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.

: [Annabeth Hanlon collection 2]; Footage includes people panning for gold, a B-17 flying overhead, men cutting firewood with a truck-mounted saw in downtown Fairbanks, downtown buildings, Wien Alaska Airlines operations at Weeks Field, an airplane taking off, Jim Dodson's airplane, hangars on the field, fire, children ice skating, dog sled races on the Chena Rive, men launching a small barge, travel in an outboard motor-powered riverboat, the tug M.S. Otter of Fairbanks pushing a barge, a grouse on the road, men working on a cabin, a small boat being launched in a lake, men cutting ice for drinking water with a hand saw, a car pulling a sled with blocks of ice, a fire in a Fairbanks Laundry building, and a formation of military airplanes. Notes accompanying the film say: view of McKinley, Deadwood and Dr. Schiable, around Fairbanks, sawing wood, around 2nd Ave., Wien Airways & Jim in planes, old Pan Am, Dorothy's house, skating in Main School yard, my 8th, dog team races at end of 2nd, K9 team won, youngster falling down, Albas trip, grouse, McKinley, ducks, Hanlon, building at lake, kids, lake boat, Albert Martin, Bob Harwood, geese, cutting ice, Bud Shaw, (?), fire at laundry, Russian DC-3, P-63 to Russia led by B-25.

: [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.

: [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 Yesterday Today Tomorrow; This program presents the history of Fairbanks from its geological formation through 1974. Credits are as follows: host, Dave Geesin; pre-history, Florence Weber; miner, Tim Ames; mining discussion, Dr. Earl Beistline and Bruce Thomas; readings, Mark Bergeson, Pamela Buckway and Tom Duncan; narration, Charles Creamer, Tom Duncan, Don Hering, Clara Rust and Marion Wood; director, Frank Herriott; Hering segment director, Myron Tisdel; producer, Patrick Moore; production assistant, Frank Henry; research, Kit Jensen; cinematography, Mark Badger; graphics, Nancy Van Veenen; audio, Tom Saxton; video, Dave Walstad and John Reisinger; production, Carolyn Dowling, Pat Fitzgerald, John Ryan, Jim Schneider and Pat Thrasher; photos provided by Mrs. V.K. Brickley, CamerAlaska, Fabian Carey, William Cashen, Florence Collins, Roger Cotting, Mary Hansen, Nelson’s Studio, University of Alaska, and United States Air Force; furnishings provided by Nerlands; parka provided by Martin Victor Furs; produced through the facilities of KUAC-TV and the Division of Media Services at University of Alaska.

: [Geophysical Institute]; This footage includes scenes from a youth sports competition, an airplane landing and taking off at the Fairbanks airport, stock car race footage, a man who was injured at the racetrack being taken away in an ambulance (story titled "Stock Car Spots") (September 1974) (silent), the Chapman building at University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Elvey building, a man being interviewed about changes at the Geophysical Institute over the past 25 years, a man demonstrating lab equipment, and a man being interviewed about radio transmission equipment being used to transmit medical information to remote villages in Alaska (October 28, 1974) (silent and sound).

