Library Guides: Alaska: Primary Sources at Western On This Topic

Suggested Resources

Suggested Resources from Archives & Special Collections

Below are some suggested collections that are available through Archives & Special Collections. These lists are not exhaustive so please contact us for more information, to request a consultation and/or to schedule a research appointment.

CPNWS

Center for Pacific Northwest Studies

Contact cpnws@wwu.edu or (360) 650-7534 | Archives Building

Alaska Packers Association Records
Corporate records of a major fishing and salmon packing operation. Fishing Operations and Activities files include documents relating to Alaska Native land and fishing rights.
Barrett (Eldon) Papers
Includes research materials and writings about WWII history in the Aleutian Islands and nuclear weapons testing at Amchitka, Alaska.
Biery (Galen) Papers
Local historian Galen Biery was a long-term employee of the Pacific American Fisheries. His collection includes photographs, film and other research materials documenting the regional fishing industry.
Burn (June and Farrar) Papers
Writings, correspondence, and photographs from Puget Sound residents, June and Farrar Burn, including images from time spent as teachers in Gambell, St. Lawrence Island (1920-1921).
Center for Pacific Northwest Studies Miscellaneous Manuscript Collection
A variety of materials pertaining to social, economic, political, and historical issues in the Pacific Northwest, including materials about Alaskan history.
Center for Pacific Northwest Studies Miscellaneous Scrapbook Collection
Includes images of fishing and canning operations in Alaska.
Collection of Aerial Photographs
Extensive collection of aerial photographs, includes some coverage of Alaska, including images taken during surveying of the AL-CAN Highway.
Hall (Claude C. ) Papers
Collection includes materials about World War II on Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, including the construction and use of Pacific Huts to house troops.
Hinckley (Ted C.) Papers
Research and reference materials on various topics related to Alaska, including Sheldon Jackson, a Presbyterian missionary to Alaska, as well as John G. Brady, Territorial Governor of the state of Alaska from 1897 to 1906.
Pacific American Fisheries Records
Business records of one of the largest commercial salmon fishing and packing operations, formerly headquartered in Bellingham, Washington.
Shiels (Archie W.) Papers
Research materials, writings, publications, maps and charts about Alaskan history and folklore, created and gathered by a former president of Pacific American Fisheries.
Southwestern Alaska Cannery Logbooks
Spanning the period 1918-1950, these document the daily work of various commercial fishing crews working for canneries in Alaska.
Wirth Family Papers
Original manuscript by Henry Wirth from Alaska trip, 1892; newspaper clippings on Klondike Gold Rush/mining history, approximately 1892-1950; logbook identifying slides from Henry Wirth trip to Alaska, 1986, slides from Henry Wirth trip to Alaska, approximately 1966-1970, photograph albums – “Views from Alaska,” approximately 1892; and more.

Special Collections

Contact speccoll@wwu.edu or (360) 650-3193 | Wilson Library

Archival Collections:

Fly Fishing Oral Histories
Transcripts of interviews with fly fishers in the Pacific Northwest, including Alaska. Persons interviewed discuss fly-tying, favorite locations, and memorable experiences. (Select digital content available.)

Publications:

Alaska, The Great Country by Ella Higginson
Call Number: Available at Archives & Special Collections--Special Collections Rare Book Collection F909.F17 1917
Alaska : its early history and what it means to us : an address by Archie W. Shiels
Call Number: Special Collections Rare Book Collection F909.S55
Publication Date: 1925
The Purchase of Alaska by Archie W. Shiels (Archibald Williamson)
Call Number: Available at Archives and Special Collections--Special Collections Rare Book Collection - Oversize F907.S555
Publication Date: 1966

Searching Archival and Primary Resources at Western

Want to search for content on your own? The following online platforms are available for all researchers (note that not all content is available digitally -- contact us for more information about how to access collection materials in person).

Archives West

Archives West Database

MABEL

Multimedia Archives Based Electronic Library

Biery (Galen) Photo Albums
Includes digitized images of Pacific American Fisheries operations in Naknek, Alaska.
Charts and engravings of George Vancouver's Expeditions
Digitized charts and engravings depicting the voyages of Captain George Vancouver during the late eighteenth century. These documents reflect early European perspectives and depictions of Native and First Nations people and culture, including in the Pacific Northwest region.
KVOS Channel 12 Films
Select digitized films from the larger holdings of KVOS-TV, a local television station based in Bellingham, Washington. Selections posted to date are examples of KVOS "Specials" and the "Jack Webster Reports" that aired in the 1960s.
Below: "Alaska Earthquake - The Day After." Digitized film focusing on the massive destruction wrought on Kodiak City, on Kodiak Island, Alaska, by the 1964 earthquake. The tsunami aftermath of the quake is illustrated by this footage of the town, showing ships smashed to bits amongst the ruins of buildings.

Tikka (Rubin) film footage of commercial fishing.
Digitized color film documenting commercial fishing operations in Clam Gulch, Alaska, from 1958.
Wernstedt (Lage) Photographs
Wernstedt was a surveyor and cartographer for the U.S. Forest Service in the early and mid twentieth century. Digitized photographs and glass plate negatives of mountains, glaciers, rivers, and lakes in the Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

Alaskan History

Select Publications on Alaskan History

Researchers may also find the following publications useful:

A History of the Russian-American Company by P. A. Tikhmenev (Petr Aleksandrovich)
Call Number: Available at Western Library Wilson 4C - Northwest Collection F907 .T5613 1978
Publication Date: 1861
Translation of Russian book first published in 1861-63 concerning Russian colonization in Alaska. Comprehensive history of the Russian-American Company.
Mid-century Alaska by United States. Office of Territories
Call Number: Western Library Haggard 2 - Government Information I 35.10/2:AL 1s/16/951
Publication Date: 1951
Alaska -- Climate -- Transportation -- Communications -- Alaska's people, population, and government -- Living in Alaska's cities and town -- Education -- Public health -- Social welfare -- Veterans' rights -- Acquisition of land by individuals -- Employment opportunities -- Opportunities, industries, and resources -- Maps of Alaska -- Scientific study of the Arctic -- Facts of interest -- Special events and celebrations.