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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.

31 to 40 of 40 Objects
[Killer whales, Johnstone Strait]
[Killer whales, Johnstone Strait]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has AAF-20066 numbered as Bacon 14-01 and titled “Killer Whale, Johnson Straits.” Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about the group of films that includes this film is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: “Museum of all the old totem poles they could save before they deteriorated - The Rock Oyster Totem is a famous totem pole that shows a guy with his hand caught in the jaws of a giant oyster - Street scenes of Dolly’s at Creek Street - She was a prostitute that lived on Creek Street and there used to be a saying that this is where the men and the salmon come up river to spawn.” Notes on the film box are as follows: “Ketchikan Totem Museum, Nathan Jackson’s carving, trees, rainforest, pulp mill, totem poles, rock oyster totem” and “Reel 1: ECN, Killer whale, Johnson Straights.”
[Klawock]
[Klawock]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has film AAF-20064 numbered as Bacon 13-03 and titled “Klawock.” Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about the group of films that includes this film is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: “Bight Saxman Museum and Nathan Jackson family - He is one of the greatest Tlingit artists - He is a carver - Film of him carving on a totem.” Notes on the film box are as follows: “Ketchikan, totem poles, Saxman, Nathan Jackson family - Wrangell, petroglyphs, Chief Shake’s house, town shots” and “Reel 3: Work Print, Klawock.”
[Kotzebue]
[Kotzebue]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has film AAF-20,085 numbered as Bacon 20-1, and it's titled "Kotzebue, fish camp, museum drummers, blanket toss, ivory carver, tundra, Alaska Airlines: WP[workprint]-1,100 feet." Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about these films is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: "Box 20 - 2 Large Reels - The Hotel used to be the Alaska Airlines Hotel." Notes accompanying the reels are as follows: "Reel 1 - WP, ECL, Kotzebue, cutting up salmon, fish camp, Dave’s family, interior museum drummers –- dance blanket toss, tourist fish camp, Eskimo man talking about his childhood, tundra long shot, ivory carver with bracelet, waterfront exterior of museum building, exterior of hotel, Front Street fisherman, scenes of over bay, tourist getting off of Alaska airliner, museum stuffed animals, tourists going from bus into museum, Eskimo woman with baby on back, museum hallway."
[Nome, umiak travel]
[Nome, umiak travel]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has AAF-20052 numbered as Bacon 11-06 and titled “Nome, Oomiak, Eskimo, Eggel Island.” Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about the group of films that includes this film is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: “Chilkat dancers, carving on the largest totem pole - The Japanese were having a World’s Fair and they wanted to have the largest totem pole so they went to Haines to have it carved; it was huge - Inuit Circumpolar Conference meeting in Nuke, Greenland in 1980, beluga hunting in Kotzebue - In the evening when the hunters bring in the whales they cut them up and hang them to dry - Nome inside shots of Omiak - When he went to Egg Island, big Omiak Eskimos climbed up the cliffs and got the bird eggs, puffin and seagull eggs - They get up there and drop the eggs down to a guy that catches them, and then he gives them to a guy in a boat where he has a basket with grass in it and they fill up the baskets - Bill got up the hill and it was so slippery from bird droppings that he kept slipping so he could not get down - They had to go around and climb up to the top and drop a rope down to him and pull him up - Says it was really embarrassing.” Notes on the film box are as follows: “Barrow Nulakatuk, ICC Meeting Inuvik NWT Canada 1960, ICC meeting Nuuk Greenland July 1, 1980, Eskimos going to ECC Island out from Nome 1950, Kotzebue beluga hunters return at night 1950” and “Reel 6: Eskimo Omiak, Eggel Island standing on its shore, inside shot of Omiak with people underway.” In 2019, an elder from Nome identified Sledge Island, off the coast of Nome, in the film.
[Pipeline, South Atigun Pass]
[Pipeline, South Atigun Pass]
This film contains very grainy and static images of the Trans-Alaska pipeline, a washed out culvert along the road, and a distant shot of a vehicle traveling along the Haul Road.
