U.S. Federal Highway Administration Photograph Collection, ca. 1950-1980

Collection

Identifier: PCA 244

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains views relating to the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges in Alaska supervised by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads, Alaska Road Commission, U.S. Federal Highway Administration and the Alaska State Department of Highways. Volumes 2, 4, 6 and 7 were compiled by personnel of the 2nd Engineer Battalion, U.S. Army, following a 1957 road inspection trip.

A 1964 accident in Sitka is detailed in Vol. 14. Two workers, James, V. Howland and Noel O. Rill, of Fairbanks, were killed in the accident.

Volumes generally are arranged according to sections of the roads and further by mile post numbers. Many of the photographs are glued or stapled to typewritten reports describing that section of the road. Bridges are also identified. Vol. 16 and 17 contain loose photographs arranged geographically. There are also images of road construction equipment and road construction workers. The collection contains random negatives throughout.

Folder: PCA 244 Addition includes miscellaneous negatives – located in Box 3.

Dates

Majority of material found within ca. 1950-1980

Conditions Governing Access

The collection may be viewed, however, the photographs may not be photocopied. Some photographs in Vol. 14 are restricted.

Conditions Governing Use

Requests for permission to reproduce or publish images from the collection should be discussed with the Librarian.

Historical

Until 1960, the federal government had responsibility for roads and bridges in Alaska: the Alaska Road Commission, under the War Dept., from 1905-1932, and the Interior Dept. from 1932 to 1956 when it was absorbed by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads. In 1960, after statehood, Alaska State Department of Highways was organized and assumed responsibility for the State's highway program.

Extent

2 boxes : 3071 images, black and white, color (est. 2000 color, 65%)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

C.W. Seslar of the Juneau office of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration donated the collection to the library in 1984 (Acc. No. 1984-020). Scrapbooks and records are in MS 83-3.

Processing Information

The collection has been processed minimally, to the volume level. Photographs were left as they were acquired, stapled or glued to the road reports containing typed descriptions. Seventeen “volumes” were donated.

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title: Finding aid for the U.S. Federal Highway Administration Photograph Collection, ca. 1950-1980
Status: In Progress
Author: Processed by: Ken Nail, Jr., LAM ; Revised: 5/2005 ; Revised by: Alea Oien, 3/2009 ; ArchivesSpace finding aid by: Sandy Johnston
Date: 2019 July
Description rules: Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description: Undetermined
Script of description: Code for undetermined script
Language of description note: English