Alaska Film Archives

[Alaska statehood celebrations and scenery]
[Alaska statehood celebrations and scenery]
Footage contains images of a sign that says, "Deposit Wood for Statehood Bonfire Here!"; a sign that says, "This Property Guarded by Post 728 Explorer Scouts - Central Lutheran Church;" a view of the bonfire pile in downtown Anchorage; a boy holding a newspaper with the headline "Final Vote Hours Away;" crowds gathering near a large American flag hung on a building along Fourth Avenue in Anchorage; men, including Alaska Constitutional Convention delegates Victor Fischer and Marvin R. "Muktuk" Marston hold a small "49th state" banner; parade floats; neon signs along Fourth Avenue; crowds gathered around the statehood bonfire woodpile; the woodpile being set ablaze as horses run around the fire; people waving and celebrating; Alaska railroad travel in autumn; snowy mountains; aerial views of Anchorage, the Alaska Range, and a coastal town; Dall sheep; and people at an event with retriever dogs. Notes from the nephew of Wally Wellenstein in 2015: “Please remember that Uncle Wally put together several small spools of film to make the reels. We think that Wally was trying to tell a story for his family back in Minnesota, rather than relate in chronological order his adventures. Some of the scenes are out of order, date wise. The bulk of his movies were of his adventures in Alaska. He also spent time recording the life of his sister Joan’s family. [AAF-11870 includes scenes of] Statehood celebration at Federal Building, 4th Avenue, Anchorage; Statehood bonfire on park strip; various scenes along Seward Highway; flightseeing, Susitna Valley; flightseeing, Anchorage; flightseeing, viewing Mt. McKinley; flightseeing, Kodiak; Sheep at Windy Corner; and dog trials at Sand Lake."
[Anchorage, Seward, Hooper Bay, glaciers and skiing]
[Anchorage, Seward, Hooper Bay, glaciers and skiing]
AAF-11873 is made up of ten smaller reels that have been combined. Reel 1 is labeled “Turnagain School” and contains exterior views of the Turnagain School building (during the mid-1950s or 1970s?). Reel 2 is labeled “1954 Downtown NCG and Lib and [GA?] Hill School etc., airplane in [inlet?].” It contains views of Anchorage area buildings and an airplane in the water. Reel 3 is labeled “Misc. Anchorage signs” and contains views of signs (circa 1970s?). Reel 4 is labeled “Train to Seward thru loop” and contains views of a train and from a train (circa 1950s?). Reel 5 is labeled “Hooper Bay” and contains exterior views of a building and people exiting the building (circa mid 1970s?). Reel 6 is labeled “Columbia Glacier by Air 50s” and contains scenes of glaciers (circa 1950s?). Reel 7 is labeled “Flying” and contains aerial views of water (circa?). Reel 8 is labeled “Flying looks like King Salmon?” and contains aerial scenes of water (circa late 1950 or 1970s?). Reel 9 is labeled “[Global?] cup at Alyeska” and contains scenes of skiers in a competition (circa late 1950s or 1970s?). Reel 10 is labeled “Nat’l Ski Racer” and contains views of skiers with bib numbers – original film was processed in April 1963. Notes from the nephew of Wally Wellenstein in 2015: “Please remember that Uncle Wally put together several small spools of film to make the reels. We think that Wally was trying to tell a story for his family back in Minnesota, rather than relate in chronological order his adventures. Some of the scenes are out of order, date wise. The bulk of his movies were of his adventures in Alaska. He also spent time recording the life of his sister Joan’s family."
[Annabeth Hanlon collection 3]
[Annabeth Hanlon collection 3]
Footage includes people working on an Aeronca light airplane, people mugging for the camera, people unloading mail from train, McKinley Park Hotel, Horseshoe Lake, puppies, a cache on stilts, a log cache, Mt. McKinley and scenery, feeding ground squirrels, a tent camp for tourists, a fox, Fanny Quigley at a cabin with a dog, Open North American Sled Dog Races in Fairbanks, an early Arctic Cat snowmachine, Dr. Roland Lombard loading sled dogs into a truck, and curling matches at the Fairbanks Curling Club. Notes accompanying the original film can and box say "McKinley, Fannie Quigley, 1964 dog races, curling."
