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: Vera Zimmerman Photographs

COLLECTION NUMBER: B2013.077

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Dates: 1936

Extent: 141 items

Language and Scripts: The collection is in English.

Name of creator(s): Vera Zimmerman, H. W. Steward, Ordway Photo Shop, Schallerer, Trevor
M. Davis, John E. Thwaites, Edmund Andrews, T. O.

Administrative/Biographical History:
Vera Zimmerman made a tour of the Inside Passage in 1936. She sailed aboard the Alaska
Steamship Company’s SS Victoria, which that year made scheduled stops at Skagway, Haines,
Juneau, Petersburg, Wrangell, and Ketchikan, according to the company’s sailing season
brochure. Zimmerman also traveled some distance on the White Pass & Yukon Route,
probably on the Alaska Steamship Company’s roundtrip tour from Skagway to Atlin. Vera
Zimmerman may have lived in Idaho and the Los Angeles area. She died circa 1998.

Scope and Content Description:
The collection consists of 128 black-and-white snapshots and 13 black-and-white postcards
created or collected by Vera Zimmerman during her 1936 trip up the Inside Passage. Images
include scenes around the stated destinations of Skagway, Haines, Juneau, Petersburg,
Wrangell, and Ketchikan, as well as stops on the road trip from Zimmerman’s home (possibly
in Idaho) to Seattle, and stops the ship made at Victoria, British Columbia, and various points
in Southeast Alaska. Of note are several photos of totems around Wrangell and Ketchikan, an
image of the Peril Straits Packing Company in Todd, and Tlingit natives in Southeast villages.

Zimmerman also captured three images of the Soviet government’s historic 10,000-mile Santa
Monica-Moscow flight via Alaska and Siberia, including one with pilot Sigismund Levanevski
and navigator Victor Levchenko on the docks at Juneau.

Arrangement: Arranged by size (2.5 x 4.5” or 3 x 5”). Commercial images arranged after
snapshots.

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.

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:
Vera Zimmerman Photographs, Anchorage Museum, B2013.077

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Acquisition and Appraisal Information
Donated by Zimmerman’s second cousin, Barbara Jones, in December 2013.

Processing Note
Twenty-three photographs discarded for quality or duplication.

RELATED MATERIALS
Ladic Photographs, B1980.057
Cornelia Lincoln Martin Scrapbook, B1992.024
Nickell Collection, B1995.001
Trip to Alaska, B1997.008
Candy Waugaman Collection, B1998.025
Inside Passage Collection, B2004.021
Allen Rennie Collection, B2005.032
Natalie Brother Photograph Album, B2009.004
Alma T. Nelson Album, B2012.035


SUBJECTS
Zimmerman, Vera
Levanevskiĭ, Sigizmund Aleksandrovich, 1902-1937
Victoria (Steamboat)
Princess Kathleen (Steamboat)
Princess Louise (Steamboat)
North Sea (Steamboat)
Alaska Steamship Co.
Peril Straits Packing Co.
White Pass & Yukon Route (Firm)
Tlingit Indians—Alaska
Lighthouses—Alaska
Streetcars—Alaska
Airplanes—Alaska
Glaciers—Alaska
Inside Passage—Description and travel
Alaska, Southeast—Description and travel
Skagway (Alaska)
Wrangell (Alaska)
Ketchikan (Alaska)
Juneau (Alaska)
Todd (Alaska)
Sitka (Alaska)
Haines (Alaska)
Metlakatla (Alaska)
Angoon (Alaska)
Victoria (B. C.)

