University of Washington Libraries, Special CollectionsPH0304Goetze, O. D. (Otto Daniel)Otto D. Goetze
photographs of Nome, Alaskaapproximately 1900-19080.5 cubic feet (1 box and 1 oversize folder containing 38 prints)Collection materials are in
English.Photographs
documenting Nome, Alaska taken by an American photographerOtto Daniel Goetze was born in Missouri in 1871 to a German immigrant
family of twelve children. He moved to Walla Walla, Washington as a young man,
then to Oregon and later to Seattle. Goetze went to Alaska around 1898 as the
Gold Rush began and established a photography studio in Nome. He often worked
as an itinerant photographer and photographed throughout southeast Alaska, the
Yukon and Siberia with his base in Nome. He also photographed at the St. Louis
World's Fair in 1904. He sold his business in Nome to the Lomen Brothers in
1908 and moved to Seattle where he operated the Alaska Photo Studio from 1909
to 1912. He was among a number of photographers who made photographic postcards
at Seattle's 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Goetze got married in 1911
and had a daughter, Dorothy, in 1912. In 1914, the family moved to a farm in
Cedar Valley. Goetze sold the farm in the 1930s as a consequence of financial
difficulties related to the Depression; afterwards Goetze may have moved to
Monroe, Washington.
Arranged in 3 series.
- Nome
- Mining
- Iñupiat people
Most of the photographs in the collection depict scenes of Nome,
including street scenes, snowy landscapes, waterfront activities, Alaska
Natives, the fire of 1903, and mining claims in the vicinity. Goetze collection
numbers are written on verso or on the images.
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.
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication.
Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for
details.
Processed by Jill Hardy, 2009. Revised by Susan Fitch in 2014
Title of some images revised to align with harmful language
guidelines. Revison completed by G. Mandarino, June 2023
Language revised to align with harmful language guidelines. Revised by
Susan Fitch, July 2025.
Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)AlaskaPhotographsCity and Town Life
NomeNome street scenesM2711Panorama of Nome looking west with the Bering Sea and
Front St. at leftapproximately 1907 Panorama made of three attached panels.
1/12Horses and carts stuck in muddy
streets of Nome (Goetze 1009)approximately 1900-1908 1/13Pedestrians walking along businesses
on Front Street Nome (Goetze C117)approximately 1900-1908 1/14Bird's-eye view of Nome looking north (Goetze
1010)approximately 1900-1908 Shows undertaking parlor and Hotel Del Norte along Front St.,
and St. Joseph's Catholic church to the northwest.
1/15Snow-covered street with Nome Daily
News printing office and other Nome businesses (Goetze C140)approximately 1900-1908 1/16Tunnel in snow leading to front door
of house (Goetze 213)approximately 1900-1908 Caption on photo: Snow in Winter in Nome Alaska.
1/17Dog team on snow-covered Front Street
(Goetze 1005)approximately 1900-1908 Shows several businesses including The Igloo, W.J. Rowe
Transfer & Freighting, and Ames Mercantile.
1/18Second Street under snow drifts
(Goetze C136)approximately 1900-1908 1/19Snow tunnel leading to miners cabin
buried in snow (Goetze 973)approximately 1900-1908 Handwritten on image: A happy miner's home in Nome Alaska.
1/110New courthouse under construction
with carpenters and businessmen (Goetze 1000)July 24, 1908 Nome beach1/211Aerial view of waterfront beach with
tents and buildings (Goetze C89)approximately 1900-1908 1/212Ice breakup on Snake River near
several Nome riverfront businesses including U. S. Restaurant (Goetze
C149)1901 Caption on photo: Ice going out Snake River
1/213Nome beach with tents, buildings,
horses, and carts (Goetze C179a)approximately 1900-1908 1/214Men displaying bundles of whale
baleen on beach (Goetze C173)approximately 1900-1908 Caption on image: Whalebone on Nome beach.
1/215Men and dog on large rocks at the
beach (Goetze C111)approximately 1900-1908 Nome fires1/316Collapsed and smoking burned building
during Nome's 1903 fire (Goetze C139)Jan. 31, 1903 Caption on photo: Nome's second big fire.