[Arnie M. Lee and Family collection - 1]
[Arnie M. Lee and Family collection - 1]
This notes on this film say “Anne leaving for Norway, trip on Livengood Road high water, bear hunting, Manley hot springs, Christmas at home, Oslo slab[?], Moss Pery[?], Akers Lees, Snirre.” The film contains footage of a family with a red car, an overview of an Alaska placer mine in a river valley, a summer celebration in downtown Fairbanks with couples dancing in the street as a replica steam train drives by and a KFAR-TV cameraman films the action, an Alaska Airlines airplane landing and taking off again, interior Alaska hillsides in summer and fall, a sluice box and mining operation, high water on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks, a hunter with a dead bear, Manley Lodge, scenic Alaska landscapes and skies, winter in Fairbanks, a Fairbanks home and trees covered in frost, snowy hillsides, an aerial view of the Alaska Range mountains, passenger airplanes at an airport, and sites in northern Europe.
[Bird dogs, parade, earthquake damage, winter scenery, coastal views]
[Bird dogs, parade, earthquake damage, winter scenery, coastal views]
This reel is made from three smaller reels of film. The original cans are labeled: “Retrieve[?]; Log house[?]; earthquake, Fraiser Canyon, ferry, Alcan.” Footage includes dogs receiving retrieval training and perhaps being judged at a competition, the 1962 Golden Days Parade in Fairbanks, bridge construction at an unknown location, Astoria Column in Astoria Oregon, a Sitka spruce sign on the end of a large log, a large log building and a train display, waves along a beach, a sign for the end of the Lewis and Clark trail, waterfowl, a steam engine train display and other equipment at a museum, Anchorage buildings and homes showing severe damage from the 1964 earthquake, a sign that says "I knew it was tough to make a living in Alaska but I didn't think we'd go 'in the hole' this bad!,” mountains in winter, a car with a flat tire on an icy road, a tire being changed, a man dip netting for small fish, a coastal town and harbor, and scenes from aboard ferry.
[Dawson, 1964 Good Friday earthquake aftermath, Kodiak]
[Dawson, 1964 Good Friday earthquake aftermath, Kodiak]
Footage contains images taken during a trip to Dawson City in Yukon Territory, a Texaco station in Anchorage, people loading of camper, travel along Glenn Highway, highway signs, map showing the route to Dawson City, litter, a woman and a dog, signs at Gakona, signs and buildings at Tok, Forty Mile Roadhouse, Taylor Highway road sign, scenery along Taylor Highway, the Alaska - Canada border, buildings and old mining equipment in Dawson, a woman with a rocker box, a Klondike River bridge, and a sternwheeler deck. Images filmed in Anchorage and along the Seward Highway following the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake include damaged buildings in downtown, damaged houses in Turnagain, a Caterpillar clearing snow, policemen nearing a truck, a business block with buildings below street level, downtown traffic, a loader working on a street, a collapsed airport tower, a funny sign on building, a power line repair crew, law offices, West High School damage, trailers with relief offices, workers replacing bricks, fire trucks, a snow avalanche along Seward Highway, and a power shovel loading rail cars. Images at Kodiak from 1964 include filmmaker Victor Rovier talking with a man on horseback, the waterfront, fishing boats, a petroleum tank farm, a Russian Orthodox Church, downtown buildings, houses, Alaska State Ferry Tustemena arriving, cars being loaded onto a ferry, a motor home being unloaded, a float plane landing and being tied up, aerial views of Kodiak, people at the King Crab Festival, and the dome on a Russian Orthodox Church.
