Finding Aid
The Bill Ray White Alice Collection
B94.9.1-1386
Bill Ray worked as a contract officer on the White Alice Project.
"White Alice" was a communication system developed by the U.S.
Air Force to provide an integrated system for Federal, military
and civil agencies as well as the public. "White Alice" began
service in 1956 providing high quality and accurate service to
the users. "White Alice" was the popular name for "Forward
Propagation by Tropospheric Scatter."
Bill Ray's wife, Frances, a long-time volunteer in the Museum
Archives, donated this collection to the Archives after his death
in 1994. Our volunteer, Opal Myers, organized the collection
during the Fall of 1994.
The boxes are arranged in this manner: Box 1 includes photos of
equipment; Boxes 2 - 5 are arranged alphabetically by site
location; Box 6 includes Project 717 Construction Progress and
activity reports; Box 7 holds miscellaneous geographic sites.
BOX 1 Bell Telephone Labs
Folder 1-2, photos .1 - .196
A series of photographs covering erection of the first
prototype 60' parabolic TROPO antenna at Blaw-Knox
Plant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Folder 3, photos .197 - .219 (Blaw-Knox)
Foundations - Shoes
Storage - Prefabbing
Raising Members
Folder 4, photos .220 - .243 (Blaw-Knox)
Fabrication
Structure details
Feedhorn and Waveguide
Sheathing
Folder 5, photos .244 - .267 (Misc. Equipment)
Antennas - typical
Artists' conceptions
Brooklyn Prototype
De-icing Equipment
Feedhorn Tower
Folder 6, photos .268 - .296 (Engine Alternators)
Buda
Chicago
Installed
Folder 7, photos .297 - .336 (Electronic Equipment Prototype)
Andrew Corporation
Cabinet
Control
Power
Receiver
Transmitter
General
Special (REA Pa Amp.)
Folder 8, photos .337 - .374
A series of photos of Auburn Warehouse showing loading,
receiving and packing.
BOX 2 Anchorage - Boswell Bay
Folder 8a, photos .375 - .396
Anchorage ACS Building additions, towers, storage
Folder 9, photos .397 - 414
Aniak, aerial views of site location--see also Box 6
Dorm and equipment building, antennas, Alternator
and POL tanks
Folder 10, photos .415 - .476
Anvil Mt. site location (Nome)
Barge with equipment sinking and salvage operation
Nome CAA
Supplies, loading, unloading storage
Folder 11, photos .477 - .585
Bear Creek site location (Tanana)
Dormitory, equipment and storage buildings
Antennas
Water line and pump house
Septic tank
POL tanks
Tanana CAA
Folder 12, photos .586 - .605
Bethel site location--see also Box 6
Bethel CAA
Folder 13, photos .606 - .658
Big Mountain site location (Illiamna)
Building construction
Illiamna CAA
Illiamna Test Tower
Antennas
Folder 14, photos .659 - .695
Boswell Bay site location (Hinchinbrook Island)
Proposed POL location and well location
Road construction
M.K. Camp
Barging equipment from Cordova
Hinchinbrook CAA
BOX 3 Clam Gulch - Indian Mt.
Folder 15, photos .696 - .701
Clam Gulch
Kenai RIS
Folder 16, photos .702 - .709
Diamond Ridge Site (Homer) -- see also Box 6
Homer CAA
Test Towers
Folder 17, photos .710 - .712
Anchorage RIN - Elmendorf
Antenna Tower and Wave guide installation
Folder 18, photos .712 - .714
Fairbanks ACS TD-2 Site
Fairbanks CAA
Folder 19, photos .715 - .722
Ft. Yukon Site location
Antenna and feed horns
Folder 20, photos .723 - .901
Granite Mt. site (Candle - Haycock)
M-K Camp
Equipment building construction
Airstrip for bush planes
POL tanks
Well drilling - spring house
Test pits
Antennas and feed horns
Alaska Airline unloading materials at Moon Creek
Folder 21, photos .902 - .909
Indian Mt. Site
Antenna to Bear Creek
Transmission line
BOX 4 Kalakaket - Newenham
Folder 22, photos .910 - .937
Kalakaket site (Galena )--see also Box 6
Constructing dormitory building
Laboratory
Antennas and waveguides
H - 21 at Airstrip
Galena CAA
Folder 23, photos .938 - .947
King Salmon site (Naknek)-- see also Box 6
Naknek CAA
Tower mounted on trailer
Equipment hut
Folder 24, photos .948 - .973
Kotzebue Site -- see also Box 6
Antenna Truss supports
Waveguide supports
Folder 25, photos .974 - .975
Lisburne Site see also Box 6
Test towers
Folder 26, photos .976 - .979
Middleton Island site
Middleton Island CAA
Folder 27, photos .980 - .988
Naptowne (Kenai R1N)
Tower footings and waveguide support
Folder 28, photos .989 - .1045
Neklasson Lake site (Wasilla)
Feed horns
Antennae and TD2 towers
Waveguide support
13 representatives from electric companies identified
Equipment and laboratory
Folder 29, photos .1046 - .1083
Newenham site -- see also Box 6
Equipment and dormitory buildings
Antennas
Well drilling operation
Gravel source
Unloading equipment from barges
Shop and re-building room
BOX 5 North River(Unalakleet) - Wales
Folder 30, photos .1084 - .1100
North River site (Unalakleet) see also Box 6
Unalakleet CAA
Folder 31, photos .1101 - .1117
Northeast Cape site
Equipment hut, damaged and re-built
Antennas
POL storage tanks
Detail of material in Barrow area
Folder 32, photos .1118 - .1143
Pedro Dome site
Equipment building and dormitory construction
Erecting TD-2 Antenna horn
Foundation and template--antenna #4
Excavation and forms--antenna #4
Trench in bed rock
TD-2 piers
204 ft. Test torver construction
Site shown from Steese Highway
Folder 33, (does not exist)
Folder 34, photos .1144 - .1172
Pillar Mt. (Kodiak)--see also Box 6
Waveguide
Feedhorn
Equipment building construction
Antenna
Cat pulling sled load of equipment up mountain
C-46 unloading complete set of transmitter equipment
Folder 35, photos .1173 - .1174
Rabbit Creek site (Potter #2)
First completed TD-2 Tower,Section 19 (Anchorage RIS)
Folder 36, photos .1175 - .1251
Romanzof site
Equipment and Dorm building construction - typical bank sections
French drain from dorm
Backfilling sewer lines
Equipment building with transformer room
Antennas and concrete piers
Waveguide supports
Water storage room
POL Storage Tanks and dike wall
Heated sewer line
Equipment repair shop
M-K Storage warehouse
Buildings and equipment completely covered by snow
Folder 37, photos .1252 - .1267
Sparrevohn site
Test tower and road
A/G Transmitter
Folder 38, photos .1267 - .1269
Sitkinak Site Area - Section 19
Folder 39, photos .1270 - .1286
Tatalina site (McGrath) see also Box 6
H-21 wreck and damaged dish
McGrath CAA
Roundabout Mts. - Takotna Mt.
