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William H. Burger Photograph Collection, 1901-1907

 Collection
Identifier: PCA 204

Scope and Contents

The album contains views of Alaskan towns and communities, people and activities aboard the U.S.C.and G.S. Steamer, Gedney and miscellaneous non-Alaskan views. Penciled captions accompany most of the images.

Dates

  • 1901-1907

EAD

PCA0204

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

William Henry Burger (Sr.) was born in 1874 in Caribou, Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado. He taught at the University and later went to work for the engineering corps of the Colorado and Northwest Railway.

He joined the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey (U.S.C.&G.S.) in 1897 and remained with that organization until 1910. As he surveyed and traveled from Maine to Alaska he photographed the landscapes and people. In 1901, he was the surveyor/recorder aboard the U.S.C.&G.S. Steamer, Gedney, when the Alaskan Coast was being surveyed.

Later he joined the engineering faculty of Northwestern University and stayed to become professor emeritus. He married Elizabeth Shotwell in 1912 and had a son and daughter (William Henry, Jr. and Elizabeth). He was a fellow of the American Geophysical Union. William Burger died in Evanston, Ill., in 1962.

Extent

46 Photographic Prints

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

William Burger, Jr., donated the album to the Historical Library in 1982.

Processing Information

The photographs (sepia tone and cyanotype) came to the Historical Collections fastened to paper with glue. The paper is acidic and the glue has begun to bleed through some of the images.

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Finding aid for the William H. Burger Photograph Collection, 1901-1907
Status
In Progress
Author
Processed by: Staff ; ArchivesSpace finding aid by: Sandy Johnston 2019 June ; Inventory added by: Sandy Johnston
Date
2020 April
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

External Documents

Repository Details

Repository Details

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

https://library.alaska.gov/hist/
Contact:
PO Box 110571
Juneau AK 99811-0571 US
907-465-2920
907-465-2925
907-465-2151 (Fax)