[Dog mushing and travel, Haul Road and skiing 1]
[Dog mushing and travel, Haul Road and skiing 1]
AAF-10401 is made up of several smaller reels of film. Handwritten notes on the original film boxes are as follows: “Dog sledding Alaska M 73/74?” “Coming into Seattle, Wash on jumbo jet, flight back to Fairbanks, snowmobiling with pastor and Roadie in Canwell.” “Chena River.” “B-52 good, Ferrons snow machines.” “Yukon the cat small part of roll.” “Flight to Fort Yukon, Circle, Arctic and cross fox, Lilly, wedding coming out of church – good picture X fox (winter) Atigun Pass, also silver fox gobbler knob, short picture tanker at PS1 flags flying, flying to Fort Yukon with Steve, Bev and I.” “Flight and Wyoming.” “Wyoming, me on horseback, corral.” “Wyoming hunting 3.” This film contains footage of dog mushing near Fairbanks, a helicopter landing, an Alaska Dog Mushers Association and Open North American sign, airplanes and aerial views, snow machines, river travel and an old cabin, a boy fishing, a USAF military airplane, snowmachines, a church, a kitten, aerial views, village scenes, a fox, a wedding, more aerial views, outside travel, Yellowstone National Park, and horseback riding.
[Dog mushing and travel, Haul Road and skiing 2]
[Dog mushing and travel, Haul Road and skiing 2]
AAF-10402 is made up of several smaller reels of film. Handwritten notes on original film boxes are as follows: “Trading post w/ Bev PO etc. – Bev in Gemes[?] stove, winter time.” “Truck Haul Road turning in Coldfoot Camp, Bev with Chena Dogs, Steve S, OK.” “Wild Lake with Gordons, river trip, truck.” “Jon and I skiing, snowmobiling at Chandler good.” “Jon and Dad at Chandlar skiing, cat train good, my new truck with Boss in Fbks.” “Skiing over Camaro, Haul Road winter accidents.” “Jon, Greg, sheep, skiing.” “Greg and Jon skiing down Atigun Pass, Fbks post office.” “Atigun Pass south, Flying with Les Zerbik[?] Waren McAllister.” This film contains footage of airplanes and cabins, a US Post Office, Haul Road scenes, airplanes on floats, fishing, snow machines, skiing, an ice-road train?, ski jumping over a car, overturned trucks on the Haul Road, dall sheep, winter scenes and skiing along the Haul Road, and aerial views of mountains and a road.
[Eyth Family collection films 2]
[Eyth Family collection films 2]
This film contains scenes featuring people posing and getting into a small airplane, a small framed cabin, a log cabin, boats on a river, women and a cabin, cabins and caches along a river, a family at a cabin, many people in a boat, a moose in a river, and mountains as seen from a river.
[Eyth Family collection films 3]
[Eyth Family collection films 3]
This film contains aerial views of mountains as seen from a small airplane as well as scenes featuring men talking, homemade rafts on a river, moose, children playing in a river, mountains and a glacier, waterfalls, ice, and seals.
[Fairbanks sled dog races and baseball, 1969 North Slope exploration and Haul Road construction- part 2]
[Fairbanks sled dog races and baseball, 1969 North Slope exploration and Haul Road construction- part 2]
This film contains on-the-ground and aerial views of Alaska's North Slope and the future Haul Road corridor, caribou running, a man with a small net standing next to a stream, caribou near bluffs, Sagwon Lodge, a braided river, a camp and tower (drill rig?), bears, wolves, caribou, sheep, rivers, mountains, men pulling a net from a stream, men fly fishing, bear tracks, a small airplane near a camp, moose, a man with a fish net, a bear, views from a boat in the river, cabins along the river, jumpy aerial views of the Fairbanks area including Creamer's Dairy and a mining operation, aerial views of road construction crews at work and trees being cleared north of Fairbanks along the Haul Road (Dalton Highway) corridor between Livengood and the Yukon River, men fishing from a boat, and Bridal Veil falls near Valdez.