: [KTVF news stories, construction, Special Olympics]; Some segments of film contain audio, and others are silent. Specific dates and other information is given here in parentheses. The footage features people performing a play (March 1977) (silent), views of a bank and a drive-thru window (story titled "Interior City Bank") (March 1977) (silent), cross country ski race scenes (story titled "Junior Nationals Cross Country Skiing") (March 1977) (silent), file cabinets and stacks of papers (story titled "Assessments") (March 3, 1977) (silent), aerial views of a valley, a cabin in the mountains, a man measuring a tree and walking through snow (March 1977) (silent), a bank thermometer reading 38 degrees, views of people walking downtown (story titled "Winter Wane") (March 1977) (silent), views of the Bentley Mall under construction (story titled "Bentley Mall") (March 1977) (silent), King Hotel, Lamonts building along Airport Way in Fairbanks (story titled "Lamonts") (March 1977) (silent), Arctic First Federal Savings building (story titled "robbery") (March 9, 1977) (silent), bridge construction (story titled "Preserve Pleaze" (March 3, 1977) (silent), artwork on display (March 11, 1977) (silent), a blanket toss on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus (March 1977) (silent), bridge construction scenes (story titled "Chena Bridge Work") (March 11, 1977) (silent), men and an airplane, a lake in summer, frozen cabins and vehicles [in overflow ice?] (segment titled "Wild Lake") (March 1, 1977) (silent), a display of arctic survival gear (March 1977) (silent), roadside trash (April 1977) (silent), views from the UAF campus, the University of Alaska Fire Department, a cabin on fire (April 1977) (silent), a man being interviewed about fire and homeowners insurance (April 1977) (sound), undeveloped lots, traffic in the Fairbanks area (story titled "Council Chatter - Executive Park") (April 11, 1977) (silent), people voting, polling station scenes, a sample ballot (story titled "College Service Area Vote") (April 19, 1977) (silent), the construction of the Fairbanks Northstar Borough Library (April 1977) (silent), traffic on Parks Highway, Goldhill Campground (April 1977) (silent), Federal Building construction scenes (April 1977) (silent), a Rotary Club meeting, men signing a document (April 1977) (silent), structure fires (undated) (silent), poles and traffic lights being installed at an intersection (story is titled "Lights at Aurora and College Road") (April 20, 1977) (silent), a demonstration of Frisbee-throwing techniques in a school gymnasium (April 8, 1977) (silent), the aftermath of an apartment fire (April 7, 1977) (silent), downtown Fairbanks scenes during breakup (April 4, 1977) (silent), Special Olympics games being held on the UAF campus (story titled "Special Olympics") (May 2, 1977) (silent), trash and debris at a rifle range (May 10, 1977) (silent), a roadside vendor peddling from a van (story titled "College Road Vendor") (May 1977) (silent), and military groups marching in formation in a field (story titled "Marching") (May 20, 1977) (silent).

: [KTVF news stories, Ester, phone booths, bars, Fairbanks housing]; Specific dates and other information noted on the original film are given here in parentheses. The film features bullet holes in the walls of a police department office, United States Air Force jets with bicentennial logos on display, the Chena River and downtown Fairbanks, Ester buildings, Cripple Creek Cache, the Malemute Saloon, Cripple Creek Hotel, Chilkoot Charlie's, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, a street torn apart, men working on damaged utility pipes, black smoke spewing from a power plant stack, people gathering in front of the Bunnell Building at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, cars parked along a roadside, people walking into the brush (title of segment is "Where's Harry?") (August 5, 1976), flower beds and water sprinklers in downtown Fairbanks, phone booths in downtown Fairbanks, people using phone booths, trees that have been marked and cut, slash piles, traffic and parking lots in downtown Fairbanks, workers welding Trans-Alaska Pipeline sections, people riding on a bus, Governor Jay Hammond being presented with a medallion, views of Diary Queen and Alaska National Bank on University Avenue in Fairbanks, building construction, the construction of the Federal Building in Fairbanks, reserved parking spots in a parking garage, a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a bike path, Governor Jay Hammond on a bicycle, various trailer parks, construction in downtown Fairbanks (title of segment is "NOW UC Borough"), landscaped lawns and flower displays throughout Fairbanks, downtown Fairbanks bars and liquor stores, the Elbow Room, the Savoy Bar, the Flame Lounge, Mecca Bar, the Persian Room, the Roustabout (title of segment is "Closure"), an overview of downtown Fairbanks, and views of apartment buildings and houses in the area.

: [KTVF news stories from Fairbanks between 1972 and 1975]; Footage includes an interview with Mac Fenton about school board issues concerning smoking in schools, Mayor Julian Rice and Wally Droz being interviewed about the relationship between the mayor and the city clerk, an unidentified man being interviewed by reporter Sunny Carpenter about a satellite telemetry project at the University of Alaska, and a Capital International Airways DC-8 crash story from Anchorage International Airport.

