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Alaska Film Archives

About the Collection

Over the past half century, the University of Alaska Fairbanks has built the largest collection of archival films in and about Alaska. The collection combines hundreds of donations of film and videos to UAF by individuals, organizations and institutions. Materials range from professional productions to amateur home-movies, made in and about Alaska from the earliest days of filmmaking through today. Since 1993 these materials have been held by the Alaska Film Archives, a unit of Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives in the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library. Films and videos selected for this portal project are a sampling of the thousands available for checkout on DVD through the Rasmuson Library. Unless otherwise noted, items are presented here in their entirety, unedited and uncut. Short, popular clips from the collection can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Read more about the Alaska Film Archives.

1 to 8 of 8 Objects
[Alaska and travel]
[Alaska and travel]
This film reel is made up of 11 smaller reels. Reel 1 is labeled "1947 West Point and Kay, Bobbie and Ethel, Alcan Highway in mud and snow, Donn skiing and carnival, Mary, more skiing spring 1948," and it contains footage as described plus scenes of travel, a Whitehorse sign, kids playing football in the snow, hockey, skiing, a ski jump, dog mushing, the Fairbanks Winter Carnival, cars racing around a snowy track, and more skiing. Reel 2 is labeled "Trip To Alaska August 1947, Peekskill, Forest Glen, Jackson Lake, Xmas 1947 in Iowa, University of Iowa campus, Washington D.C., N.Y., Oregon," and it contains footage of road travel, scenery, small towns and cities, aerial views from an airplane, a dredge and mining views, a military formation, a football game, ice skating, and a city. A note inside the film can says "Washington D.C., New York, Hartsdale, Washington D.C., to California and Oregon, [?] and myself, February 1948, Alaska back to Peekskill, cadets and football, Forest Glen, Lilly, Jackson Lake Iowa, [?] and trip to Iowa for Xmas, farm, [?], University of Iowa campus." Reel 3 is labeled "Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainier, start of plane trip to Alaska August 1947, Alaska map and California to Seattle," and it contains footage of a map of Alaska and aerial views. Reel 4 is labeled "Lilly and Keith, 1947, [?], Virginia, Lilly and I, Lilly at Skyline Drive, Keith's lacross games, [?] Island ferry and Lilly," and it contains views of people, a game, and New York. Reel 5 is labeled "Football May 8th UA at FHS, Whitehorse, Boats on Yukon, Spring 1949," and it contains scenes of a football game and sternwheelers in Whitehorse. Reel 6 is labeled "June 1949 Peekskill Graduation and West Point Parade," and it contains scenes of cadets. Reel 7 is labeled "Peekskill MA, waterskiing, Badlands, June to August 1949," and it contains scenes of cadets and waterskiing. Reel 8 is labeled "Cleary Hill Ski Meet March 1950, Keith's graduation Peekskill June 1950," and it contains footage of skiing and cadets. Reel 9 is labeled "Alcan, ferry, Yellowstone, east bear, elk, antelope, May 1949," and it contains footage of travel, the Alcan, a ferry, Yellowstone National Park, and a bear. Reel 10 is labeled "Peekskill and Keith June 1950, Garden of the Gods, Keith and I, bear and grouse, football, Huber's Ranch, June to August 1950, Peekskill to Alaska," and it contains views of cadets, travel, a bear, football, a Huber sign, and a house. Reel 11 is labeled "Rocky Mountain Sheep, Boulder Rodeo, Esther Braddock, July to October 1951," and it contains scenes of a rodeo.
[David and Mike Doxey Film collection 6]
[David and Mike Doxey Film collection 6]
Footage includes a river break-up, Richardson Highway travel, children playing, sled dog races, downtown Fairbanks, a panorama, Dawson City, waterskiing at Harding Lake, a Golden Days Parade in Fairbanks, a Sheep Creek dredge being moved in 1958, children in Easter clothes, Open North American Sled Dog Races and the Fairbanks Winter Carnival parade. Footage from 1960 through 1966 includes a family at Harding Lake, the 1961 Winter Carnival parade, Harding Lake, travel outside of Alaska, the 1963 North American Championship Sled Dog Race, snowshoe baseball, a scramble race, the 1963 Yukon Marathon, Eskimo Olympics, the 1964 Golden Days parade, dog races, Tanana River break-up in Nenana in 1965 and snowmachines at the 1966 North American. Additional footage includes Harding Lake in 1966, snowmachines in March of 1967, waterskiing at Harding Lake in 1967, fireworks, the 1967 Chena River flood in Fairbanks, boat travel on the Salcha River, waterskiing in 1968, and Jason in 1978.
