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: Jose Romano Collection

COLLECTION NUMBER: B2015.004

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Dates: circa 1940s

Extent: 79 items

Language and Scripts: The collection is in English.

Name of creator(s): Vern Brickley, Howard C. Robinson

Administrative/Biographical History:
Vern Brickley came to Valdez, Alaska, from Tacoma, Washington, in 1936 to work on a movie
set. He lived through one winter on Fox Island in Prince William Sound, where he was involved
in the herring fishery and fox farming. Just prior to World War II he moved to Fairbanks, was
drafted into the Army as a photographer, and was then stationed in Anchorage in 1940. He
was in the Army for about three years, and was discharged in 1945. He traveled throughout
the Aleutians during the Japanese invasion, and many of the Attu campaign images bear his
name. It is thought that he traded for some of these images, since he was printing them
commercially.

Brickley and his family lived in Anchorage at 920B East 15th Avenue. He is listed continuously
in the phone book until April 1954, but no business is listed in the yellow pages. At that time
the family moved to Moose Pass, and Brickley worked at the military rehab center in Seward,
teaching dark room techniques. According to his son Bill, this is when he picked up the
historical negatives of Seward. They moved back to Anchorage in 1958, and Brickley then
became a photographer for the Army Corps of Engineers, working for the District Engineers at
Elmendorf Air Force Base. Many of the Corp photographs of the 1964 earthquake are his work.


Brickley died October 28, 1970.

Nothing was known about Jose Romano, the collector of the images, at the time of processing.

Scope and Content Description:
The collection consists of 78 commercially produced black-and-white photographs of Alaskan
scenes, most taken by photographer Vern Brickley with Brickley’s handwritten captions. For
more information, see Detailed Description of Collection.

Arrangement: Arranged photographer, when known, and further by subject


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:
Jose Romano Collection, Anchorage Museum, B2015.004

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Acquisition and Appraisal Information
Donated by Stanley Kluth in January 2015.

RELATED MATERIALS
Vern Brickley Collection, B1998.014

SUBJECTS
Seppala, Leonhard, 1877-1967
Alaska Railroad
United States. Army
Business enterprises—Alaska

Canneries—Alaska
Cemeteries—Alaska
Recreation—Alaska
Agriculture—Alaska
Airplanes—Alaska
Gold mines and mining—Alaska
Reindeer herding—Alaska
Dogsledding—Alaska
Igloos—Alaska
Glaciers – Alaska
Anchorage (Alaska)
Eklutna (Alaska)
Palmer (Alaska)
Matanuska Valley (Alaska)
Glenn Highway (Alaska)
Seward (Alaska)
Cordova (Alaska)
Valdez (Alaska)
Juneau (Alaska)
Ketchikan (Alaska)
Annette Island (Alaska)
Fairbanks (Alaska)
Chatanika (Alaska)
McKinley, Mount (Alaska)
Nelson Island (Alaska)
Nome (Alaska)
Kotzebue (Alaska)
Cold Bay (Alaska)
Attu Island (Alaska)
Alaska Highway
Dawson Creek (B.C.)
Watson Lake (Yukon)

