Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Great Alaska Earthquake photograph collection, March 27, 1964
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Great Alaska Earthquake photograph collection
- Dates
- March 27, 1964 (inclusive)1964032719640327
- Quantity
- 28 photographic prints (various sizes) in 1 box
- Collection Number
- PH0847
- Summary
- Photographs of the damage caused by the Great Alaska Earthquake, primarily in Anchorage, as well as in Portage, Seward, and Whittier
- 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 is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.
- Languages
- English
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
Called alternately the Good Friday Earthquake or the Great Alaska Earthquake, the earthquake that shook Alaska on Friday, March 27, 1964 was the most powerful recorded earthquake in North American history. The five minute-long earthquake caused extensive damage due to ground failure, landslides, and a tsunami. The earthquake and the effects it produced was directly responsible for 115 deaths. This relatively low number can be attributed to the sparse population of the area and the fact that the quake occurred when most people were at home.
Anchorage, 75 miles northwest of the quake's epicenter, sustained severe damage. Building facades crashed into the street and sections of Fourth Avenue dropped down over 10 feet. About 30 blocks of dwellings and commercial buildings were damaged or destroyed in the downtown area. Some schools were almost decimated. An area of about 130 acres was devastated when the ground collapsed and tilted at all angles and a landslide destroyed about 75 houses. Water mains and gas, sewer, telephone, and electrical systems were disrupted through the area. Earthquake damage was heavy in many other towns, including Chitina, Glennallen, Homer, Hope, Kasilof, Kenai, Kodiak, Moose Pass, Portage, Seldovia, Seward, Sterling, Valdez, Wasilla, and Whitter.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Photographs of the damage caused by the Great Alaska Earthquake primarily in Anchorage, as well as in Portage, Seward, and Whittier.
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
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Downtown AnchorageReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/1 | 1 |
Collapse of Fourth Avenue near C
Street
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(photographer)
Fourth Avenue subsided 11 feet from its former level. Image
shows the D&D Bar and Café, the Sportsman's Arcade, the Frisco Bar &
Café, the Pawn Shop, the Scandinavian Club Bar, and Sam's Liquor Store.
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/1 | 2 |
Fourth Avenue collapse from the
opposite side
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(photographer)
Image shows Mac's Foto-Cameras, the Frisco Bar & Café, The
Sportsman's Arcade, the D&D Bar and Café, Pioneer Loans, Koslosky's Store
for men, and the Hobby store. The tall building in the distance is the
Anchorage-Westward Hotel.
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/1 | 3 |
View up Fourth Avenue collapse showing
a music store, the Hobby store and Koslosky's Store for Men
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(photographer)
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/1 | 4 |
Man crawling out from front of the
Denali Theater and Restaurant on Fourth Avenue
Anchorage Times
(photographer)
The Denali Restaurant dropped below street level.
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/1 | 5 | March 27, 1964 | |
1/1 | 6 |
Collapsed Four Seasons Apartment
building
The Four Seasons Apartment building was under construction at
the time of the earthquake. The reinforced concrete stairwell and combined
elevator core fractured at the first floor and toppled over onto the rubble of
the other six floors and roof. Fortunately, there were no casualties, as the
construction workers had left the building 35 minutes before the
earthquake.
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/1 | 7 |
Crane and men in front of the J.C.
Penny store
Following the earthquake, this building was completely razed and
a new, larger building was built.
|
March 27, 1964 |
Anchorage and VicinityReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/2 | 8 |
Damage to the Government Hill
Elementary School
Showing the difference between the former ground level--the
higher part of the building--and the new ground level of the south wing where
it sank.
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/2 | 9 |
Wreckage of buildings destroyed in area
between 3rd and 4th Avenues
The tall building on the left is the Anchorage-Westward Hotel.
The smaller building to its right is the Turnagain Arms Apartments.
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/2 | 10 |
Cracks in 8th Avenue and L
Street
The building in the upper left served as emergency facilities
following the earthquake
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/2 | 11 |
Automobiles and houses near the
collapsed section of L or N street
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(photographer)
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/2 | 12 | March 27, 1964 | |
1/2 | 13 | March 27, 1964 | |
1/2 | 14 |
Woman standing in the doorway of a
damaged house in the Turnagain neighborhood
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(photographer)
The house and swing set in the upper right stands at the
original ground level.
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/2 | 15 |
Two cars in a collapsed section of
street in the Turnagain neighborhood
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(photographer)
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/3 | 16 | March 27, 1964 | |
1/3 | 17 | March 27, 1964 | |
1/3 | 18 |
Wreckage in the waterfront area of the
Turnagain neighborhood
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(photographer)
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/3 | 19 |
Damaged street and building, possibly
in the Turnagain area
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(photographer)
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/3 | 20-21 | March 27, 1964 | |
1/3 | 22 | March 27, 1964 | |
1/3 | 23 | March 27, 1964 |
Elsewhere in AlaskaReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/4 | 24 |
Ruins of the Portage Inn and cracks in
the ground at Portage
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(photographer)
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/4 | 25 |
Wreckage in the harbor area in
Seward
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(photographer)
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/4 | 26 |
Collapsed Twentymile River bridge on
Seward Highway near the Turnagain Arm on Cook Inlet
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(photographer)
The bridge fell into the river and some of the wood piles were
driven through the reinforced concrete deck.
|
March 27, 1964 |
1/4 | 27-28 | March 27, 1964 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Alaska Earthquake, Alaska, 1964--Photographs
- Buildings--Earthquake effects--Alaska--Anchorage--Photographs
- Elevated highways--Earthquake effects--Alaska--Photographs
- Streets--Earthquake effects--Alaska--Anchorage--Photographs
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
Geographical Names
- Anchorage (Alaska)--Photographs