Ice on A.F. Tramway
Collapsed Test Tower
Folder 40, photos .1287 - .1297
Tin City site (Wales)
Equipment building
Antenna Construction
Wales CAA
BOX 6 Project 717 - White Alice - Construction Progress,
October & November 1956
Folder 41, photos .1298 - .1308
Aniak site --see also Box 2
60' Dishes
Equipment building
Water pump house
Fuel storage tanks
Dormitory
Aerial view
Folder 42, photos .1309
Tatalina site - aerial view - see also Box 5
Folder 43, photos .1310 - .1327
Galena site -- see also Box 4
Supports for Dish
Heated Dish
60' Dishes under construction
Equipment building
Heating ground to pour concrete
Dormitory
Aerial view
Concrete Footings
Motor generator unit in power room
Caterpillar with ripper breaking frozen ground
Folder 44, photos .1328 - .1332
Unalakleet site -- see also Box 5
Clearing site area
Construction camp
Bridge to site
Folder 45 photos .1333 - .1338
Kotzebue site -- see also Box 4
60' dishes
Illustration of piling for buildings and antenna supports
Support for 30' dish with fuel tank and heaters
Waveguide run
Equipment building
Folder 46, photos .1339 - .1346
Lisburne site -- see also Box 4
Constructing dish supports
Pourning concrete floor
Heaters used to keep concrete warm
Ditch digging in frozen ground for pipe line
Equipment breaking frozen ground
Heat ducts and conduit in equipment
Mounting fee horn supports
Folder 47, photos .1347a - .1347b
King Salmon site (Naknek) -- see also Box 4
Folder 48, photos .1348a - .1349b
Clam Gulch site
Showing location beside Sterling highway
Folder 49, photos .1350a - 1352b
Diamond Ridge site (Homer) -- see also Box 3
Folder 50, photos .1353a - .1355b
Pillar Mt. site (Kodiak) --see also Box 5
Cable line and approach road
Folder 51, photos .1356a & b
Bethel site -- see also Box 2
A.C. & W. site
Folder 52, photos .1357a - 1358b
Newenham site -- see also Box 4
Folder 53, photos .1359a & b
Soldotna Site
Location beside road to Kenai
Folder 54, photos .1360a - 1365
Starisky Creek site
Folder 55, 56, 57, 58
Weekly activity reports 7/6/57 - 3/1/5
BOX 7 Miscellaneous Geographic Sites
Folder 59, photos .1366 - .1381
Air Force Installation
Anchorage - Fire Island
Kalakaket Creek (Installation at Campion
Lisburne
Romanzof
Tatlina
Folder 60, photos .1382 - .1383
Atlasta House
AC & W Radome Location
Proposed AC & W water supply
Folder 61, photo .1384
Delta Junction site
Folder 62, photo .1385
Glacier Point TD-2 site
ACS Installation
ACS Repeater building
Folder 63, photo .1386
Nelchina site
Location near Glenn Highway
Folder 64, photos .1388-1420 (added later)
Unidentified 1957 Western Electric photographs and
negatives. A.T. Rife, photographer
Barge "Tanana"
Installations, personnel and equipment at:
Big Mountain
Cape Lisburne
Fairbanks (ACS building)
Fort Yukon
King Salmon
Ocean Cape
Sheep Mountain
Folder 65, White Alice telephone directory, 10-15-1958.
(cataloged as a seperate in the public catalog)
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Reference list associating towns with sites.
Towns Site Names
Candle - Haycock Granite Mountain
Galena Kalakaket
Hinchinbrook Island Boswell Bay
Homer Diamond Ridge
Illiamna Big Mountain
Kenai Naptowne
Kodiak Pillar Mountain
McGrath Tatalina
Naknek King Salmon
Nome Anvil Mountain
Potter Rabbit Creek
Tanana Bear Creek
Unalakleet North River
Wales Tin City
Wasilla Neklasson Lake