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: Duane Carson Collection

COLLECTION NUMBER: B2012.014

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Dates: circa 1947-2002 (bulk 1974-1978)

Extent: 6.2 linear feet; 9 boxes

Language and Scripts: The collection is in English.

Name of creator(s): Duane Carson

Administrative/Biographical History:
Duane Eldon Carson was born in Mission Hill, South Dakota, on December 27, 1931. He was
the fourth of eight children to his parents, Frank Seburne and Hazel Amelia Carson. In 1933
Frank and Hazel packed up their Model A and left the Dust Bowl behind, heading West. They
didn’t stop until they reached the coast of Washington. They settled in Aberdeen, Washington,
where Duane grew up. He graduated from Weatherwax High School in 1950 where he was on
the track and field team.

Duane joined the Air Force in February of 1951, trained in Texas, Oklahoma, California and
Illinois before being stationed at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada. While in Las Vegas he met
Judith Elise Dickens of Boulder City. They were married on June 18, 1954 in Boulder City.
Duane was discharged on February 22, 1955, and he and Judy moved back to Aberdeen where
Duane attended Grays Harbor College. On November 8, 1956, they welcomed a daughter,
Catherine Anne. After receiving his associate’s degree in science in 1957 he moved his family
to Pullman where he earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1960 from Washington
State University.

After college the family moved to the Seattle area where Duane worked for Boeing Aircraft. A
son, Dean Evan, was born on August 8, 1960 and a second son, Paul Andrew, was born on

November 3, 1962. In early 1963, Boeing transferred him to Layton, Utah. After a few months
in Utah, Duane accepted a position with the Army Corps of Engineers in Anchorage, Alaska. In
December 1963, Duane and his family flew to Anchorage. Duane moved the family into a
rented house on E 17th Ave in Anchorage.

After the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, the Army Corps of Engineers assigned Duane the task of
surveying the damaged buildings throughout Southern Alaska, determining which buildings
could be salvaged and which ones were total losses. Only a couple of months after the
earthquake the family moved to Saint Elias Drive in the Turnagain subdivision. During that
time Duane bought a 1951 Super Cub that he flew until the year before his death. Flying
became not just his favorite past time but the means for feeding his family. Every year Duane
flew into the bush to hunt game such as moose, caribou, bear, and Dall sheep.

In 1967 the Chena River flooded Fairbanks and once again Duane was sent in to survey the
damage. This natural disaster was more than just a tour behind the lines; Duane’s brother,
Eugene, and his family of five lived literally across the street from the river. They were flooded
out and went to stay with Duane’s family until it was safe to go back.

In 1969 Duane and Judy bought their first house on E 8th Avenue.

In 1975 Duane transferred to the Bureau of Land Management and was then on loan to the
Alaska Pipeline Office for the construction of the Trans Alaska Pipeline. During pipeline
construction he was the Authorized Officer’s Field Representative for Section One, the first 155
miles from Valdez, North. He had control of federal lands and pipeline integrity (construction).
He also worked on the North Slope of Alaska for the building Section Six of the Haul Road.
After construction of the pipeline he was the startup engineer and had a crew of five that
followed the fill pig from pump station one to the Valdez terminal. Duane wrote a journal
chronicling the start up or “fill” of the Pipeline beginning Sunday, June 19, 1977.

After Duane’s retirement from the Bureau of Land Management he continued to work as a
consulting engineer in the oil and gas industry.

In 1979 Duane and Judy purchased their last house in College Gate on Bryn Mawr Court where
they lived for the rest of their lives. Judy passed away on March 23, 2011 at the age of 74. At
sunrise on April 10, 2012, Duane passed over to be with his beloved Judy.

[Excerpted from a biography written by Catherine Carson-Foster, September 2012]

Scope and Content Description:
The collection consists of 3753 photographs (including prints, 35mm strip negatives, and 35mm
slides), four diaries, awards and certificates, military records, and other ephemera pertaining to
Duane Carson’s life in Alaska. The bulk of the collection documents Carson’s work on the
Trans-Alaska Pipeline from 1974-1978. Also included are photographs of the 1967 Chena
Flood in Fairbanks and industrial debris in the Aleutian Islands in the 1980s.


Arrangement: Arranged by format: 1. Textual materials. 2. Prints. 3. Negatives. 4. Slides. 5.
Diaries.

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 for negative and slide 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:
Duane Carson Collection, Anchorage Museum, B2012.014

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Acquisition and Appraisal Information
Donated by Catherine Foster in 2012. Addendum received in May 2013, including licenses,
certificates, resumes, and seven photographs. Second addendum received in October 2013 and
January 2014, including yearbooks, diploma, and funeral program. Third addendum (1972
Alaska Board of Engineers and Architects Examiners Certificate of Registration) received July
2014.