Detailed Description of the Collection

F1
 1 — Anchorage, 1945. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [aerial looking west from Cook Inlet to Merrill Field]
 2 — Anchorage, 1947. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [aerial looking east from Merrill Field to Cook Inlet]
 3 — Anchorage Hotel “Westward.” Photo by Brickley Photocraft [automobiles parked on gravel road outside hotel]
 4 — Anchorage R.R. depot. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [automobiles parked outside Alaska Railroad Headquarters at Ship Creek]
 5 — Alaska’s longest and most important street, 4th Ave., Anchorage. (Bob Hope said, “the longest bar in the world.”). Photo by Brickley Photocraft [bird’s eye view, street scene looking east from F Street, with pedestrians, automobiles, and businesses including J. Vic Brown & Son Jewelers, Rexall Drugs, Hewitt’s Drug Store, The Hub Clothing]
 6 — An Anchorage ski area. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [sign at Fort Richardson Ski Bowl, skiers on hill in background]
7 — An “iron Chinaman” at an Anchorage salmon cannery. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [cannery workers operating an “Iron Chink” machine, possibly at Emard Cannery]
 8 — Cannery workers at Anchorage. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [two men wearing aprons standing on dock holding fish]
 9 — Cook Inlet salmon en route to cans. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [workers on slime line in cannery]
 10 — Spirit houses built above graves, near Anchorage. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [Eklutna cemetery]
 11 — Palmer, trading center for Matanuska Valley. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [street scene, automobiles parked on gravel road with businesses including Bert’s Liquor, Palmer Cocktail Bar, Koslosky’s]
12 — Not a fake. Turnip grown in Matanuska Valley. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [child standing next to giant turnip]
 13 — Grown in Matanuska Valley. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [soldier in uniform posed with vegetables and haystack in field]
 14 — Dept. Agriculture, Experimental Farm at Matanuska Valley. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [building and greenhouse in foreground, hay fields in middle ground, mountains in distance, Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station, Matanuska Station]
 15 — 75 miles out of Anchorage on the Glenn-Allan Hiway. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [Matanuska Glacier valley on Glenn Highway]
 16 — Photo by Brickley Photocraft [same as .15]
 17 — King Mountain on Glenn-Allan Hiway. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [man standing in brush in foreground]
 18 — Seward, Alaska. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [bird’s eye view of docks in winter, woman standing at left, ship at dock]
 19 — City dock at Cordova, Alaska. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [boat Phoenix II at dock]
 20 — Cordova, Alaska. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [bird’s eye view of town and docks]
 21 — Dock street, Valdez. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [street scene, automobiles on gravel road, sign in foreground for Office of the Valdez Dock Co., Alaska Steamship Co., Standard Oil Company]
 22 — Lynn Canal, between Juneau & Skagway. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [scenic with ship rigging in foreground, seagull flying, sunrise over mountains]
 23 — Ketchikan, Alaska. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [street scene with automobiles and trucks parked outside businesses including Victor and Billingsley, with totem poles and clock, Alaska Steamship Co. ship at dock at end of street]
 24 — Annette Island near Ketchikan. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [bird’s eye view of airport, with passengers standing outside Pan American World Airways terminal, man unloading Ellis Air Lines airplane at left, possibly Grumman Goose airplane with tail number NC74588 in foreground]
 25 — Ketchikan, Ellis Airlines service. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [amphibious airplane at Ellis Air Lines dock, man in front hatch]
 26 — Saxman’s Park, Ketchikan. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [numerous totem poles in Saxman Totem Park]
 27 — Ketchikan dock. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [sunset, with silhouetted boats]
 28 — Fairbanks 2nd Ave. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [street scene on Second Avenue, with pedestrians, automobiles, and signs for businesses including The Sportsman, Lacey St. Theater, Daily News Miner]
 29 — The Chena Bridge “lit-up” during Fairbanks winter show & dog races. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [view down frozen river at night in winter, with lights on bridge, signs at left for businesses including Model Café, Polar Bar]
 30 — Fur exhibit at Tanana Valley Fair, Fairbanks. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [booth with numerous furs, pelts, skins, fur parka]
 31 — Fairbanks, Alaska. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [people swimming at outdoor pool, probably Ringstad Pool]
 32 — Leonard Seppala’s home at Chatanika, Alaska. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [exterior of log cabin with white picket fence, residence of Leonhard Seppala]
 33 — Drag line at Cripple Creek, Ester, Alaska. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [dragline excavator at gold mining operation]
 34 — Hydraulic giant at Ester, Alaska. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [man working monitor at gold mining operation]
 35 — Chatanika dredge, working depth 70 ft. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [gold dredge]
