Various locations, circa 1921. Photographs 8.5 x 14 cm, album 28 x 20 cm. Fifty black and white photographs housed in a navy blue binder with "First Day Covers" stamped in gold to title and spine, with corresponding blue cardboard slipcase. Some slight creasing and light staining, overall about very good.

Collection of 50 original black and white photographs of daily life in Alaska circa 1921, many with handwritten notations or captions to versos in pencil. Locations depicted in the photographs include Nenana, Eagle, Ketchikan, Fort Yukon, Fairbanks, Copper Center, the Klondike and the Yukon. The photographs depict the Valdez Trail, Gold Rush-era buildings, Indigenous peoples, riverboats, automobiles, panning for gold, a totem pole, the Yukon railroad, and other views.

The 1890's marked the first period of large-scale non-Native population growth in Alaska, corresponding to the first discoveries of gold in the Klondike region of the Yukon territory. Although population growth dropped off after gold mining tapered out, an expansion in commercial fishing during the interwar period led to population increases again, with many coming to Alaska to work on boats and in canneries. The building of the Alaska Railroad between 1915 and 1923 also led to the growth of new towns along its route.

Book ID: 52616

Price: $1,150.00