[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.
[Family scenes, Alaska Highway travel]
[Family scenes, Alaska Highway travel]
Film contains footage of a little girl (aproximately 1 year old) at a birthday party with a cake and presents, a little girl playing with toys, a little boy's 3rd birthday party with children, cake, the child opening presents, a truck on a snowy road, scenic views of mountains and winter snowscape, a little girl about 2 years old, a man, woman, and child standing outside on the side of a road in winter, snowscapes viewed from a moving vehicle, snowy roadway viewed from a moving vehicle, winter landscapes, tall cabin at Whitehorse in Canada, sternwheeler riverboats on a shore at Whitehorse, cars racing around a snow track in the winter on the Chena River in Fairbanks, ice skaters performing for a crowd outside in winter on the Chena River in Fairbanks, views of Fairbanks businesses along river, views of the outside of a building, a man standing with a dog, scenic views of the landscape, ships on the water, a church with a Nativity scene in front, a bridge (not in Alaska), a woman and man standing outside of a brick home (not in Alaska), Pan American airplane at an airport, the mountains filmed from an airplane in flight, a man and a boy standing in snow in front of a truck, military vehicles along a snowy road, views from a truck driving down the Alaska Highway, and a truck at Whitehorse in Canada with sternwheeler riverboats on the shore in the background.
[Family scenes, Alaska Highway travel, winter carnival]
[Family scenes, Alaska Highway travel, winter carnival]
Film contains images of cars driving down a street, an aproximately 1-year-old girl outside of a red house climbing stairs and playing, the same girl indoors, sheep in a field, a group of people standing in the field, a group of people dressed up at an outdoor gathering, people sitting in a group in chairs outdoors in a social gathering, the exterior of a red house, children swimming in what appears to be a lake, a child aproximately 1-year-old walking, views of a beach and a sign that says "Indian Village" on it, scenic Alaska wilderness with a rainbow, children running through a sprinkler and playing with a hose on the lawn in front of a red house, a family standing in front of cars, children playing with a cat, children playing outside in the snow in the winter, adults and children standing for a group photograph, outdoor winter scenery, the Watson Lake Signpost Forest along the Alaska Highway in Yukon Territory of Canada, mountain scenery, a moose in winter in a field of snow, children being pulled on a sled, caribou pulling a dog sled, a Fairbanks Winter Carnival parade with parade floats, kids on a snowy beach throwing rocks into the water near a glacier, a parade in summer with a man riding in the parade and women marching in the parade, flowers in a garden, a barn in winter, well dressed people standing outside in winter with a bunch of cars in front of a church outside of Alaska, people pushing wagon wheels in the snow, a little girl opening presents next to a Christmas tree, a woman holding a baby, a Christmas tree, presents under a tree, a man with children on his lap, children sitting on a couch, children opening Christmas presents, children playing with toys, and children roughhousing and tumbling.
[Goodnews Bay Mining Company and Platinum area scenes 1]
[Goodnews Bay Mining Company and Platinum area scenes 1]
AAF-16390 is a super-8mm film labeled, “Start flight into camp, end with [illegible] and fox.” The film contains aerial views of snowy mountains as seen from a small airplane, coming in for a landing over a spruce forest onto a snowy runway, aerial scenes of a small settlement [possibly Good News Bay?], coming in for another landing on a snowy runway [possibly the Platinum airport?], a grab dredger moving what looks like chunks of ice, a dog team in the distance, a snowshoe hare running, and four men working with what appears to be a clamshell bucket while a smaller grab dredge removes ice from a slushy pond in the background. Additional scenes include a dredge that appears to have a huge chunk of ice stuck on its bucket, a snowy landscape, a helicopter, a group of people shoveling [possibly digging clams] in a tidal area, snowy mountains in the background, a mining camp and surrounding areas, a smaller dredge, a general overview of area, a fox, and a grab dredge with another large piece of machinery.