 36 — Horse-shoe lake near the McKinley Park Hotel. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [scenic bird’s eye view of landscape]
 37 — Mt. McKinley as seen from the Alaska R.R. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [view down railroad tracks through taiga, utility poles at right]
 38 — McKinley Park Hotel. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [distant view of hotel complex]
 39 — Reindeer round-up at Nelson Island, Alaska. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [reindeer being released from pen on tundra]
 40 — Nome, Alaska. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [street scene with automobiles parked on dirt road in front of businesses including North Pole Bakery] F2
41 — Kotzebue dance. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [two women wearing fur-trimmed print parkas dancing in hall, drummers in foreground, men seated against wall in background. At AFN 2015, women identified as Mary Greene (left) and Grace Allen (right)]
42 — Kotzebue class learning the art of tom cod fishing. The two sticks are used to “weave” the line to the surface, can be done with amazing speed. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [man and three children, all wearing fur-trimmed parkas, sitting on ice next to fishing hole. At AFN 2015, man in center identified as either Andrew Greene or Potomae (Putumii) Norton]
 43 — Wolf hides drying, Kotzebue. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [drying racks with skins in winter, covered kayak frame on rack at left, houses in background]
 44 — Eskimo team outside of Kotzebue. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [musher with dog team stopped on tundra, house in background at left]
 45 — On Kotzebue Sound. In the background, an Army instructor is training GI’s to make snow houses. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [musher with dog team in foreground, possibly same team as in .44, men making igloos in background]
46 — It is never proper for an Eskimo to dance without wearing gloves. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [man wearing Western style clothing, eyeglasses, knitted gloves, and mukluks dancing indoors, woman seated along wall in background. At AFN 2015, identified as Paul Green of Kotzebue]
 47 — Jim Gale, Arctic expert building a snow house. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [man building igloo]
 48 — Cold Bay, Alaska, war time GI’s learn about Alaska fishing. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [men fishing in gravel stream]
 49 — Mt. Pavlov, a volcano near Cold Bay that puffs every 7 minutes. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [aerial]
 50 — Up this valley was the only battle fought on American soil since 1812, Massacre Valley on Attu, May 1943. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [view from water]
 51 — Where the Alaska Hiway begins, Dawson Creek. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [milepost at Mile 0, street scene with signs for businesses including Royal Café, Lawrence Meat Market]
 52 — About mid-way on the Alaska Hiway, Watson Lake. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [signposts along road]
 53 — Teslin Lake, Canada, Alaska Hiway. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [view down gravel road to lake and bridge]
 54 — Johnson Bridge, Alaska Hiway. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [view down gravel road to bridge over Johnson River at mile 1387]
 55 — Wild wolf puppies, Fairbanks. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [young boy holding pup, several others on table behind]
 56 — PX pests at Fort Richardson. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [two soldiers in uniform feeding small black bears]
 57 — Alaska beaver. This is a fake. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [manipulated photograph, composite image of man holding beaver by tail]
 58 — Moose calf & friend. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [young boy feeding fireweed to small moose]
 59 — “Keeping the wolf from the door,” Fairbanks. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [woman leaning out of log cabin window, embracing large dog or wolf hybrid]
 60 — “Calico” a ranger’s sled-dog at McKinley Park Hotel [dog portrait]
61 — This Alaskan hill-billie has an eye for comfort. Photo by Brickley Photocraft [man sleeping in inflated raft, with mosquito netting suspended from four branches]
 62 — Photo by Brickley Photocraft [aerial of glacier terminus]
 63 — c. Robinson [bird’s eye view of Fourth Avenue looking east from H Street, with automobiles, pedestrians, federal building, signs for businesses including U.G. Crocker’s, Northern Commercial Co., First National Bank]
 64 — [swimmers and sunbathers on beach, Lake Spenard?]
 65 — [Anchorage aerial looking east from Cook Inlet, Chester Creek at left, before Westchester Lagoon, large property on Atwood Drive at right]
 66 — Made by U.S. Army Air Forces [four soldiers in uniform fishing in rocky creek]
 67 — Nome [aerial in winter, church in center]
 68 — Seppala’s team, Fairbanks [musher with dog team on winter trail]
 69 — [musher with dog team on winter trail in wooded area]
 70 — [Alaska Native child clasping its mother’s legs, woman’s kuspuk and mukluks visible]
71 — [fox pup in boot]
 72 — [aerial of volcano, steam rising out of cone]
 73 — [scenic of valley glacier terminus and lake]
 74 — [soldier in uniform and man in civilian dress, both holding cameras, taking photographs of glacier icebergs in mountain lake]
 75 — [winter scenic with water and mountains]
 76 — [aerial of glacier valley]
 77 — [winter scenic of pine trees and mountains]
 78 — Alaskan Scenes and Xmas Cards [scenic of sunset and clouds over ocean surf] Guide updated: November 12, 2015