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.

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: North to fiasco 1; This is a spoof film made by employees of the Department of Transportation in Fairbanks for a Christmas party. An alternative version of this film can be found on AAF-10628.

: North to fiasco 2; This is a spoof film made by employees of the Department of Transportation in Fairbanks for a Christmas party. An alternative version of this film can be found on AAF-10627.

: [1967 Fairbanks flood]; This film features what are likely relief efforts during the 1967 Fairbanks flood. A handwritten label on the film box says "Dan[?] airport, Kul[?], Church of God, Westgate, A67, Mom[?], Henry and High school, [?] Day, [?], Flood."

: [1975 Fairbanks winter scenes]; Footage features small houses in Fairbanks during winter, cars idling along streets in ice fog, a man pointing out exhaust system modifications designed to decrease emissions, downtown Fairbanks with ice fog during a dark afternoon, and a model and artist's concept of the Noel Wien library.

: [Arnie M. Lee and Family collection - 8]; Notes with this film say “1949 Charlotte Ames and Bob, Don, Mrs. Wiener, and Lee Family at Airport, Pan Am DC4; 1949 Norman and Ingrid at Badger Road cabin, 1962 Boat Races, Chena River in Fairbanks, Christmas 1961 Arne Jergen; 1962 Boat Races in Chena Rover; 1962 Norman’s second car 1956 Pontiac; 1962 Hydraulic mining Ester Alaska; 1962 Cleanup at Hassel’s Mine; 1962 Golden Days Fairbanks and Ingrid home in 1972; 1962 Arne and Arnold Nordale, Ferry at Nenana.” The film contains footage of a Pan American World Airways airplane, children playing, children hoisting one another with a rope and pulley system, children skiing, a Christmas tree in a home, a family meal in a home, the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks, power boats on the river, crowds gathered along the riverbank to watch boats, a Fairbanks home, hydraulic giants and a mining operation, men cleaning up a sluice box, dancing in downtown Fairbanks, Monty’s Department Store and Lacey Street Theater signs, views from aboard the Sternwheeler Yutana, the Nenana bridge, a fishwheel, highway travel, and Fielding Lake.

: [Band plays at Sunset Strip in Fairbanks]; This footage includes scenes at the Sunset Strip night club in Fairbanks. A band plays, people dance, and a bartender serves drinks.

: [Fairbanks 1960s]; This film contains views of Fairbanks in the early 1960s, including cars driving through thick ice fog downtown, muddy neighborhood roads during spring break-up, the sternwheeler “Nenana” parked along the Chena River prior to its restoration and move to Alaskaland, and a bulldozer clearing snowy land.

: [Fairbanks Daily News Miner newspaper development process]

: [Fairbanks International Airport construction]; This film contains scenes of the construction of the Fairbanks International Airport runway and paved surfaces, starting after the trees have been cleared and ending with the first airplane landing. Footage includes construction crews with Caterpillar tractors, scrapers, dump-trucks and draglines moving earth and leveling ground, construction buildings and housing, a man demonstrating an unstable patch of ground which turns to jelly as he jumps on it, a drainage system and lighting system being installed, an asphalt plant in operation and paving crews finishing construction. The film ends with a Consolidated LB-30 Liberator owned by Morrison-Knudsen Construction Company making a landing on the completed runway.

: [Fairbanks, family scenes]; This film contains footage of men fishing in a river, a large garden in summer, cabins in the snow, trucks driving on a snowy road, Chena River during breakup with large ice flows, a gravel pit with dragline pulling up gravel and depositing to dump truck (dredging river?), farmland with cows, a snowy road, Fairbanks homes and a flower garden, Creamers Dairy and fields, traffic driving on 2nd Avenue in downtown Fairbanks, a woman opening gifts at what appears to be a baby shower, a newborn baby, various scenes of a very young baby in a crib, a baby getting a bath, a man holding baby in a baptismal gown, additional scenes of a baby getting older, laying on floor, rolling over, sitting up, playing with toys, scenes of Christmas, a Christmas tree, a baby in a baby seat next to a Christmas tree, and a group of people celebrating Christmas.

: [Fall, winter and summer of 1958 and 1959]; Footage includes Jan Koslosky with a large polar bear hide, Fred and Sara Machetanz with dogs and cutting firewood, downhill skiers, a snowplow, a plane on skis at High Ridge Lake, Ernest Gruening on an Anchorage street, High Ridge, an Eskimo woman dancing, Fur Rendezvous dog races, a merry-go-round, and dog weight pull. Additional images include reindeer on rope, Dr. Vic Hessler, a weaver at the loom, a moose in High Ridge Lake, Chilkat dancers at Haines, Sara eating strawberries, Sara and children feeding a moose calf, ski planes on High Ridge Lake, a party at Atwood home in Anchorage, airliners at Anchorage International Airport, a choral group, a moose on the road and High Ridge Lake, aerial view of High Ridge Lake, Alaska Railroad tracks and trains during winter, a snowplow, Healy coal mine, Mount McKinley, Alcan Highway, sign forest on Alcan Highway, Miles Canyon, highway scenery, oil drill rig, water well drill rig, George Sundborg at teletype, statehood celebration in Fairbanks, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner presses, Riverboat Discovery operation, logs on conveyor at mill, fish camp and birch bark basket construction, Fred and Sara at fish camp, gold dredge and loggers.