[Goodnews Bay Mining Company and Platinum area scenes 4]
[Goodnews Bay Mining Company and Platinum area scenes 4]
AAF-16393 is a super-8mm film containing scenes of a bucket dredge in a frozen pond, a dragline moving water and mud from the pond, snow surrounding homes, snow piled almost to the top of the roofs, a bucket dredge working in an icy pond with mountains in the distance, a town as seen from a hill above, and more scenes of mining equipment in operation. A man works a dragline while a dog sits nearby. A group of adults gather around people who are processing salmon, and a man holds up a large salmon. The film ends with a shot of the Platinum Post Office and structures along a river or inlet with mountains in the distance.
[Haul Road, trucks and scenery]
[Haul Road, trucks and scenery]
Footage contains views of semi-trailers traveling on the Haul Road, workers loading empty barrels into a semi-trailer, a man in a cowboy hat, men working on trucks, semi-trailers on the Haul Road, a warehouse, workers loading barrels, road and pipeline construction, road graders, a Finger Mountain sign, a Franklin Bluffs sign and other road signs, Brooks Range scenery, and a Deitrich Camp sign.
[Juneau, Legislature]
[Juneau, Legislature]
Some segments of film contain sound, and others are silent. Specific information noted on the original film is given here in parentheses. The footage includes a story about the possible move of Alaska's capital, views of Juneau construction, the state capitol building, boats in a harbor, an airplane flying over boats, mountains and fog, town streets, the Red Dog Saloon, traffic and people, maps of Alaska, people in a meeting, construction, a reporter at the capitol building, a reporter overlooking the town, boats (silent and sound), views of Juneau, Bullwinkle's, buildings and a courtyard, flags being raised by the state office building (silent), a boat harbor in Juneau, the ferry "LeConte," men in a rowboat (silent), views of Juneau (silent), people in meetings, the legislature in session (segment titled "State House/State Senate") (silent), the legislature in session, and an Alaska senator being interviewed about outside interests in protecting Alaska's undeveloped areas as well as about conservation efforts in Alaska (silent and sound).
[Miscellaneous Alaska scenes]
[Miscellaneous Alaska scenes]
The donor’s original number and title for AAF-20844 are: “RW 109. Travel Scenes, St. Moritz, Skiing.” This film features scenes outside Alaska, which include a road trip in the United States and skiers at St. Moritz in Switzerland. Scenes in Alaska include the Russian Orthodox Church and Spirit Houses at Eklutna, Skagway street scenes, Skagway Inn, Kirmses Curios shop, White Pass & Yukon Railroad train trip, men at a fancy dinner, aerial views of mountains, a boat trip to a glacier, competitive downhill skiing, people eating and huddling around newspapers, men being served an extravagant meal including wine and caviar on an airplane, a series of historic black and white photographs, a group of Alaska Native children eating, William Egan meeting with people, entertainer Burl Ives at Alaskaland, cabins and carnival rides and games at Alaskaland (also known as A-67 or Alaska 67 Centennial Exposition), and Alaska Native people dancing with masks. This is followed by scenes of a lighted sign for Alaska Airlines Golden Nugget Jets followed by "Golden Samovar Service" aboard a Boeing 727 Golden Nugget Jet. Passengers are served an extravagant meal that includes hors d’oeurves, wine, caviar, soup and a main course. Alaska Airlines introduced “Golden Nugget Service” in the early 1960s as a tribute to the 1890s gold rush era. Passenger planes were decorated in red and gold wallpaper and plush red seats. In the early 1970s, Alaska Airlines added the extravagant samovar service to highlight the fact that it had recently begun offering charters to the Soviet Union. This is followed by black-and-white scenes (striations indicate this may be Kodacolor film) of an Alaska town (possibly Rampart?) and flowers, well-dressed people at a conference or meeting, soldiers fighting in Vietnam, William Egan and Henry "Red" Boucher talking to men and women at a dinner, “Egan for Governor” sign, a map of the Bay of Bengal, a moose, the Santa Claus House in North Pole, people on go karts on a track in downtown Fairbanks, Woolworths Building in the background of the track, a log cabin visitors center in Fairbanks, an airplane taking off in Fairbanks and landing at Umiat, a Wien airplane, and a small totem pole.
