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, Archivist

TITLE: USCG Cutter Chelan Album

COLLECTION NUMBER: B2016.008

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Dates: 1935

Extent: 1 box; 1 linear foot

Language and Scripts: The collection is in English.

Name of creator(s): Lomen Bros.

Administrative/Biographical History:
The United States Coast Guard cutter Chelan was launched on 19 May 1928 and was
commissioned on 5 September 1928. She was assigned to Seattle, Washington but
transferred to Boston, Massachusetts in 1937. Prior to that time she sailed on the Bering Sea
Patrol annually in addition to her regular patrol work. The Chelan was assigned to the
International Ice Patrol in 1940 and the following year she was transferred to Great Britain
under the auspices of Lend-Lease on 2 May 1941. She was returned to the U.S. on 12 February
1946 and was sold on 23 October 1947.1

Scope and Content Description:
The collection consists of one album, measuring 10” x 7”, containing 38 black-and-white
photographs and 4 tinted or black-and-white postcards, as well as one news clipping, collected
during the Cutter Chelan’s tour in the Bering Sea in 1935. Most of the images bear captions on
the recto. All are pasted into the album, but some of postcards clearly bear writing on the

1 “Chelan, 1928.” United States Coast Guard Historian’s Office web site, viewed February 26, 2016.
http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/chelan1928.asp

versos. There are several views of Unalaska, as well as photographs of the seal rookeries on
Saint Paul Island. For more information, see Detailed Description of Collection.

Arrangement: Not applicable


CONDITIONS GOVERNING ACCESS AND USE

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

Physical Access: Original items in fair to 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:
USCG Cutter Chelan Album, Anchorage Museum, B2016.008

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Acquisition and Appraisal Information
Purchased from Wayfarer’s Bookshop in February 2016.

RELATED MATERIALS
Arlene Mitchell Collection, B2001.007
Darrell G. Wood Album, B2014.020

SUBJECTS
Chelan (Ship)
United States Coast Guard
Revenue cutters—United States
Whaling—Alaska
Seals (Animals)—Alaska
Bering Sea
Inside Passage
Unalaska (Alaska)
Ketchikan (Alaska)
Saint Paul Island (Alaska)

Barrow (Alaska)
Attu Island (Alaska)

Detailed Description of the Collection
 1 — Tinted postcard. “Caught in the ice. Copyright by Lomen Bros., Nome” [three ships amid pressure ridges] - News clipping. “Undersea range found in Bering.” - Photo duplication. “The Ballad of Yukon Jake, by Edward E. Paramore Jr.”
 2 — Photograph. “Winning boat of sailing races” [men in sailboat under way, village buildings on shore in background]
 3 — Photograph. “Chelan, Inside Passage of Alaska, 1935” [view from crow’s nest of crewmen on deck in foreground, scenery ahead]
 4 — Postcard. “Overlooking Unalaska harbor, 1935” [bird’s eye view of Unalaska, with church at left]
 5 — Photograph. “Heading for the Narrows, 1935” ” [view from crow’s nest of crewmen on deck in foreground, scenery ahead]
 6 — Photograph. [sign, “Unalaska the Gateway to Bering Sea” sponsored by “Martin’s Aleutian Packing and Trading Co.”, with buildings in background]
 7 — Photograph. “Chelan at Ketchikan, Bering Sea cruise, 1935” [view from deck of crowds on dock]
 8 — Photograph. “Bag inspection, 2 nd Division” [crewmen lined up on deck with bag contents laid out in front of them]
 9 — Photograph. “Beard elimination program, Unalaska, 1935” [man wearing fake beard being inspected by officer standing at left, crewmen gathered in background]
 10 — Photograph. [caption covered. Bird’s eye view of ships, docks, and buildings on spit of land in harbor, Unalaska?]
 11 — Postcard. “Ballyhoo, Dutch Harbor” [view from beach of Ballyhoo Mountain, surf breaking on shore in foreground, ship at anchor possibly Chelan]
 12 — Postcard. “Unalaska hills in summer bloom” [two young Alaska Native children standing in ferns and grasses]
 13 — Photograph. “Unalaska from Pyramid Peak” [bird’s eye view of harbor]
 14 — Photograph. “Panoramic view of Unalaska” [bird’s eye view of harbor]
 15 — Photograph. “Hiking party from Chelan near Unalaska” [four crewmen standing in snow on mountain top, three holding snowballs, harbor in distance]
 16 — Photograph. [two men next to whale carcass at whaling station]
 17 — Photograph. “Harem of fur seals, St. Paul Island, Alaska” [seals on rocky shore]
 18 — Photograph. [two crewmen in uniform standing on rocky shore next to outcropping, one holding bow, one holding rifle]
 19 — Photograph. “Seal rookery, St. Paul Island” [seals on rocky shore]
 20 — Photograph. “Schooner Wawona, Alaska” [sailing ship at anchor, cod fishing vessel]
 21 — Photograph. “A fin string of fox skins, Unalaska” [man examining pelt, standing next to long string of pelts on line strung outdoors, building at left, water in background]
 22 — Photograph. “Chelan party on summit, Pyramid Peak” [group portrait of crewmen in uniform, harbor in background]
 23 — Photograph. “Chelan men at infantry drill at Unalaska” [crewmen standing at attention on deck]
 24 — Photograph. “Champion race boat crew, Bering Sea patrol, 1935” [group portrait of shirtless crewmen posed with oars and lifebuoy from Chelan]
 25 — Photograph. “Eskimo igloo, Point Barrow, Alaska” [igloo and cache, second igloo partially visible at right]
 26 — Photograph. “Red Muir vs. Kid Abbey” [bird’s eye view of boxing match on deck]
 27 — Photograph. “Seal rookeries, St. Paul Island, Alaska” [seals on rocky shore]
28 — Photograph. “Fur seals of St. Paul Island, Alaska” [bird’s eye view of seals on rocky shore]
 29 — Photograph. “Sailing races, Unalaska, 1935” [two sailboats underway]
 30 — Photograph. “Hospital, Unalaska” [view down boardwalk to hospital building]
 31 — Photograph. “View of Unalaska from crow’s nest of Chelan” [view along waterfront, with hospital at right, church at left, supply depot in right foreground]
 32 — Photograph. “Attu, Alaska” [view of buildings from rise behind village, Chichagof Harbor in distance]
 33 — Photograph. [distant view of fleet of amphibious airplanes in harbor, Aleutian Islands]
 34 — Photograph. “Fishing party, Unalaska” [crewmen on deck holding halibut]
 35 — Photograph. “Unalaska” [distant view of village buildings]
 36 — Photograph. “Fur seals at St. Paul Island, Unalaska” [seals on rocky shore]
 37 — Photograph. “Cod fishing vessel Wawona” [sailboat under way]
 38 — Photograph. “Russian Church, Unalaska, Alaska” [Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church, with canoes along shore of waterway in foreground]
 39 — Photograph. “Waterfall, Captain’s Harbor, Alaska” [probably near Captains Bay, Unalaska]
 40 — Photograph. “Chelan hiking party on way Pyramid Peak, July 28, 1935” [group portrait of crewmen resting on rocks]
 41 — Photograph. “Seal rookery, St. Paul Island” [bird’s eye view of seals on rocky shore”
 42 — Photograph. “Russian church in Unalaska [interior of Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church] Guide written: February 29, 2016