Thomas G. Wansbury Photograph Collection, ca. 1915-1918
Scope and Contents
Alaska Railroad Construction. The majority of the prints are 8 x 14 cm. (3¼ x 5½ in.); includes one panorama. This collection documents the preliminary survey and early construction of the Alaska Railroad, ca. 1915-1917. Views include railroad survey and construction work, bridges, the towns of Fort Seward, Anchorage, Seward and Cordova, a portrait of Thomas Guy Wansbury and a panorama of the original railroad survey crew. Photographers represented in the collection include Louis H. Pedersen, Paul Beran, John E. Thwaites, and Straughan.
Dates
- ca. 1915-1918
EAD
PCA0324Conditions 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
Thomas Guy Wansbury was born in England in 1889 and came to the United States in 1912. He was initially employed as a civil engineering surveyor by Southern Pacific RR in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He arrived in Alaska around 1915 to work on the Alaska Railroad. He joined the U.S. Army at Fort Seward, Alaska, in 1918. After his discharge from the Army, he returned to California where he lived until his death February 22, 1972.
Extent
154 Photographic Prints
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated in 1989 by D.E. Wansbury, son of Thomas G. Wansbury. Acc. #1989-032.
Existence and Location of Copies
Photographs digitized and available for viewing via Alaska's Digital Archives: #145
Processing Information
Photos were numbered and housed in Mylar. Many of the photos are captioned on the verso.
- Title
- Finding aid for the Thomas G. Wansbury Photograph Collection, ca. 1915-1918
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- Processed by: Staff ; Inventory by: Sandy Johnston, Dec. 2016 ; Updated by: Jacki Swearingen, Aug. 2017 ; 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
Repository Details
Part of the Alaska State Library - Historical Collections Finding Aids Repository
PO Box 110571
Juneau AK 99811-0571 US
907-465-2920
907-465-2925
907-465-2151 (Fax)
asl.historical@alaska.gov