Guides: Research Tools: Alaska Research Resources

Introductory Alaska Research Guide

The purpose of this guide is to offer an overview of historical Alaska resources for the introductory researcher. This is not a comprehensive list of all Alaska related resources held at the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, but is a place to get started in your research.

Selected Research Resources Related to Alaska

Sets of records for local communities are often held by those communities, but some do make their way into archives. These are all record sets that can be found at the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives.

Record Sets on Paper

City of Fairbanks Historical Records. 1903 - 1990
33 cu. ft. The Historical Records of the City of Fairbanks include Engineering Records, Clay Street Cemetery Records, Birth and Death Records, Town Council Meeting Minutes (1903 - 1990), Tax Rolls and Ledgers, records from the Fairbanks Development Authority, maps and surveys, photographs, studies for historic building renovations, and an election roll from 1909.
Delta Junction City Council Meeting Minutes. 1960-1985
Microfiche. 12 volumes of Delta Junction City Council Meeting minutes.
Eagle, Alaska, City of, Historical Records. 1899-1919
.02 cu. ft. Photographic copies of plats, trustee deeds, receipts, and an assessment roll from the city of Eagle, Alaska. The materials include a map of the city of Eagle drawn by Snevely in 1899; a plat of the Eagle townsite and subdivisions, 1909; a plat of the Eagle cemetery, 1919 (U.S. Survey No. 1253); trustee's deeds for the townsite of Eagle (1909) and the Eagle cemetery (1919); and a patent for the townsite of Eagle (1909).
Minto City Council, Minutes of Business Meetings, 1939-1948
.25 cu. ft. The Minto, Alaska, Village Council Records consist of two ledgers: the Council Secretary's Book of Minutes of Business Meetings (1939-1948), and the Purchases and Sales Ledger for Minto Village, Inc. (1943-1945).

Record Sets on Microfilm

Proceedings and resolutions of the City of Sitka, Territory of Alaska [microform], 1867 Dec. 3-1873 Jan. 8.
Call Number: 3851 ALASKA MFILM
1 reel. These proceedings admonished the Council to act so their successors could continue the improvements that have been commenced. They had a great responsiblity before them in laying out and upbuilding the city, and performing their duties without fear or favor, looking only to the welfare and true interests of the people. Resolutions which were required to be presented in writing, consisted in part of assigning duties, balloting, making appointments, setting fees, recording and keeping council papers at all times, determining the width and direction of streets, establishing city limits, making arrangements for the housing of criminals and offenders, defining regulations of harbor and city, authorizing payment of bills, employing a translator, and posting of all resolutions in a public place in both russian and english. The Council also prepared and presented a memorial to Congress, which requested a territorial government for the Territory of Alaska.
Proceedings and resolutions of the City of Sitka, Territory of Alaska [microform], 1867 Dec. 3-1873 Jan. 8.
Call Number: 3851 ALASKA MFILM
1 reel. These proceedings admonished the Council to act so their successors could continue the improvements that have been commenced. They had a great responsiblity before them in laying out and upbuilding the city, and performing their duties without fear or favor, looking only to the welfare and true interests of the people. Resolutions which were required to be presented in writing, consisted in part of assigning duties, balloting, making appointments, setting fees, recording and keeping council papers at all times, determining the width and direction of streets, establishing city limits, making arrangements for the housing of criminals and offenders, defining regulations of harbor and city, authorizing payment of bills, employing a translator, and posting of all resolutions in a public place in both russian and english. The Council also prepared and presented a memorial to Congress, which requested a territorial government for the Territory of Alaska.

Digitized Photographs

Alaska Digital Archives
Search digitized materials from many difrent collections throughout Alaska. Primarily photographs, but other materials are also available.

Photograph Collections by Geographic Region

Collections that Contain South-Central Alaska Photographs
Collections held by the Archives that contain photographs of South Central Alaska.
Collections that Contain North West Alaska Photographs
Collections held by the Archives that contain photographs of South Central Alaska.
Collections that Contain Southeast Alaska Photographs
Collections held by the Archives that contain photographs of South East Alaska.
Collections that Contain Aleutian Alaska Photographs
Collections held by the Archives that contain photographs of the Aleutian Islands and surrounding area.