: [KTVF news stories from Fairbanks during 1973 - 3]; Footage and stories include Alaska state legislators in Juneau (4/3/73), reporter Phil Deisher examining problems at North Pole Elementary School (4/6/73), state legislators in Juneau (4/7/73), an Air Vietnam jet landing in Fairbanks with president Thieu (4/10/73), housing on Ft. Wainwright and plans to shut down the North side of post (4/17/73), ducks arriving at Creamer's field (4/21/73), Larry Carpenter reporting on an explosion and a fire at an apartment house in an Aurora subdivision (4/23/73), a fire at Chateau Apartments on Airport Way, Judge Rabinowitz speaking at a Kiwanis meeting about sentence review, Mayor Carlson with high school students (4/16/73), construction at the Alaska Crippled Children and Adults center (4/7/73), airport fire fighting equipment (4/7/73), a school board meeting (4/25/73), a spokesman for pipeline education (4/26/73), a food price meeting at Salvation Army (4/27/73), and a PTA meeting.

: [KTVF news stories from Fairbanks in 1972]; Footage includes reporter Larry Carpenter interviewing Max Hollinger about University of Alaska budget overspending (2/1/72), a Career Extension Center interview with student Roxanne Brooks (2/2/72), Ted Stevens presenting land patents to several local residents (2/5/72), elementary students studying dental health at Eielson Air Force Base (silent) (2/3/72), Larry Holmstrom interviewing Senator Ted Stevens about oil and gas leases, the possibility of a pipeline right-of-way, and the possibility of closing the road in McKinley Park (2/7/72), the interior of a burned building (silent) (2/7/72), the Prince of Bavaria riding in a dogsled with George Attla (2/7/72), a large crowd at a school board meeting (silent) (2/9/72), a medical patient being taken from an airplane to an ambulance and then moved to another ambulance following a traffic accident (silent) (2/20/72), a small submarine for studying walruses being shown (2/10/72), Fairbanks Head Start program director Betty Wescott being interviewed (2/11/72), artists demonstrate in a classroom (silent), and young children being interviewed about art (2/11/72).

: [KTVF news stories, Golden Days]; Some segments of film contain audio, and others are silent. Specific dates and other information noted on the original film are given here in parentheses. This film features footage of Pompeo Hall on Fort Wainwright (story titled "Fort Wainwright Reductions") (July 15, 1972) (sound), workers in a shop making culvert piping, a man being interviewed about the process (story titled "Culfabco") (July 18, 1972) (sound), views of Larry's Cycle Sales and Service Building (story titled "Bill Larry") (undated) (silent), the mayor being interviewed about the possibility of filing for office of borough chairman (story titled "Rice") (undated) (sound), views of various voting precincts (story titled "Election - Rees") (July 19, 1972) (silent), a man being interviewed about his decision to not run for mayor in the upcoming election (story titled "Rice - Politics") (July 19, 1972) (sound), scenes from the Golden Days parade in downtown Fairbanks (1972) (sound), an airplane landing in Fairbanks, Vice President Spiro Agnew greeting people, Agnew speaking about President Nixon's environmental proposals, an airplane taking off (1972) (silent and sound), and Vice President Spiro Agnew speaking again (July 24, 1972) (sound).

: [KTVF news stories, GOP convention, Alyeska report]; Footage includes the Jim Thompson Ford dealership in Fairbanks (silent) (9/17/73), men speaking at a United Way meeting (silent) (9/25/73), the dedication of the Hutchison Center with aircraft mechanic Jim Hutchison and other dignitaries in attendance (sound) (9/29/73), a bomber aircraft sitting on a ramp at an airport (silent) (9/22/73), Fairbanks Police Department investigating a S&W Insulation truck explosion (sound) (10/5/73), singer Anne Murray being greeted by bagpipers at the Fairbanks airport (sound) (10/6/73), a semi-truck load of pumpkins arriving in Fairbanks (sound) (10/11/73), the swearing in of assembly and school board members (silent) (10/12/73), a woman being interviewed about nutrition and the cost of school lunches (sound) (10/13/73), rooms and beds in the Fairbanks Native Association Sleep-Off Center (sound) (11/20/73), Rickshaw Chinese - American Restaurant (silent) (11/21/73), a story about emmissions from the Fort Wainwright power plant (sound) (11/21/73), airport scenes (silent) (11/22/73), a Thanksgiving meal being served to a large group (silent), Alaska State Senator Keith Miller speaking out against incumbant U.S. Senator Mike Gravel at a local GOP convention (sound) (11/23/73), men working on street lights near Penneys building in Fairbanks (silent), Art Linkletter speaking in support of President Nixon at a local GOP meeting (sound) (11/26/73), Ted Stevens at a meeting (silent) (11/24/73), a story about the communication links between Anchorage and Fairbanks that will provide Fairbanks with live TV (sound) (11/27/73), Nerland Hall and lower campus dorms at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (silent) (12/3/73), the Fairbanks Datsun dealership and cars (silent), a bank's exterior and interior (silent) (12/4/73), the Chena View Hotel construction site (silent) (12/5/73), and Alyeska officials in Anchorage reporting on projected numbers of workers needed to build the Trans-Alaska Pipeline so that Alaska communities could plan for the impacts caused by the coming influx of workers and their familes (sound) (12/5/73).