[Pipeline footage]
[Pipeline footage]
Information noted on the original film is given here in parentheses. All segments are silent. Footage includes a man and women being interviewed (segment titled "Muleskinner - Thunder"), a woman operating a radio (segment titled "Brown Muleskinner"), a truck on a road, a man and woman being interviewed, a woman working at a desk, truck views, a man and woman talking (segment titled "Phil and Annie cutaways"), a truck hauling pipeline sections on the Haul Road in winter (segment titled "Winter Shots - Pipe"), an ambulance driving through Fairbanks, a man in a hospital bed, interior hospital views, views of the new Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, men and a yellow vehicle (segment titled "Pipeline Report #4 outs"). Haul Road views, a Happy Valley sign, a construction camp, trucks on a road, snow on mountains and tundra, a wooden cross and a fence in a wooded area, a truck inspection by a NANA official, small pipes being unloaded, and a truck on a Yukon River bridge (no title).
[Savoonga, Kenai, Homer, McNeil River]
[Savoonga, Kenai, Homer, McNeil River]
Location identifications are from Victor Rovier's notes. According to original notes accompanying this film, the first five segments, all dated 1966, were likely filmed by Jack Fuller in Savoonga and include scenes of women skinning seals, travel by umiak, a walrus laying on ice, walruses scattering after gunfire, a baby walrus swimming in water, Native men in a shelter, men pulling an umiak across snow, men with harpoons and guns shooting a walrus at a breathing hole, piles of muktuk, men pulling up and cutting a whale, a boat and a whale, men carving a whale in water, walrus tusks and meat, people with dogsleds and snowmachines meeting a airplane, a blanket toss, men harpooning a walrus through a hole in ice, and distant views of an umiak at sea. According to original notes, the following three segments were filmed by Victor Rovier in June of 1966 and include views of Anchorage, an earthquake-caused slump in Turnagain Arm, a man (identified in notes as Wilcox) fishing at Alexander Creek, airboat travel up Alexander Creek, oil tanks and an oil platform, Kenai, and dock facilities. Remaining film segments are all titled "McNeil 1967" and include images of filmmaker Victor Rovier packing a tent, men (identified in notes as Hans and Rovier) loading an airplane, the airplane taking off, buildings in Homer, takeoff of an airplane and aerial views, the instrument panel of an airplane, mountains, Rovier talking to the pilot, Mt. Augustine, McNeil River from the air, Rovier carrying gear at a beach, Rovier setting up a tent and blowing up an air mattress, bears wrestling, a bear with a red tag, waterfowl (poor focus), bears walking, Hans giving Rovier a shave while Rovier holds a revolver, bears fishing in a river, Rovier fishing in McNeil River, men (identified in notes as Rovier and Dick) wading across McNeil River, Rovier at McNeil Falls, Homer spit, fjords and islands en route to Seldovia, and Rovier with a camera in Seldovia.
[Scenes from around Alaska]
[Scenes from around Alaska]
This film contains images of a dead wolf, bulldozers, a man and woman and two boys, people sledding on a hillside, blowing snow along Steese Highway, Circle Hot Springs in winter, a mining operation, men working in sluice box as children play, fall landscape, caribou, winter landscape, summer landscape, Cat train moving over snowy ground, Ocean Van Line trailer, tractor trailers hauling supplies, a bulldozer plowing a path through trees, scenes in northern Alaska, a dog team, a dead seal, an Alaska Native family posing for the camera outside of a wall tent, a Cat train, an airport, tractor trailers, a bulldozer plowing snow, a Cat train, and men working to free a vehicle that has fallen though ice.