: [Football games, basketball games]; This footage shows a night time football game being played outdoors and under lights on a baseball field that was converted into a football field [possibly Griffin Park in Fairbanks?], a football game being played on a snowy field in Fairbanks, and women's basketball games being played in a gymnasium. [Teams in both the football and basketball games wear red and gold uniforms, so they might be from West Valley High School in Fairbanks].

: [George Steck collection 03]; Scenes from the Miss Fairbanks contest in March of 1968. The footage also features singing and ballet performances.

: [George Steck collection 04]; Footage includes winter scenery near Murphy Dome, very snowy streets and cars at Second and Cushman in Fairbanks, mushers preparing for sled dog races downtown, and sled dog races on Second Avenue.

: [George Steck collection 05]; Footage includes the opening ceremony and activities for the Eskimo Olympics filmed inside the Gold Dome at Alaskaland.

: [George Steck collection 06]; Footage features Women's North American sled dog racers starting from the Alaska Dog Mushers Association on Farmers Loop.

: [George Steck collection 07]; Footage from around Fairbanks includes participants in a Safe Driving Auto Rodeo held in the Penneys parking lot on Cushman Street.

: [George Steck collection 08]; This footage features scenes from the Big Dipper ice arena in March of 1969. It includes ice show performers and Olympic medal winner Jo Jo Starbuck.

: [George Steck collection 11]; This film was recorded shortly after the opening of the Alaska 67 Exposition Park, A-67, and prior to the August 1967 flood. Footage includes perspectives from the Ferris Wheel, an upside down perspective from the Ferris Wheel, a hammer ride, a nurse fashion parade, views of the park and people in costumes, and a hot air balloon launch.

: [George Steck collection 12]; Footage featuring A-67, including equipment and people panning for gold at the mining village, people in costumes, views of park buildings, the Riverboat Nenana, and a band.

: [George Steck collection 14]; Footage includes a parade in Fairbanks for the opening day of Alaska 67 Exposition A-67, an opening day ceremony with a boy scout color guard and military band, Captain Jim Binkley at a podium with dignitaries (including Governor Wally Hickel and Burl Ives), a ride around the park on an A-67 train, scenes from around the park, a woman on stilts, and a hot-air balloon being launched

: [George Steck collection 15]; Footage includes views of First Avenue in Fairbanks, Immaculate Conception Church and St. Joseph Hospital, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner building, a parade on Cushman Street, a baseball team (the Goldpanners) at the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce building on First Avenue, people along the banks of the Chena River watching the start of the Yukon 800 Marathon boat race, Goldpanners baseball practice, and construction at Growden Park.

: [George Steck collection 16]; Footage includes sled dog races at the Alaska Dog Mushers Association track on Farmers Loop Road in Fairbanks, Alaska.

: [George Steck collection 18]; Footage features Fairbanks just after the flood waters receded and people started cleaning up the damage.

: [George Steck collection 19]; Footage shows the U.S. Air Force Blue Angels flying at Ft. Wainwright.

: [George Steck collection 20]; Footage features Fairbanks, the Cushman St. bridge, A-67 Exposition, and a Turtles concert at Bartlett Plaza.

: [George Steck collection 21]; This is the A-67 Civic Center Science Fair.

: [George Steck collection 22]; Footage features Armed Forces Day at Ft Wainwright in 1967.

: [Haul Road, Fairbanks, Sam and Judy Little, John and Joan Wild]; This footage features scenes of people dancing at a bar as a band is playing, Haul Road scenes, a crane removing pipeline sections from a semi trailer, black smoke from a fire, a trucker (named "Billy Goat" according to notes accompanying the film) in the cab of a truck, men working on a truck and changing a tire, pipeline construction scenes, trucking and truckers, downtown Fairbanks, Haul Road views, a record cover for singer Sam Little, Sam playing guitar, Sam and his family (the woman is identified as Judy in notes accompanying the film), the family's trailer home, the family going car shopping at Aurora Motors in Fairbanks, a woman (identified as Joan in notes accompanying the film) being interviewed, a woman and child, Sam and Judy being interviewed, views of their home's interior, kids playing, a woman and man (identified in notes as John and Joan Wild) being interviewed and working at a cabin, man in a canoe, and a woman at a cabin.

: [KTVF news stories from Fairbanks between 1969 and 1975]; Footage features Army Airborne paratroopers jumping from transports at Ft. Wainwright, ice fog in Fairbanks, taxi cabs, a building on fire, and cranes tearing down the remains of the Nordale Hotel (1972). Additional footage includes the Golden Days Parade in 1969.

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