-20 | 1908-1910 |
54 | 54 | Snow-covered tracks, Mile 20 | 1908-1910 |
55 | 55 |
Railroad workers
posing on loaded freight train
Labeled: "To the Front."
|
June 24, 1908 |
56 | 56 | Railroad tracks passing through Alaganik Flats, Mile 20-21 | 1908-1910 |
57 | 57 | Snow-covered tracks, Mile 21-22 | 1908-1910 |
58 | 58 | Railroad workers laying track with locomotive in background | 1908-1910 |
59 | 59 | Group of workers posing on a steam shovel at Camp 6, Mile 22 | 1908-1910 |
60 | 60 | Railroad tracks traveling through rock cut at Alaganik | 1908-1910 |
61 | 61 | View of Camp 6 through trees and brush | 1908-1910 |
62 | 62 | Railroad junction at Alaganik | 1908-1910 |
63 | 63 | Railroad tracks passing by rock quarry | 1908-1910 |
64 | 64 | Railroad workers freighting construction supplies up Copper River | 1908-1910 |
65 | 65 | Group of workers near rowboat in Alaganik photographed from boat | 1908-1910 |
66 | 66 | Mountain and river scene on the Copper River Railway | 1908-1910 |
67 | 67 | Railroad tracks crossing water alongside telegraph poles, Mile 24 | 1908-1910 |
68 | 68 | Railroad tracks stretching into distance alongside telegraph poles, Mile 26 | 1908-1910 |
69 | 69 | Man posing on railroad tracks beneath large mountains | 1908-1910 |
70 | 70 | Group of men posing in front of tents with railroad tracks in distance, Camp 7 | 1908-1910 |
71 | 71 | Copper River Railway bridge stretching across the Copper River | 1908-1910 |
72 | 72 | Workers constructing concrete piers for Flag Point bridge | August 26, 1908 |
73 | 73 | Alternate view of workers constructing concrete piers for Flag Point bridge | 1908-1910 |
74 | 74 | Railroad tracks platform at Round Island Channel, Mile 28 | October 26, 1908 |
75 | 75a | Scattered workers near the beginning of Flag Point Bridge | 1908-1910 |
75 | 75b | Continued view of Flag Point Bridge | 1908-1910 |
75 | 75c | Abutment No. 1 of Flag Point Bridge, Mile 27 | 1908-1910 |
76 | 76 | Bridge construction at Round Island Channel, Mile 28 | October 26, 1908 |
77 | 77 | Bridge construction at Round Island Channel, Mile 28 | October 26, 1908 |
78 | 78 | Group portrait of the officers of the cableship Burnside and the Copper River Railway at the end of tracks | August 21, 1908 |
79 | 79a | Group of men standing near railroad car and rowboats at beginning of a bridge across the Copper River | August 20, 1908 |
79 | 79b | Continued view of bridge across the Copper River | August 20, 1908 |
80 | 80 | Officials of Copper River Railway at Miles Glacier | October 5, 1908 |
81 | 81a | View of railroad tracks, wagons, and brush | 1908-1910 |
81 | 81b |
Copper River &
Northwestern locomotive no. 013 at the end of the tracks at Miles
Glacier
Handwritten note on back of photographic print: "First locomotive
of the C.R. and N.W. Railway. Purchased from the Alaska Northern Railway,
Seward, Alaska."
|
October 5, 1908 |
82 | 82 | Childs Glacier | 1908-1910 |
83 | 83a | Childs Glacier | 1908-1910 |
83 | 83b |
Childs Glacier
with group of men pulling a rowboat
Written on photographic print: "Copyright 1906."
|
1906-1910 |
84 | 84 | Sunset at Childs Glacier | 1908-1910 |
85 | 85a-c | Miles Glacier | 1908-1910 |
86 | 86 | Railway trestle at the lower end of Abercrombie Canyon, Mile 50-51 | October 24, 1908 |
87 | 87 | Michael James Heney's Camp 18 surrounded by mountain range, Mile 52 | September 29, 1908 |
88 | 88 | Group of men working in the kitchen of Camp 18 | 1908-1910 |
89 | 89 | Railroad workers stopping to break camp, Mile 52 | October 31, 1908 |
90 | 90 | Abercrombie Canyon with railroad tracks in background, Mile 52 | October 31, 1908 |
91 | 91 | Construction workers at Abercrombie Canyon | September 5, 1908 |
92 | 92 | Small rapids at Abercrombie Canyon | September 28, 1908 |
93 | 93 | Tents on the bank of Abercrombie Canyon | September 28, 1908 |
94 | 94 | Workers digging and dumping rock at Abercrombie Canyon, Mile 53 | September 29, 1908 |
95 | 95 | Rock workers posing at Abercrombie Canyon, Mile 53 | 1908-1910 |
96 | 96 | Workers and machine on tracks at Abercrombie Canyon, Mile 53 | October 31, 1908 |
97 | 97 | Unfinished railroad tracks nearing the head of the Abercrombie Rapids, Mile 54 | 1908-1910 |
98 | 98 | Copper River above Abercrombie Canyon with the steamer Chitina in winter quarters in the distance | 1908-1910 |
99 | 99 | Unidentified body of water with mountains in background | 1908-1910 |
100 | 100 | Miles Glacier Bridge [Million Dollar Bridge] of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway | circa 1910 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Photography of railroads--Alaska
- Railroad bridges--Alaska--Design and construction--Photographs
- Railroad construction workers--Alaska--Photographs
- Railroad tracks--Alaska
- Railroads--Alaska--Design and construction--Photographs
- Railroads--Alaska--Photographs
Personal Names
- Hegg, Eric A., 1867-1948
Corporate Names
- American Locomotive Company
- Copper River and Northwestern Railway
Geographical Names
- Copper River (Alaska)--Photographs
- Cordova (Alaska)--Photographs
- Cordova Bay (Alaska)--Photographs
- Miles Glacier Bridge (Alaska)--Photographs
Form or Genre Terms
- Photograph albums
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)