[Stenberg films 5]
[Stenberg films 5]
This is a film from about 1961 labeled, “Petersburg" and "Hunting Fishing #4.” The film contains scenes of women processing halibut and men processing salmon in a commercial processing facility, shrimp being unloaded from boats, an Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines seaplane landing and taxiing to shore, passengers posing, a seaplane taking off, mountains and glaciers, a snow-covered car and trailer home, Petersburg main street and wharf, a parade with adults and children in costume, a dunk tank, people walking around town, a boat race, and Alaska Marine Highway ferry M/V Malaspina.
[Stenberg films 9]
[Stenberg films 9]
This film is labeled, “Home Reel 1.” The film contains scenes of southeast Alaska, men and women posing with bundles of furs, small boats, mountains and glaciers, a waterfall, views from a boat, fishing vessels at a dock, and women walking along a snowy street. The segment titled “Alaska River Voyage” by the Alaska Sportsman Magazine includes scenes filmed in Southeast Alaska such as tourists boarding a boat, a woman posing with a dog, women looking at totem poles, boats, and bears.
A Story of Fur
A Story of Fur
The original narrated DVD is labeled “John Baker - A Story of Fur.” The original silent film is labeled “No. 1 Winter Trapline.” The narrated version is played back at a different frame rate and is slower and longer than the silent version. This is the narrated version. The film contains footage of the B&K Trading Company building and the Roadhouse in Talkeetna; Carol and Verna Close baking bread; a dog named Queenie with John Baker checking a trapline during winter; Queenie wearing a dog pack; John Baker hiking in snowshoes and checking a beaver trap; John Baker and trapping partner Gene Lanzaro building a small log cabin from start to finish, including peeling logs, scribing and notching logs, and sawing boards from logs; setting a wolverine trap; a pilot and mailman Cliff Hudson delivering mail via small airplane; John Baker nailing a roof on a cabin, cutting out a window on a cabin, installing a chimney through a cabin roof, looking at Mount McKinley (Denali) through cabin windows, demonstrating window shutters, and showing bear protection around windows; Gene Lanzaro cutting fireweed and the dog Queenie pulling a sled with logs; cooking meat and pancakes inside cabin; John Baker with a lynx that he trapped; a captive marten kept as a pet; a moose; John Baker demonstrating hiking in snowshoes versus without snowshoes in deep snow; John Baker showing a marten he has trapped and field dressing a spruce grouse; a new snowmachine; Queenie barking at a trapped wolverine; scenes of setting and checking a beaver trap, including fresh beaver signs in spring, a beaver snare, a beaver lodge with steam emerging, skinning a beaver, and Queenie pulling a sled; John Baker starting up and flying a small airplane on skis, aerial views of snowy landscapes, and groups of moose; landing an airplane on skis; a moose walking through deep snow; John Baker butchering a moose and loading it onto an airplane; aerial views of mountains and moose; a ptarmigan in white plumage; a snowmachine pulling a sled; showing off a trapline catch at Summit log cabin; Queenie running behind a snowmachine and riding on a sled; an airplane in a windstorm and John Baker digging out the airplane after the storm passes; Lake Hood airplanes and a hangar damaged by a windstorm near Anchorage; John Baker with a roll of furs and a pickup truck at Lake Hood airstrip; Anchorage Fur Rendezvous scenes, including Fourth Avenue in Anchorage, brief glimpses of George Attla and Jimmy Malemute, Roland Lombard mushing along a trail, a helicopter flying over the trail, Jonas Brothers Taxidermy shop in Anchorage, and a fur auction; Myers Furs shop in Michigan, a furrier at work, and John Baker’s father posing in a beaver coat and hat.
