REFERENCE CODE: AkAMH

REPOSITORY NAME:
Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
Bob and Evangeline Atwood Alaska Resource Center
625 C Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: 907-929-9235
Fax: 907-929-9233
Email: resourcecenter@anchoragemuseum.org

Guide prepared by: Sara Piasecki, Photo Archivist

TITLE: William Zeddies, Sr., Slides

COLLECTION NUMBER: B2011.009

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Dates: ca. 1966-1971

Extent: 93 slides

Language and Scripts: The collection is in English.

Name of creator(s): William Zeddies, Sr.

Administrative/Biographical History:
William (Bill) Zeddies, Sr., was born Oct. 23, 1923, and raised in Mishicot, WI. He attended
Mishicot High School and worked on a family farm. He left Mishicot to work as a logger and a
railroad fireman on steam engines before returning home to finish school. During World War
II, he served on a ground crew for bombers. He learned welding and went to work building
ships in Florida. He opened and operated Steel Erection Co. He moved to Alaska in 1960 and
worked as a maintenance foreman on Distant Early Warning sites from 1966-1971. He was
married to Marge Stone. He died Feb. 7, 1993.

The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a
system of radar stations in the Canada Arctic, with additional stations along the North Coast
and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, in addition to the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland. It was
set up to detect incoming Soviet bombers during the Cold War, and provide early warning of a
land based invasion.1




1 Distant Early Warning Line. (2011, August 23). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:43, September
28, 2011, from //en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Distant_Early_Warning_Line&oldid=446275100

Scope and Content Description:
The collection consists of 93 color slides depicting Distant Early Warning sites in Alaska
during the period circa 1966-1971.

Arrangement:
Original order of carousel maintained.

CONDITIONS GOVERNING ACCESS AND USE

Restrictions on Access: The collection is open for research use.

Physical Access: Original items in good condition.

Technical Access: No special equipment is needed to access the materials. Light box may be
used to enhance viewing.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use:
The Anchorage Museum is the owner of the materials and makes available reproductions for
research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Anchorage
Museum before any reproduction use. The Anchorage Museum does not necessarily hold
copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may
require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation:
William Zeddies, Sr., Slides; Anchorage Museum, B2011.009

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Acquisition and Appraisal Information
Received from William Zeddies, Jr., in 2010. Accessioned July 17, 2011.

Processing Notes
Original caption information was provided for 100 slides. At the time of accession, only 93
slides were present. Numbers were left open for the missing slides in case they would be
donated at a later date.

RELATED MATERIALS


SUBJECTS
Zeddies, William, 1923-1993
United States. Air Force
DEW Line
Air defenses--United States
Radar defense networks—Canada
Aerial tramways--Alaska