: [KTVF news stories, miscellaneous sports clips, Yukon 800]; Some segments of film contain audio, and others are silent. Specific dates and other information noted on the original film are given here in parentheses. Footage includes the Yukon 800 Marathon start/finish sign along the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks, boats on the river, spectators watching the race, aerial view of boats, people boarding a Wien Airlines flight, boats in Galena, view from a boat on a river, interviews at the finish line (silent) (undated), dogs pulling a freight sled up a snowy mountainside, men and a sled crossing over crevasses (silent) (titled "KOMO-TV Dog Sled") (undated), basketball game scenes at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (silent) (titled "Old U of A basketball") (undated), spectators watching as marathoners cross the finish line at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (silent) (titled "Marathon Race") (undated) (According to Equinox Marathon expert Matias Saari in 2012, the portion titled "Marathon Race" shows scenes from the 1975 Equinox Marathon - Saari identified Stan Justice wearing a hiker's bib in Justice's first Equinox Marathon, and fifth-place finisher 16-year-old Kent Karns), a woman being interviewed about the dog mushing race after crossing the finish line (sound) (titled "Mona Pardue finish") (undated), views of mushers (silent) (undated), a medal ceremony for the Special Olympics, spectators (silent) (titled "Special Olympics") (undated), a mushing clip with actor Jamie Farrell (sound) (titled "M.A.S.H. Promo") (undated), and views of Fairbanks cold weather activities including dog mushing, cabin building, playing basketball, shooting at a rifle-range, swimming, snow-machining, Native Olympics, etc. (silent and sound) (undated).

: [KTVF news stories, Pioneers Home, social services, military exercises]; Some segments of film contain audio, and others are silent. Specific dates and other information noted on the original film are given here in parentheses. Footage includes views of Fairbanks Pioneers Home, men and women playing pool and reading and doing craft projects, children meeting with residents, women talking about the facility and residents (undated) (sound), views of the Tundra Copter helicopter taking off as well as flying and landing (undated) (silent), views of the Island Counseling and Resource Exchange Building, men and women being interviewed about the counseling process (undated) (sound), a couple being interviewed (segment titled "Social Services Marriage Counseling") (undated) (silent), a woman (segment titled "Social Worker") (undated) (silent), a woman filling out paperwork (segment titled "Adoption Jane") (undated) (silent), an interview (segment titled "Assistant Attorney General") (undated) (silent), elderly men and women in a painting class, eating a meal, and bowling (segment titled "North Star Council on Aging") (undated) (silent), a boy leaving a house, crossing a street, and returning home (segment titled "Mt. McKinley Bank spot") (undated) (silent), views of Fairbanks Security dispatch, cars responding to an alarm (undated) (silent), views of water damage in a building (undated) (silent), an airplane at an airport, men and women at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, people touring Alaska communities (undated) (silent), men being interviewed about a possible move of Alaska's capital from Juneau (undated) (sound), military exercises, a parachute drop, and helicopters (undated) (silent).