[Thompson Valdez film]
[Thompson Valdez film]
Footage includes a moving building, buildings in Old Town, signs identifying buildings, burning buildings in Old Town following the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, ships in the harbor, Alyeska Terminal 1976, a fire across from Port Valdez Hotel, porpoises and a sea otter, a woman getting her hair styled, a fishing boat with an outboard motor, men hauling a dingy aboard, flying over New Town and Old Town, an unidentified man, Old Town after the tsunami, fishermen pulling a crab pot, and a panorama of New Town. Reels of Super-8mm films had been donated to the Valdez Museum by Jim Thompson in 2006, and were officially transferred to the Alaska Film Archives in 2015.
[Thompson Valdez film 2]
[Thompson Valdez film 2]
Footage features Prince William Sound winter scenery from airplane, Columbia Glacier, an airplane landing on gravel runway at Valdez Airport, Old Town in May, Port Valdez Motel, Old Town fire, Harolds Rent-A-Truck pulling mobile home, Gold Rush fashion show, women in gowns, Old Town, people moving a building, New Town boat harbor, a boat named “Scrounger Too,” a parade in New Town with a military band, a fire truck, a school bus, a fire in Old Town, aerial views of Old Town and New Town, Pinzon Bar, cafe sign, Switzerland Inn, New Town harbor, Rexall store, Xavier Catholic Church, the police department, the Visitors Bureau, paved roads, Eagles Lodge, Old Town, an abandoned church, people moving the Eagles building, and people moving other buildings and an old church. Reels of Super-8mm films had been donated to the Valdez Museum by Jim Thompson in 2006, and were officially transferred to the Alaska Film Archives in 2015.
[Trucker Billygoat Wild, Haul Road, Muleskinner's]
[Trucker Billygoat Wild, Haul Road, Muleskinner's]
Specific dates and other information noted on original film are given here in parentheses. The footage features traffic and semi-trailers on Haul Road, men working on trucks, views of scenery and caribou along Haul Road, Deadhorse or a pipeline camp area, the Yukon Tire Service store (possibly in the Livengood area, according to notes on film), the pipeline mid-construction, a trucker (identified in the notes as "Billygoat" or "Billy Goat"), photos of old trucks, "Welcome to Arctic Circle" signs, pipeline camps and pump stations along Haul Road, mountain scenery, a man changing a tire on a truck, a forklift taking a pipe off of a truck, trucker Billy Goat in a truck cab talking on a CB radio, a cabin and possibly a homestead area (identified in the notes as "Muleskinner's"), a family working together at various activities, old photos, a truck parked under a Fox Roadhouse sign, a man reading a newspaper in a cafe, views of trucks and truckers, cabs at an airport, truckers getting luggage at the airport, a trucker (identified as "Sam Little") with his family, people dancing, trucks hauling pipeline sections, a view of the road from inside a pipeline section on a truck, people dancing at a tavern, Samson's Hardware Store in Fairbanks, Sunset Strip in Fairbanks, and views of highway and Haul Road.
[Trucker on Haul Road]
[Trucker on Haul Road]
Footage features semi-trailers on the Haul Road in Alaska, the "furthest north" white spruce tree, a road being repaired, a trucker cleaning off his windshield, the Hammond River, Coldfoot Cemetery, semi-trailers on a road in twilight and snow, a trucker driving, an airplane landing on a runway, an Arctic Circle sign, mountains, bridges, pump station signs, and a trucker eating and driving.
[Waymon Vest collection films 4]
[Waymon Vest collection films 4]
AAF-13898 is from a film identified by the filmmaker as dog mushing in Anchorage on Cordova Street with mushers George Attla and Roland “Doc” Lombard, circa 1969-1971. The full 16-minute reel was made from five smaller reels labeled by the filmmaker as follows: no label; "dog races Lombard and Attla;" "porky camp robber;" "dog races;" and "fur [illegible]." The films contain scenes of crowds watching sled dog races in downtown Anchorage, a cat train, aerial mountain views, a porcupine, a man hiking with a large pack, men at a cabin feeding a Gray Jay or “camp robber,” sled dog teams in Anchorage navigating a corner, and mushers and sled dog teams at the start line.