Detailed Description of the Collection

[2.5 x 4.5”]
 1 — [three people, possibly Vera Zimmerman and parents, standing with dog next to automobile outside home; “Hollywood” on car license plate]
 2 — [Vera sitting on lifeboat on deck of S.S. Victoria, low headland in distance]
 3 — [Vera sitting in deck chair next to lifebuoy of S.S. Victoria]
 4 — [Vera posed at deck railing with binoculars]
 5 — [Vera posed at railing of ship or dock, steamship under way in distance]
 6 — [Vera posed sitting on deck railing]
 7 — [Vera on deck of S.S. Victoria near doorways, lifeboats, funnels]
 8 — [Vera sitting on coils of rope on deck of S.S. Victoria near funnels, pilot house in background]
 9 — [Vera posed at deck railing]
 10 — [Vera posed at deck railing, as seen from dock, showing both decks of S.S. Victoria and American flag]
 11 — [Vera in solarium or botanical garden with cane chairs, tiled fountain, hanging and potted plants]
 12 — Todd, Alaska [Vera and traveling companion seated in doorway on deck of S.S. Victoria]
 13 — [Vera’s traveling companion posed sitting on deck railing]
 14 — Hoonah [Vera sitting on deck chair next to woman knitting, shore visible in distance]
 15 — [group posed on deck of S.S. Victoria, Vera at left]
 16 — [Vera and traveling companion sitting in deck chairs next to lifebuoy of S.S. Victoria, shore in distance]
 17 — [Vera and traveling companion with one other woman standing on deck; date stamp on verso: Aug 25 1936]
 18 — [Vera’s traveling companion posed next to railing near lifeboats, one marked “Quilcene,” shore at right]
 19 — [passengers gathered on deck near pilot house, dock in distance at left]
 20 — Somewhere between Hoonah and Todd [Vera’s traveling companion standing near woman knitting on deck, camera set on bench]
 21 — [group posed on deck of S.S. Victoria near lifeboat, Vera at right]
 22 — [woman posed sitting on deck railing]
 23 — [captain of S.S. Victoria on deck near lifeboats, doorways and funnels]
 24 — [Vera posed at deck railing, as seen from dock, showing both decks of S.S. Victoria]
 25 — Ketchikan [Vera’s traveling companion seated on deck, as seen from dock, showing both decks of S.S. Victoria, mountains in distance]
 26 — [view down deck showing equipment, rigging, lifeboats, funnels]
 27 — [sunset as seen from deck]
 28 — [seagull seated on flagpole at stern of S.S. Victoria]
29 — [Vera seated on dock piling, paddlewheel steamboat at dock, town buildings visible in background; Wrangell?]
 30 — [Vera’s traveling companion on dock with S.S. Victoria behind her]
 31 — [three young women in party hats on dock with S.S. Victoria behind, same dock as .30]
32 — [lumber stacked in loading area of port, with five-masted ship at dock]
33 — [steamship Princess Kathleen at dock, “Pacific” written on walkway]
34 — [steamship, possibly Northland, at dock]
 35 — [small island with lighthouse, as seen from passing ship, possibly Guard Islands or Five Finger Islands?]
 36 — [fishing tender underway in Southeast Alaska]
 37 — [large steamship underway in Southeast Alaska]
 38 — [fishing tender Sea Dog as seen from deck of docked ship, breakwater and buildings at left]
 39 — [S.S. Victoria at dock]
 40 — [Skagway streetcar with effigy on rear and sign “25 [cents] Skaguay Alaska street car one way 25 [cents]. A two hour drive to all points of interest. Days of "98" described on tour. Nothing like it in the world.”]
 41 — [automobile parked outside Caldwell Hotel Café, possibly Idaho]
 42 — [Vera standing next to totem pole outside Walter C. Waters Bear Totem Store, Wrangell]
 43 — [Wrangell street scene with Walter C. Waters Bear Totem Store]
 44 — [totem pole outside building with sign “Chief Shakes House,” Wrangell]
 45 — [Vera posed with totem poles outside building with sign “Raw Furs Bought Here, W.C. Waters,” Wrangell]
46 — [old totem pole near building, with vegetation growing out of top of pole; at AFN 2014, location identified as Wrangell, totem as killer whale; see Monuments in Cedar, ch. 12, identified as Duk-toothl or Ka-Ha-Si mortuary pole]