Processing Notes
Negatives found in photo processing envelopes did not always match enclosed prints. Some
envelopes contained parts of more than a single roll of film. Original order was retained and
notes made when discrepancies were noticed. Slides sorted into rolls by date and roll code
when possible.

Separated Materials
Plumb bob donated with archival materials transferred to Collections.

Notes
Rolls of prints of TAPS construction were labeled by Carson with unique numbers. Images
have been sorted by those numbers and placed in sequence in Boxes 2-4. No index correlating
numbers with locations or dates was found within the collection, and location information was
not otherwise included on the majority of the images. As locations are identified, this guide will
be updated.



RELATED MATERIALS
Steve McCutcheon Collection, TAPS Series, B1990.014.3

SUBJECTS
Carson, Duane E., 1931-2012
Susitna Hydroelectric Project
Petroleum pipelines—Alaska
Petroleum industry and trade—Alaska
Construction and demolition debris--Alaska--Aleutian Islands
Floods--Alaska--Fairbanks
Floods--Alaska--Chena River
Earthquakes--Alaska--Anchorage
Alaska Earthquake, Alaska, 1964
Airplanes—Alaska
Aircraft accidents—Alaska
Physical geography--Alaska
Animals—Alaska
Plants--Alaska
Trans-Alaska Pipeline (Alaska)
Dalton Highway (Alaska)
Fox Islands (Alaska)
Anchorage (Alaska)


Detailed Description of the Collection

Series 1: Textual materials
B1
F1: Biography by Catherine Foster, 2012, and funeral program, 2012
F2: Weatherwax High School graduation, 1950
F3: Grays Harbor College graduation, 1957
F4: Certificates and awards, military records, 1947-1960
F5: Washington State University diploma, 1960
F6: Certificates and awards, military records, resumes, ephemera, 1963-2002
Yearbooks:
Quinault, Weatherwax High School, 1948, 1949, 1950
Nellis Air Force Base, 1953
Nautilus, Grays Harbor College, 1956, 1957
Chinook, Washington State College-Pullman, 1958, 1959, 1960

Series 2: Print photographs
F7: Prints of digital photographs scanned by Catherine Foster. Originals not received. For
research use only.
F8: Original family photographs:

