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E. B. “Duffy” O’Connor Photograph Collection, ca. 1920s

 Collection
Identifier: PCA 422

Scope and Contents

The collection contains photographs primarily of the Nome region during the 1920's, including Salmon Lake, located 50 miles from Nome. There are photographs of E. B. "Duffy" O'Connor and his family, and camp scenes near Salmon Lake, including reindeer and dog teams. There are also photos of the S.S. Victoria, Teddy Bear schooner, Nome harbor scenes, M.G.M. snow houses for the movie "Mala," and Natives butchering a walrus.

Dates

  • ca. 1920s

EAD

PCA0422

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is available for viewing, however, the photographs may not be photocopied.

Conditions Governing Use

Request for permission to publish or reproduce material from the collection should be discussed with the Librarian.

Biographical

Edward B. "Duffy" O'Connor left his home in Lawrence, Mass. at age 13 in 1891, working on cattle ranches while making his way West. In 1898, he headed north to Skagway for the Klondike gold rush, then traveling through the Alaska Interior to Chena, Council, and finally to Nome. O'Connor married a Native woman named Irene after they had both lost their previous spouses to flu. Along with prospecting and doing carpentry work, O'Connor hauled freight from Nome to Point Barrow and back with two schooners he had bought. The O'Connor family operated the Salmon Lake Roadhouse from 1918 to 1927, and also had a reindeer herd at their summer cabin at Salmon Lake, located 50 miles from Nome.

[Information from: "Reindeer Soup." In: Alaska, May/June 1996, p. 62-63]

Extent

31 Photographic Prints

Language of Materials

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was loaned for duplicating by Eric Dittrich.

Existence and Location of Copies

The photographs in this collection have been digitized and are available to view via Alaska's Digital Archives.

Processing Information

The photographs were numbered by staff and housed in mylar. There was no original order to the collection; a few photographs have descriptions written on the back.

Title
Finding aid for the E. B. “Duffy” O’Connor Photograph Collection, ca. 1920s
Status
In Progress
Author
Processed by: Rose Welton August 2001 ; ArchivesSpace finding aid by: Sandy Johnston 2019 May ; Inventory added by: Sandy Johnston
Date
2020 August
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Alaska State Library - Historical Collections Finding Aids Repository

Contact:
PO Box 110571
Juneau AK 99811-0571 US
907-465-2920
907-465-2925
907-465-2151 (Fax)