 47 — [Vera’s traveling companion and another woman standing on boardwalk in front of two totem poles, buildings including church visible in background, Wrangell]
 48 — [woman standing next to totem poles outside shops, possibly Wrangell]
 49 — [woman looking up at bear grave post, possibly Wrangell]
 50 — [Vera standing next to totem pole with raven at top]
 51 — [tourists on boardwalk passing several totem poles in trees, Ketchikan?]
 52 — [Sun and Raven totem pole, Saxman or Ketchikan? Cf. 123]
 53 — [Vera standing next to totem pole with Bear over two smaller figures]
54 — [docks, boardwalk, buildings]
55 — [Vera and traveling companion standing on pedestrian bridge over creek running through town, Ketchikan?]
 56 — [creek running through town, with buildings and utility poles, Ketchikan?]
 57 — [roadhouse with gravel parking area, building with signs “Highway Grocery,” “Standard Oil Products,” “Meat Market Beer Wine”]
 58 — [Alaska Juneau Gold Mine as seen from water]
59 — [two Tlingit children on porch of wooden house. Possibly old Kasaan. Cf. .61]
60 — [Vera standing with two Tlingit men, possibly next to cannery buildings, with canned goods in crates at right, American flag behind. At AFN 2015, location tentatively identified as Steamboat Bay or Waterfall]
61 — [Vera on beach near houses, man talking with two Tlingit children shown in .59. At AFN 2015, old Kasaan suggested as location, boat identified as Columbia River boat]
62 — [two Tlingit children standing in alley between houses. At AFN 2015, Old Chenega suggested as location]
63 — [tourist talking to small child on porch of house]
64 — [view of town from water, Sitka? Cf. .72]
65 — [buildings and dock, Peril Straits Packing Co., Todd]
 66 — [Vera standing in industrial complex, possibly mining operation?]
 67 — [Vera standing next to fence and fir tree]
 68 — [Vera standing on boardwalk next to dog and man carrying bucket]
 69 — [Vera’s traveling companion and other tourists on pedestrian bridge over river near waterfall]
 70 — [Vera and another woman on beach near small boat harbor, building in distance with sign “Same Boats for Hire”]
 71 — [Vera’s traveling companion sitting on driftwood on beach, small boats at anchor behind her]
 72 — [view of town from water, cf. .64]
73 — [view of town from water, possibly Ketchikan. cf. 79]
 74 — [view of water from yard next to house, laundry hanging on clothesline at right, small boats at short dock]
75 — [cannery buildings in cove]
 76 — [view of town from water]
 77 — [small boat harbor, docks, and buildings, with many wooden barrels on dock, Sitka?]
 78 — [small boat harbor, docks, and buildings, including Sitka Cold Storage Co., boats at dock include Retriever]
 79 — [view of town from water, possibly Ketchikan. cf. 73]
80 — [Russian Orthodox graveyard; at AFN 2014, location identified as Angoon, site of old cemetery before it was relocated up the hill]
 81 — [hexagonal house]
 82 — [Vera’s traveling companion on steps of three-story building]
 83 — [church with two crenellated towers flanking entry, Metlakatla, cf. .84 and .112]
 84 — [side view of church in .83, Metlakatla]
 85 — [Victoria, B.C., as seen from water]
86 — [abandoned church]
 87 — [park goers and sunbathers at a community pool bathing area, Victoria?]
 88 — [bird’s eye view of beach scene, with diving platform in water, boardwalk and tiered seating with row of buildings along beach, sunbathers]
 89 — [Vera standing on rocky beach between two tree-covered outcroppings]
 90 — [Vera standing on shore above lake next to abandoned homestead, probably White Pass & Yukon Route, cf. .117]
 91 — [Sign, White Pass International Boundary, British Columbia, Canada/Alaska, United States]
 92 — [Vera standing at Alaska Boundary sign along White Pass & Yukon Route tracks, with one foot on either side of sign]
 93 — [passengers walking alongside of White Pass & Yukon train stopped on tracks]
 94 — [view down railroad tracks curving around lake shore]
 95 — [Vera’s traveling companion standing near abandoned building with mountains in distance]
 96 — [Vera and traveling companion standing holding hands on gravel road, buildings on either side of road]