State-Wide Photograph Collections

Alaska Communication System Photographs. 1904-1963
2.6 cu. ft. This collection consists of 1,821 photographic images and one box of negatives. Images include Army Signal Corps personnel; cable, telegraph and wireless equipment; construction of various communications systems, and locations of communication stations and sites. The towns of Petersburg, Ketchikan, Naknek, Tok, Unalaska, Skagway, Kodiak, Sitka, Flat and Bennet are all included in the collection.
Estate of Candace Waugaman Collection
150 cu. ft. Candace Waugaman (3 July 1946-12 March 2019) was an avid collector of items pertaining to Alaska, the Yukon and the North. The Estate of Candace Waugaman Collection contains the items bequeathed to the Archives following Mrs. Waugaman's death in 2019. The collection contains photographs, postcards, printed calendars and advertisements, printed posters and broadsides, movie posters, archival records of various Alaska and Yukon businesses and individuals, maps, and many other items. All materials relate in some way to Alaska, the Yukon and the North. There is also a small amount of biographical material for Mrs. Waugaman as well as several papers related to her collection and her role as the collector. Series 1, 3, 4, and 5 contain extensive Alaska photograph materials.
Alaska Commercial Company Records. 1868-1967
65.6 cu. ft. The Alaska Commercial Company was founded shortly after the purchase of Alaska in 1867. The Alaska Commercial Company Records primarily consist of individual store records, which include account books and other financial records, contracts and other legal papers, correspondence, inventories, and vessel manifests. Series Six and the Addenda include photographs of stores throughout Alaska, organized by geographic location.

Newspaper Indexes

Alaska Newspapers Index
Although it's not comprehensive, the Alaska State Library provide this searchable index to Juneau, Fairbanks, Tanana, and Yukon newspapers.

Digitized Newspapers with Full-Text

Alaska and Digitized Newspapers on Chronicling America.
Created by the Library of Congress, this database offers digitized Alaska Newspapers up to 1963.
Alaska Railroad Record, 1916-1920
Five issues of the Official publication of the Alaskan Engineering Commission from the Alaska State Library.

Anchorage Daily News
Full text of Anchorage Daily News articles starting from 1946.
Full text of Anchorage Daily News articles. Access provided via Newsbank. - Publication changed to Alaska Dispatch News July 2014-Nov. 2017
Alaska Dispatch News
Contains news, features and commentary with a statewide focus 2008-2017
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
Some full text to the News Miner. Access provided via NewsBank from 2001.
Full text to the News Miner. Access provided via NewsBank from 2001. Back issues of the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer are available in microfilm on level 2 of the Rasmuson Library.

Anchorage Times Archives
Anchorage Times archives full-text for free through the Atwood Foundation in Anchorage. Articles date from 1915 to 1992.

Searching for resources based on a location is different from search form a person or a topic area. Here's a few trips and tricks to get you started on your research.

Try searching by place name in our library catalog or archives catalog. Remember that place names change over time, so searching by both older and new names is always a good idea. Not sure what the older names might be? Check out The Dictionary of Alaska Place Names by Donald Orth below.
In library catalog records look for the phrase "Geographic Term" and click on those links. That will pull together any items that have that geographic term attached to them.

Alaska Sanborn Maps (Library of Congress)
The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps from the Library of Congress provides a searchable database of the fire insurance maps published by the Sanborn Map Company. These maps include incredible detail about communities throughout the United States. There are 26 published maps for Alaska.

Dictionary of Alaska place names by Donald J. Orth
Call Number: F902.O7 1971 ALASKA
Publication Date: 1971
There's several editions of this work by Donald Orth, the earliest being the 1968 edition, but the revised 1971 edition is more comprehensive. Orth, as it is known by many scholars, is one of the most important reference works about Alaska. It attempts to list every geographic location in the state, give a brief history, and provide coordinates. Organized alphabetically and with detailed maps, Orth provides insight into often shifting location names and population booms and busts that are so common in Alaska.

Project Jukebox Projects List
A project of the Oral History Unit. Contains online exhibits with a large oral history component. Many feature local communities.
Alaska Communities (YouTube)
31 videos. Historical scenes of cities, towns and communities across Alaska, selected from a variety of collections held by the Alaska Film Archives at University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Research Tools: Alaska Research Resources

Contact the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives (APRCA)

Introductory Alaska Research Guide

Selected Research Resources Related to Alaska