1/317Crowd in street surrounding Hotel
Lawrence on fire (Goetze C158)approximately 1903-1905 U.S. Senators' and Congressmen's visit to
NomeA contingent of Senators and Congressman visited Nome in 1903.
Included in these photographs are possibly Senator W. P. Dillingham, of
Vermont, Senator H. E. Burnham, of New Hampshire, Senator Knut Nelson of
Minnesota and Senator E. M. Patterson of Colorado. Also included in that party
were Sergeant at Arms of the Senate; Col. Ramsdell; Lt. Andrews, of the U.S.
Army; Dr. Willcox; Mr. John McLane {McLain}, Ed. Minneapolis Journal & Mr.
Brill, of the Associated Press.
1/418Senators landing on Nome beach
(Goetze C177)1903 1/419Banquet of Senators and Congressmen
(Goetze A516)1903 1/420Senators being lowered onto a barge
by a crane (Goetze C113)1903 Handwritten on image: Senatorial Party leaving Nome,
Alaska.
Nome Environs1/521Solomon City pier, mining equipment
and tents (Goetze C1014)approximately 1900-1908 1/522The midnight sun over the Arctic
Ocean, June 21 (Goetze 1008)approximately 1900-1908 1/523W.H. Webb freighting thirty cases of goods by dogsled
fromS. S. Corwin(Goetze A995)June 3, 1907 1/524Floral arrangement on table with lace backdrop and
framed portraitapproximately 1900-1908 Mining1/625North Pole claim on Otter Creek third
beach line (Goetze 1002)approximately 1900-1908 1/626Dumps and workings of the Burns Bench
and Sunshine Claim on third beach line (Goetze 1001)approximately 1900-1908 Handwritten on image: G. Hendricks, Morrison-Gunderson
Ekstrom.
1/627Dump on Burns Bench claim on Irene
Creek (Goetze 1003)approximately 1900-1908 Handwritten on image: J. Hendricks.
Iñupiat people1/728Iñupiat people with reindeer in snowy
landscape, vicinity of Nome, Alaska (Goetze 5)between 1900 and 1908 1/729Iñupiat boy standing on beach with
buildings in the background, Nome, Alaska (Goetze 101)between 1900 and 1908 Caption on photo: Eskimo son.
1/730Iñupiat child wearing a fur parka,
Nome, Alaska (Goetze 1006)between 1900 and 1908 1/731Iñupiat child and his dog, vicinity of
Nome, Alaska (Goetze 1007)between 1900 and 1908 1/732Iñupiat man cooking food on beach,
vicinity of Nome, Alaska (Goetze C170)between 1900 and 1908 Caption on photo: Eskimo cooking lunch.
1/733Iñupiat people and others with dead
beluga whale on beach, Nome, Alask (Goetze C179)between 1900 and 1908 1/734Iñupiat people aboard the sailboat
Sophia in Nome, Alaska (Goetze C168)between 1900 and 1908 Handwritten on image: Eskimo own make.
1/735Iñupiat woman storing away berries,
Nome, Alaska (Goetze C172)between 1900 and 1908 1/736Studio portrait of Iñupiat ivory carver Angohwazhuk
(Happy Jack) and his wife wearing traditional fur parkas, Nome,
Alaskabetween 1900 and 1908 Angokwazhuk (Angohwazhuk, Happy Jack) (about 1870-1918) was born
about 1870 in the village of Ayasayuk, Cape Nome to Anyayak (mother) and
Anatawanuk (father). Angokwazhuk is known as one of the most accomplished ivory
carvers working in Nome in the early 1900s. He died in the 1918 pandemic.
Reference: Dorothy Jean Ray, "Happy Jack and Guy Kakarook: Their Art and Their
Heritage," pp. 19-33, Suzi Jones (editor), Eskimo Drawings, Anchorage:
Anchorage Museum of Art and History, 2003. Submitted by Deborah Tear Haynes,
3/2022.
1/737Studio portrait of the wife of Angohwazhuk (Happy
Jack)between 1900 and 1910 This photo in other collections shows caption: Eskimo Beauty of
Alaska.
1/738Iñupiat woman and man sitting in tent among personal
belongings, Nome, Alaskabetween 1900 and 1908 Transferred from Lomen collection PH Coll 328