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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 2 of 2 Objects
[Chalkyitsik films - part 1 of 2]
[Chalkyitsik films - part 1 of 2]
These notes are from Jennifer Jolis of Fairbanks and UAF Prof. Stanley Edwin of Fort Yukon, who viewed this film in the Alaska Film Archives offices at the Rasmuson Library, UAF, on November 21, 2017. Jolis was a VISTA volunteer and Edwin was a 6-year-old growing up in Chalkyitsik, Alaska, during 1966-1967, when Jolis and others shot these films. AAF-13933 begins with images taken in January 1967 by Jolis’ father (Bernard Jolis) and sister (Gillian Jolis), who visited Chalkyitsik; father and sister snowshoe in front of Isaac and Sally Henry’s cabin; Bill Fredson on snowshoes; snowmachine; muskrat trapping; mushing; scenes from Wien or Wright Airlines flight from Fairbanks to Fort Yukon to Chalkyitsik; first snowmachine in town belonged to Edison Peter; Jolis’ house belonged to the Episcopal Church; group of cabins includes homes of Mimi and William Salmon, Ben and Julia Thomas, Mary Thompson, Belle Herbert, Charlie and Sharon Thomas, Paul Thomas, and the Community Hall; caches belong to the Salmon Family; Jolis’ father and sister, and Bill Fredson; owl on pole erected for radio reception; two unidentified children; breakup of the Draanjik or Black River; Stanley Edwin as a child; Eagle-the-dog who was originally from the town of Eagle; Community Hall; Johnny Edwin standing to left of dog; Spring Carnival; Sam Herbert; teacher Marianne Nicholson in red coat; Simon Francis Jr. in center; Johnny Edwin standing to left of person wearing bib #5; Sam Herbert standing in center under banner; Ladies’ snowshoe race during Spring Carnival; Sam Herbert in parka on left; Bill Fredson in group; elders Henry and Sarah Williams on left; David Salmon’s wife in red skirt; Patty Salmon in white coat and checked scarf, on right; Woody Salmon standing next to Patty Salmon; Patty Salmon’s face; Abraham Henry behind sled with parka; Johnny Edwin; Sam Herbert in overalls; moose in boat; hunting scenes were maybe filmed by Bill Fredson in fall 1966; Sam Herbert in bow of boat; and also in boat are Paul Herbert, Johnny Edwin, and Woody Salmon.
[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.