	1 —	Earthquake damage, Anchorage, Alaska 1964
	2 —	Carson family taken March 30, 1941: Delores, Virgil, Frank, Eugene, Hazel, Laverla, Duane, Glen
	3 —	Duane Carson, 1950
	4 —	[Duane Carson receiving U.S. Army Engineer District Alaska Incentive Award, circa 1965? Cf. 3716, .3717]
	5 —	Duane E. Carson, a structural engineer in the Alaska District Design Branch, is shown receiving his commendation and quality salary increase from Deputy District Engineer, Lt. Col. John O. Buchanan.
	6 —	Turnagain Arm, Ak.
	7 —	Ninilchik, Ak. [beach scene]
	8 —	Ninilchik, Ak. [beach scene]
	9 —	Homer, Ak. [view over Cook Inlet to Chigmit Mountains] 2013 Addendum
	3716 —	.3717 – [Duane Carson receiving U.S. Army Engineer District Alaska Incentive Award, circa 1965? Cf. .4]
	3718 —	[radar installation, possibly D.E.W. Line site, with fireweed in foreground]
	3719 —	.3721 – [airport control tower, possibly Shemya Eareckson Air Force Base?]
	3722 —	[jackknifed truck, probably at construction site near tower shown in .3719-.3721] B2
	10 —	.444: TAPS construction photographs, sets 7072-9112 - 7072 February 14-16, 1974 - 7085 includes Brooks Range and Yukon River Flats - 8005 North Slope January 1974 - 9004 includes Sagavanirktok River, Sagwon Bluffs, Happy Valley Camp, M.S. 122-3, 124-2, 125-1, 125-4 - 9067 includes Arctic Ocean - 9092 includes Umiat, Happy Valley Camp, Toolik Camp - 9111 includes Tsina River B3
	445 —	.885: TAPS construction photographs, sets 9112-9728 - 9167a includes North Slope - 9458 includes Glennallen - 9663: test burial AS13 B4
	886 —	.1375: TAPS construction photographs, sets 9937-10811 - 9987 includes Glennallen, Sagavanirktok River animal crossing, Gulkana River access road, Tiekel River, September 1975 - 10052 includes Glennallen, Gulkana River aircraft crash, 26-APL-2, A.S. 7, A.S. 14, A.S. 18, A.S. 21, Pump Station 11, Tazlina River, Tsina River, October 1975 - 10053 includes Thompson Pass, Brown Creek, Tsina River, Pump Station 12, A.S. 9, A.S. 14, A.S. 15, A.S. 18, M.S. 13-3.1, October 1975 - 10146 includes Glennallen - 10166 includes Glennallen - 10192 includes Pump Station 12 - 10230: Low River by Norgaard B5
	1376 —	.1904: TAPS construction photographs, sets 10837-11279, other engineering projects - 11103: [Pump Station 8 explosion and fire, July 1977] - 11234: [Susitna Project, Watana Dam site] B6
	1905 —	.2684: TAPS construction unnumbered sets, other engineering projects, Aleutian debris photographs .1933 – Umiat, Alaska, July 13, 1974 .1940-.1963: Erskine Point – Bill .1978-.1995: Unalga Island, Erskine Point - Gary .1996-.2017: Unalga Island, Broad Bay, Eider Point – Duane .2018-.2036: Unalga Island, Broad Bay, Eider Point – Gary .2037-.2064: Eider Point and Standard Oil tanks – Duane .2065-.2084: Standard Oil and Dutch Harbor general – Gary .2085-.2134: Eider Point (Lower) – Dean .2135-.2158: Eider Point (Upper) – Bill .2159-.2184: Eider Point (Upper) – Gary .2185-.2241: Eider Point, Unalga Island – Bill .2241-.2262: Eider Point, Cape Wislow and aerials – Dean .2263-.2288: Cape Wislow – Dean .2289-.2311: Flight to Cape Wislow & Eider Point – Bill .2312-.2336: Cape Wislow – Bill .2337-.2360: First day, Capt. [Captains?] Bay/Crowley, Constantine/New area – Bill .2361-.2385: First day, Constantine Point, Erskine Point – Gary .2386-.2410: Constantine Bay, Erskine Point, Unalga Island – Dean .2411-.2424: Constantine Point, Crowley dock – Dean .2425-.2438: Unalga Island, Erskine Point, Crowley dock – Duane .2439-.2458: Akutan, Dutch Harbor (city), Unalga, Ugadaga from air – Duane .2459-.2481: Akutan & aerials – Bill .2500-.2514: Akutan, Ugadaga Bay – Gary .2515-.2534: Ugadaga Bay, President’s Line dock – Bill .2535-.2561: Tsunami day, Akutan – Gary .2562-.2574: [Ugadaga Bay, Unalga Island] .2575-.2613: [Dutch Harbor, 1987] .2614-.2646: [Whittier? 1971] .2647-.2673: Ocean Tech 10/10/88 .2674-.2684: [NW Dolphin Pier 5] Series 3: Negatives B7
	1905 —	.2692 Note: most negatives have corresponding prints with duplicate numbering Series 4: Slides B8 B1: .2693-.2890 includes sled dog racing, 1964 earthquake, McCarthy B2: .2891-.3095 includes sled dog racing and Denali National Park, 1965; Aleutian Islands, Cordova, radar site, Alaska Highway, Unalakleet, 1966; Nome, 1967 B3: .3096-.3297 includes sled dog racing, radar site, Chena flood, Whittier, Cook Inlet, 1967; bowling alley construction, snow machines, Whittier, Independence Mine, Aleutian Islands, 1969; airplanes, cabins, 1970; scenery, 1971; Attu, 1972 B4: .3298-.3500 includes Corps of Engineers, 1972; scenery, 1973; aircraft accidents, 1974; Savoonga, Unalakleet, Alaska Highway, totems, no date; TAPS construction with Carson numbering, sets 3005-11234; TAPS construction unnumbered B5: .3501-.3697 includes TAPS construction unnumbered and undated B6: .3698-.3715 includes TAPS construction unnumbered and undated [.3716-.3722: 2013 Addendum photos included in B1] Series 5: Diaries B9 Record, January 2, 1974-October 2, 1974 Laid in: manuscript notes, blank check from Deadhorse, Alaska, Alaska National Bank of the North Record, June 10, 1974-May 21, 1975 Laid in: Manuscript correspondence. Bob Zorich to Duane Carson, 10/25/74, re trees down in Little Tonsina crossing Record, May 27, 1975-June 15, 1977 Laid in: business card of Frank Humphreys, Trans-Northern Aviation; Pipeline staff decal; Temporary telephone directory, May 6, 1974; manuscript notes [Diary], June 19, 1977-June 30, 1978 Laid in: Carson ID badge, U.S.D.I./A.P.O.; APO telephone directory revised 3/2/79; Division of Pipeline telephone directory; APO/MRI[?] Start-Up Team 6/10/77; copy of City of Anchorage Telephone Utility long-distance telephone credit card, 1974 Guide updated: July 11, 2014