[Family activities, scenes inside and outside Alaska]
[Family activities, scenes inside and outside Alaska]
This film contains footage of two women standing outside of an Aeronca Sedan airplane in the snow, women washing a car, a wildfire, two women standing in front of a house with a small dog, a group of boys putting on heavy backpacks being handed to them out of the back of a truck, airplanes on floats on a lake, people water skiing on a lake, children playing next to a lake, a Christmas tree and Christmas presents, people opening Christmas presents, Spooks' Nook at Chitina, a waterfall, views of the mountains, children playing in the snow, a family gathering with a baby in a long (baptismal?) gown, children playing on a swings, a small child looking at a baby in a woman's arms, a Christmas tree, people opening Christmas presents, a child playing with a toy horse, a baby looking at toys, a parade outside Alaska with large floats, horse drawn carriages, motorcycles, old cars, a marching band, a person driving a tractor in a film superimposed over footage of a baby walking, footage of a family gathering, people posing for photographs superimposed over footage of a child walking on grass, men on horses herding cattle (likely not in Alaska), women standing in front of a car with a dog, children playing outdoors, people sitting on the grass, the sternwheeler Riverboat Nenana in Fairbanks, men in a boat on the water, and men next to a river and swimming in the river, a small child playing in the snow, and a family picnic outdoors.
[Farrar buggy, scenes outside Alaska]
[Farrar buggy, scenes outside Alaska]
The original film is labeled “Ray Farrar and buggy, me and Champ, Tom shoveling snow – Michigan, Toni on water ski, Siebert and deer.” The film contains scenes of a dog pulling a loaded sled, brief aerial views of a town and an airport landing strip, a large vehicle with many tires moving across the tundra, sections of pipe being hauled by vehicle, a demonstration of a vehicle’s ability to travel smoothly over rough terrain, a small airplane taking off from an airport, John Baker repairing the tail of an airplane, snow storm scenes, a workshop's interior, a deer near a barn, a man posing with a deer, a pheasant in snow, men moving a raft of logs, a water chute and logging operation, a man water skiing, and an airplane on floats landing on water. Some scenes were filmed outside Alaska.
[George Steck collection 10]
[George Steck collection 10]
This footage features various people waterskiing on Birch Lake in July of 1967.
[KTVF news stories, Chitina, Riverboat Discovery II]
[KTVF news stories, Chitina, Riverboat Discovery II]
Some segments of this film have sound, and others are silent. Specific dates and titles were noted on some segments and are included here in parentheses. The footage includes views from a Winnebago camper as it drives along the highway, people swimming in a lake, boats and houses on a lake, a person water-skiing (July 10, 1972) (silent and sound), Liberty Falls Campground, a KTVF Winnebago camper, men and boys with fish, a Chitina sign, views of a road and buildings, a Chitina store, old vehicles, people dip-netting, a Pioneer Access Road sign, an old log church, hikers, old buildings (August 28, 1972) (sound), a man in a hard hat being interviewed about fighting a fire at the McKinley Park Hotel (no date) (sound), clouds and sunsets (August 1, 1972) (sound), Carpenter's Local 1243 on strike, picketers in front of a Tanana Valley Clinic construction site and married-student-housing site (August 1, 1972) (silent), United States Secretary of the Interior Morton speaking about progress on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline project (August 2, 1972) (sound), a small airplane taking off (August 2, 1972) (silent), Japanese men stepping off an Alaska Railroad train car (August 3, 1972) (silent), women holding up an award plaque, reception scenes (August 3, 1972) (segment is titled "Fohn-Hansen Award") (silent), a man being interviewed on the UAF campus about the similarities between Australia and Alaska (August 4, 1972) (segment is titled "Ambassador Plimsoll") (sound), exhibits at the University of Alaska museum (August 4, 1972) (silent), a man being presented with a gold key and a gold pass (August 4, 1972) (segment is titled "Barker Award") (silent), the Fairbanks railroad station, a pile of cabbages (August 4, 1972) (silent), and people boarding the Riverboat Discovery II on a fundraising tour for U.S. Senator Ted Stevens. Aboard the boat, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Morton talks with Senator Stevens about the pipeline, conservation and development issues, jobs and population growth in Alaska, and hiring preferences on the pipeline project. Subsequent footage shows Captain Jim Binkley talking about the future of tourism and riverboats in Alaska (August 7, 1972) (sound), people viewing paintings (August 7, 1972) (segment is titled "Engles Art Show") (silent), firefighters battling a blaze in a burning house (August 8, 1972) (segment is titled "Grahhl Fire") (silent), Dr. William Wood and others speaking (August 9, 1972) (segment is titled "Reindeer Symposium") (silent), a man being interviewed about traffic flow on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus (August 9, 1972) (sound), buildings and satellite dishes, a man being interviewed (August 10, 1972) (segment is titled "Space Data Acquisition Facility") (sound), people boarding a small riverboat, river views, a Ronald McDonald clown entertaining children (August 9, 1972) (segment is titled "Openings/Fisher") (silent), protestors holding signs about a rent-raise at Birch Park housing (August 9, 1972) (silent), the construction of apartments, a health spa, a service station (August 12, 1972) (sound), circus trucks and a tent, circus animals (August 12, 1972) (silent), the M.B. Equipment Company building, and junk in a field (August 12, 1972) (silent).
[Lee family films 2]
[Lee family films 2]
AAF-16345 is from a film containing the following note: “August 15, 1967, Fairbanks flood; Mary Nov-Dec 1969, 9 month old; boating at Lakeview Trailer et., Janet, Jean and boys 1970?; 1939 mom and Jean, this part has bump in film toward end.” The film contains scenes of downtown Fairbanks during the 1967 flood, floodwaters in the streets and around houses, a helicopter flying overhead, motorboats moving up and down streets, a large motorboat crowded with people, the Fairbanks power plant, Samson Hardware, Immaculate Conception Church, First Avenue buildings including the Cowles Library, and A-67 (also known as Alaskaland or Pioneer Park) during the flood. The film continues with scenes of a baby, people water skiing and swimming, a roadhouse, a Willow Lake Rest Area sign, a woman and girl walking across the Noyes Slough foot bridge, Leonhard Seppala’s cabin at Chatanika, F.E. Gold Camp structures, and a Billy Root’s Stages bus.
[Merton Attwood Collection 2]
[Merton Attwood Collection 2]
Footage includes children playing in snow outside a cabin, children walking with their mother, a Wien airplane landing, a moose, a group of Eskimos in an outboard powered riverboat arriving at a fish camp on the shore, dead caribou being unloaded from a Nodwell tracked vehicle, caribou, a view of a mining camp in winter, a dogsled, spring break-up on a river, a mining camp, a man feeding a black bear, a camp with a Telache Oil and Mining sign on the building, Christmas and other domestic family scenes, a mock wedding, and real married couple departing in a decorated car. Additional footage includes a man unloading a light airplane that flipped during landing, a helicopter arriving, a dog sled, a helicopter hauling a barrel of fuel, getting a camp water with a Nodwell, and camp activities. Additional footage includes a family Christmas, someone hauling freight in a small truck, children playing and working in a Kobuk school, Kobuck village scenes, and an aircraft departing. Additional footage features airplanes in Palm Springs, aerial views of Interior Alaska in winter, a river break-up, aerial and ground views of a mining camp, an ATCO building at a camp, a Wien C-46, a Caterpillar clearing snow, a light airplane landing, mining activity with heavy equipment, airplanes, men building a log cabin, a Cessna 180 on skis departing, a C-82 cargo airplane landing and departing, a Caterpillar clearing snow, sled dog races, and Yukon 800 boat races. Additional footage includes Santa Claus at a Christmas party in a village, Tanana Winter Carnival dog races, a supply barge on the Yukon River, and a water skier on the Yukon River.