Detailed Description of the Collection
1 — John ―Mac‖ McChan maint. crew note ―grip‖ [man holding briefcase stands next to inverted airplane Cessna 157 (N23147) on gravel next to military snowmachine, Thiocol Model 601 Snow-Cat. The airplane crashed at Cape Newenham on June 3, 1971.]
 2 — MT [missing]
 3 — Home to Civil Service & ―G.I.‖s [exterior of buildings with mountains behind]
 4 — A mountain valley from ―top‖ [snowy valley and mountains]
 5 — A view of top camp, ―T.C.‖ w/radar [installation in distance on hilltop]
 6 — A buried camp after a ―blow‖ [building nearly buried in snow]
 7 — MT [missing]
 8 — Offloading a barge of supplies [two men stand on barge on gravel beach]
 9 — Summer view of Bering Sea from top
 10 — View of tramway on ridge [two buildings with snowy mountain behind]
 11 — A rock crushing operation [truck, crushing machine, conveyor belt, rock pile]
 12 — After offloading from barge, cable spools went to tram [three men stand next to large spool of cable, with bulldozer and other equipment nearby]
 13 — Small hills make me think coastal town – Nome, Kotz? [several wooden buildings, storage tanks, low hills behind]
 14 — View from ―top camp‖ [tram cables over snowy valley]
 15 — Heavy lift helicopter [Chinook-type helicopter with skis on snow field next to buildings and storage tanks]
 16 — A.F. chopper landing [distant Air Force helicopter coming in for landing]
 17 — MT [missing]
 18 — A village river airport [several airplanes parked on frozen river near piers, one other coming in for landing or takeoff; people standing nearby]
 19 — The ―tram‖ [car descending on cables]
 20 — A bottom camp note Quonset hut & trees? [several long low buildings seen through tramway supports, with steel Quonset hut in distance]
 21 — A village – Nome, Kotz [aerial view of coastal town in winter]
 22 — ―Mac‖ McChan and an unknown G.I. [two men in winter dress stand outside]
23 — Digging in or out [building entryway buried in snow, with shovel]
 24 — Contributor, Bill Zeddies, maint. f.m. [man in shirtsleeves stands outside next to several low buildings]
 25 — Bering Sea Coast [aerial view of ice floes and small rock outcropping in Bering Sea]
 26 — A tram in motion [car descending on cables]
 27 — The road up whenever possible [pedestrian walking down plowed roadway]
 28 — A village, Nome? Kotz? [aerial view of coastal town in winter]
 29 — MT [aerial view of coastal town in summer]
 30 — The dreaded Pulatis Porter – dad hated it [man stands next to Pilatus PC-6 Porter airplane]
 31 — Wien Air AK. & Twin Otter – ―Mac‖ and G.I.s [one man in foreground and three in background boarding airplane; snowmachine parked nearby]
 32 — A coastal DEW Line array [material in foreground, several low buildings and large radar dishes on horizon]
 33 — Tramway [tram supports ascending hill]
 34 — Unknown [airplane tail with number N591JA; buildings in background]
 35 — A summer tramway view [tram supports with cluster of buildings in valley below; road and coast in distance]
 36 — A mountain DEW line camp [building with icicles on eaves with snowy mountain behind]
 37 — ? [rugged snowy ridge with plowed road in foreground]
 38 — ? [large building and parking lot with water in distance, summer]
 39 — Bethel? [red fox]
 40 — MT [red fox]
 41 — A tram off the cable [car suspended from cable between two supports]
42 — Close up of slide 41 [car suspended from cable, covered in hoar frost]
 43 — cntd [continued] hiking up is the way [car suspended from cable with coast in distance]
 44 — cntd [close-up of car covered with hoar frost]
45 — Top camp buried by a blow [domed structure, tram terminus, and building covered in snow]
 46 — Hiking up to fix the tram [man walking up snowy hill]
 47 — Graves of Russian seamen [grassy hillside, wooden fencing, gravel path, small wooden sign reading ̳Graves of Russian Seamen‘]
 48 — A radar array facing west [view from water of radar array on low bluff above water, summer]
 49 — The supply barge [two men near large barge on gravel beach]
 50 — cntd [barge on gravel beach with waves rolling in; storage tanks and other structures behind]
 51 — One of the crew [man walks on rocky shore; buildings and storage tanks across inlet in distance]
 52 — ? [building in snow, tram line in distance]
 53 — Herb Truitt, Civil Service chief [man stands on rocky outcropping overlooking sea coast]
 54 — ? [snow-covered mountain with fir trees in foreground]
 55 — Another dreaded Pulatis Porter [Pilatus PC-6 Porter airplane in front of wood shingled A frame]
 56 — MT [missing]
 57 — MT [summer aerial view of settlement at junction of river and sea coast]
 58 — A.K. hwy – ̳70s [view of plowed road taken from inside vehicle]
 59 — cntd [plowed road, utility poles, trees covered in hoar frost]
 60 — MT [missing]
 61 — On the tram [view down tramway to several buildings and a Quonset hut; similar to .20]
 62 — MT [missing]
 63 — A military[y] camp [large truck, bulldozer, spare truck tires, gravel pile in foreground; several buildings in background and on ridge above, summer]
 64 — A Bering Sea tug & barges [barge and two tugs as seen from bluff above water]
 65 — Bering Sea town [summer aerial view of town at confluence of river and sea; Nome?]
 66 — Winter mt. views of cornice [snowy rock outcropping above sea coast or valley]
 67 — Tram near radar – note entry [upper tram terminus at domed radar facility]
 68 — A tram docked @ bottom camp [red car docked at lower terminus]
 69 — An Air Force base ? location [winter aerial view with large hangar or air control building in foreground and roads with several buildings in background; forested hills behind]
 70 — Man working on tramway [worker stands on tram support; upper tram terminus behind]
71 — A tram dock complete w/guard [dog lies on dock next to plastic garbage bags and metal barrels]
 72 — The tram near the dock [man stands near dock door as red car descends]
 73 — View of installation from tram [two men stand on ground below tram cables; cluster of buildings in distance]
 74 — A gold dredge [gold dredge in snow, with airplane, building, and storage tanks]
 75 — MT [man sitting on edge of cot drinking coffee]
 76 — Tram cable being skidded [man stands next to spool of cable with bulldozer nearby]
 77 — Nome‘s Nugget Inn [exterior of hotel with van parked in lot]
 78 — MT [man, woman, and dog on couch in living room, backed with lace curtains]
 79 — Sparrevohn A.F.S. [entry gate sign reading ̳Sparrevohn Air Force Station Welcome‘] and plowed road with buildings]
 80 — Nome [exterior of Polaris Hotel with truck parked on street]
 81 — Coastal village tank farm [storage tanks and buildings near pier, as seen from across small inlet]
 82 — Village? A.F.S.? [aerial view of cluster of buildings]
 83 — Snow burying power lines [snow piled around utility pole and building]
84 — An A.F.S., note cable utilidor overhead [plowed road between buildings, and enclosed utility cable overpass supported with steel truss]
 85 — MT [two men and one woman in bar or restaurant; man on left William Zeddies, Sr.]
 86 — A buried camp [snow piled up around utility pole and buildings]
 87 — Red fox & G.I. & C.S. worker [two people and fox]
 88 — Red fox [legs of two people and fox]
 89 — Red fox
 90 — McGrath airport note AK knit sweater, a proud possession to many men in 60s [wooden building with signs for U.S. Post Office, Wien Consolidated Airlines, and McGrath Air Terminal; three men going into terminal and one coming out of post office, one man wearing sweater with Dall sheep design]
 91 — An Air Force ̳Copper‖ – HC [four people walk towards Chinook-style helicopter parked on snow field]
 92 — Looking down from the tramway [tramway supports leading up snowy mountain]
 93 — Tram en route [car descending on cables]
94 — Buried road [partially plowed roadway with Yield sign nearly buried; snowy hills and trees in distance]
 95 — Crew hiking up to repair tram [two men and dog walking beneath tram support]
 96 — A desolate top camp [view of plowed road and facility structures in distance]
 97 — MT [Wien Consolidated Airlines Boeing 737 with luggage wagon and barrels in foreground]
 98 — Looking up tramway [tram support with storage tanks and building on hill top]
 99 — MT [missing]
 100 — Red fox Guide updated October 24, 2011