 97 — [children standing in field next to airplane marked Byrd Antarctic Expedition, single- engine tailwheel landing gear]
 98 — [Vera and traveling companion standing in front of memorial with bronze statues of two women holding shields and two eagles]
 99 — [Vera standing atop wooden fence along edge of pasture]
 100 — [children playing in wheelbarrow or tram car on boardwalk]
 101 — [Vera and traveling companion standing on shore near wooden benches overlooking bay, small boat harbor in distance]
 102 — [bear in cage]
 103 — [scenic overlooking lake with fir trees, glacier and mountains in distance]
 104 — [glacier terminus] [3 x 5”]
 105 — [Vera posed next to railing on S.S. Victoria]
 106 — [passengers gathered on deck of S.S. Victoria]
 107 — [two crewmen on deck of S.S. Victoria, showing funnels, rigging, pilot house]
 108 — [view down deck of S.S. Victoria with Vera standing in distance, showing lifeboats, rigging]
 109 — [Vera standing on platform at industrial complex, possibly lumber company or sawmill, with piles of cut lumber and hoisting equipment in background]
 110 — [two people waving at center, industrial complex, possibly lumber company or sawmill, with piles of cut lumber and processing areas in background]
 111 — [large two-story building, probably schoolhouse]
 112 — [town as seen from water, large two-towered church visible near center, cf. .83-84, Metlakatla]
 113 — [long railroad bridge over river or waterway, town spread out along shore at right]
114 — [bird’s eye view of White Pass & Yukon Route train stopped at depot in mountain pass]
 115 — [bird’s eye view of large town on shore of bay, houses at left, industrial area with oil tanks at right]
 116 — [steamship North Sea coming out of port]
 117 — [scenic with lake, abandoned homestead in foreground, cf. 90]
 118 — [scenic with mountains as seen from water]
119 — [four men in suit coats standing on dock next to crewman working on airplane, same airplane as in .120-.121, Juneau? Sigismund Levanevsky at right? Victor Levchenko second right?]
 120 — [airplane with floats taxiing for takeoff, passing Alaska-Juneau Mine at Juneau, cf. .119 and .121; according to aerofiles.com this is a Vultee V-1AS Special 1936 (2-539) = 2pClwMF; 775hp Wright R-1820-F52 and 850hp SR-1820-G2. POP: 1 twin-EDO float version built for the Soviet government for an historic 10,000-mile Santa Monica-Moscow flight (p: Sigismund Levanevski, Victor Levchenko), via Alaska and Siberia, in Aug-Sep 1936 [URSS-N208]. Added fuel tanks in cabin, enlarged tail group, special cold-weather cowl.]
121 — [Vultee V-1AS with “URSS” under wing, Victor Levchenko leaning out window, taxing for takeoff from Juneau]
 122 — Metlakatla [steamship at dock in middle ground, mountains in distance]
 123 — [Sun and Raven totem pole, Saxman or Ketchikan? Cf. .52]
 124 — [totem poles and grave posts in park with fir trees, Sun and Raven totem pole at right, possibly Shark atop post second right, Saxman or Ketchikan?]
 125 — [Vera and her traveling companion with a third woman at glacier terminus]
 126 — [Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau]
 127 — [glacier terminus, Taku Glacier?]
 128 — [glacier terminus as seen from S.S. Victoria, same glacier as in .127] [Postcards]
 129 — S.S. Victoria. H.W. Steward
 130 — Princess Louise at Taku Glacier, Alaska. © [1936?] Ordway, Juneau, Alaska, 95949
 131 — Tongass Narrows, Ketchikan, Alaska. Schallerer
 132 — Newtown, Ketchikan, Alaska. Schallerer
 133 — Chilkoot Barracks & Haines, Alaska
 134 — 151. “A. J.” Mill, Juneau, Alaska. T. Davis [Alaska-Juneau Mine]
 135 — Juneau, Alaska. Schallerers [view of town from water]
 136 — Lynn Canal, Alaska. Thwaites 1950
 137 — Skagway and Lynn Canal, Alaska. A106, E. Andrews
 138 — Wrangell, Alaska. A196 [photo by E. Andrews, view from a hill behind town of buildings and boat harbor; with islands, mountains, and inland strait beyond]
 139 — Chief Shakes House, Wrangell, Alaska. Courtesy Can. Nat’l Rys. T.O. 103
 140 — 5. Taku Glacier. © [illegible]
 141 — #313. Icebergs, Taku Inlet, Alaska. T. Davis Guide updated: October 26, 2016