: [KTVF news stories, Prudhoe-Valdez dog team, gas stations, Vietnam commentary]; Some segments of film are sound, and others are silent. This film features a woman being interviewed (March 18, 1975), a man being interviewed about Alaska's alternative energy sources (March 20, 1975), women preparing traditional Native Alaskan foods for a potlatch (March 22, 1975), a boy undergoing speech therapy, a woman being interviewed (March 26, 1975), kids on an Easter egg hunt at a grocery store (March 29, 1975) (silent), Red Olsen being interviewed (March, 1975), men and women being interviewed about the Equal Rights Amendment (March 31, 1975), a Women's North American sled dog race (March, 1975) (silent), the ceremonial barrel of oil on a Prudhoe - Valdez dogsled, dogs on an airplane (silent), aerial views of trucks on a road (silent), kids fly kites on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus (March, 1975) (silent), Union, Texaco, and Chevron gas stations closed in protest of FEA regulations Tesoro staying open for business (March, 1975) (silent), man-on-the-street interviews in Fairbanks about the end of the Vietnam War (April 30, 1975), and potholes on a street (Aurora Drive?) (silent).

: [KTVF television news stories, footage and political commercials from 1974 to 1977]; Footage and news stories include the christening of the ARCO Juneau (5/18/74), a tracked vehicle unloading a large building from a barge in Prudhoe Bay (1974), the christening of the ARCO Anchorage (5/75), Granny Hamme commercials for the Pantry Market (silent), a swimming pool at Chuck Reese's home, workers flooding ice on the Yukon River while building an ice bridge (1974), Five-Mile Camp (1974), an Alaska International Air C-130 Hercules cargo plane being loaded then flown to the North Slope and unloaded (1974), the Sheldon Jackson Museum and college buildings, Jim O'Sullivan campaign commercials featuring scenes of Alaska International Air C-130 Hercules operations and Weaver Brothers trucking operations, Ted Lehne city council campaign commercials and outtakes (1977), the Fairbanks City Manager talking about transportation development, a commercial for Direct Distance Dialing (the first time callers in Fairbanks could direct dial long distance without going through an operator), and Jules Tileston speaking about planning issues involving land used by the oil industry.

: [KTVF television news stories from Fairbanks during 1974 and 1975]; Footage includes the construction of the new State Building on Eighth Avenue (9/21/74), a United Way campaign (9/24/74), Hawaiian dancers in a bank lobby (9/24/74), men walking geese down Second Avenue on leashes (9/28/74), a mock fashion show, people on the street are being asked if Alaska should be independent (9/17/74), a small plane crash followed by an ambulance wreck on Airport Road (9/23/74), Paul Harvey speaking at a banquet (9/22/74), people on a street commenting about current election campaigns (11/4/74), Pioneers Home residents Charlie Creamer, Ilene Ferguson, Warren Taylor, Amelia Hero, and Richard Callahan being interviewed about pipeline construction (11/10/74), footage of the Doyon building under construction (11/10/74), a night time baseball game between the Pirates from Hawaii and the Goldpanners, Lathrop High School basketball scrimmage, a women's softball game, horseshoe pitching, the N.C. Machinery Company building (3/8/75), an unidentified Alaska Native man being interviewed about the annual Fairbanks Native Association potlatch, and people being asked if they believe in leprechauns (3/17/75).

: [KTVF television raw footage and news stories from Fairbanks during 1977, Alyeska pipeline start-up raw footage from 1977]; Footage includes children in North Pole collecting bags of aluminum cans, vandalized airplanes at Alaskaland (5/10/77), police cars and a Loomis truck in downtown Fairbanks (5/2/77), a damaged guard-rail by the MUS Power Plant, motorcycles in a parking lot (5/18/77), an accident between two motorcycles and a car (6/8/77), murals in downtown buildings (6/9/77), traffic on Fairbanks streets (6/14/7)7, a U-2 aircraft from NASA taking off in Fairbanks (6/15/77), construction equipment at a gravel pit (6/16/77), traffic and businesses along University Avenue and Geist Road (6/16/77), highlights from a Goldpanner baseball game (6/15/77), an unidentified man being interviewed about vandalism at 12 Mile Village (sound), Midnight Sun Sale scenes in downtown Fairbanks, Peger Road Bridge construction over the Chena River (6/20/77), Dr. Darch of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company announcing the start-up of the pipeline (sound) (6/20/77), Jim Kowalski speaking about environmental concerns related to pipeline construction (sound) (6/20/77), University Car Care Center, people flying remote control model airplanes (6/11/77), and construction of the Hamme pool (6/22/77).

Alaska Film Archives

About the Collection

SHARE