[Saxman totem poles and carvers]
[Saxman totem poles and carvers]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has AAF-20068 numbered as Bacon 14-03 and titled “Saxman Totem Poles, Rock Oyster, Nathan Jackson, Dave Jensen Carving.” Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about the group of films that includes this film is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: “Museum of all the old totem poles they could save before they deteriorated - The Rock Oyster Totem is a famous totem pole that shows a guy with his hand caught in the jaws of a giant oyster - Street scenes of Dolly’s at Creek Street - She was a prostitute that lived on Creek Street and there used to be a saying that this is where the men and the salmon come up river to spawn.” Notes on the film box are as follows: “Ketchikan Totem Museum, Nathan Jackson’s carving, trees, rainforest, pulp mill, totem poles, rock oyster totem” and “Reel 3: ECN, marked Original, Saxman totem poles, rock oyster, Nathan Jackson, Dave Jensen carving.”
[Totem pole carving, dancing]
[Totem pole carving, dancing]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has AAF-20046 numbered as Bacon 10-06 and titled “Haines, Air Shots, Indian Art Center, Carving Totem Pole and Silver, Ermine Head Dress, Charley Jimmy Painting, Carl Heinmiller Repairing Mask, Dancing.” Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about the group of films that includes this film is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: “Carl Heinmiller repairs mask - He started the saving of the Tlingit culture - Carl was a WWII veteran - He came back and bought the houses for Chilkat at Haines - He bought two or three of the quarters that the army used and had them repaired - State ferry coming into Haines, pass by North Star landing at Skagway, the old pilings at the waterfront at Skagway; that is where the ships used to come in - It is all worn out now - This is where they used to have the dock.” Notes on the film box that pertain to this film are as follows: “Reel 6: 1986, Work Print, Haines, air shots of Indian, Indian Art Center shop, artist carving totem pole, Sue carving silver, repairing head dress made of Ermine, Charley Jimmy painting, Carl Heinmiller repairing mask, dancing in big hall, dancing outside for Bill special.”
[Totems, dancing, Prince of Wales Island, fish program]
[Totems, dancing, Prince of Wales Island, fish program]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has AAF-20065 numbered as Bacon 13-04 and titled “Totems, Dancing, Prince of Wales Island, Fish Program.” Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about the group of films that includes this film is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: “Bight Saxman Museum and Nathan Jackson family - He is one of the greatest Tlingit artists - He is a carver - Film of him carving on a totem.” Notes on the film box are as follows: “Ketchikan, totem poles, Saxman, Nathan Jackson family - Wrangell, petroglyphs, Chief Shake’s house, town shots” and “Reel 4: ECN, Klawock, Prince of Wales Island, totems, Indian kids dancing, and fish program.”
Trial of the Jeff A
Trial of the Jeff A
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has AAF-20466 numbered as Bacon 132-02 and titled “B wind dupe neg, Brian Production, ‘Trial of the Jeff-A’: DN-800 feet." It contains scenes of the hovercraft "Jeff A" in operation in the Harrison Bay area of Alaska's North Slope in winter, repair and testing of the craft, and interviews with officials related to the project. Ballad of the "Jeff A" is written and sung by Karsten Rodvik.
[Wrangell scenes]
[Wrangell scenes]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has AAF-20063 numbered as Bacon 13-02 and titled “Wrangell, Petroglyphs, Lumber Mill, Chief Shakes House.” Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about the group of films that includes this film is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: “Bight Saxman Museum and Nathan Jackson family - He is one of the greatest Tlingit artists - He is a carver - Film of him carving on a totem.” Notes on the film box are as follows: “Ketchikan, totem poles, Saxman, Nathan Jackson family - Wrangell, petroglyphs, Chief Shake’s house, town shots” and “Reel 2: Original, ECN, Wrangell, overall shots of town, petroglyphs, Cha Johnson, street scene in rain, lumber mill, and Chief Shake’s house.”