“ ALASKA: THE LAST FRONTIER ” 1940s HOME MOVIE SEATTLE KETCHIKAN JUNEAU CORDOVA 44594

Browse our products on Amazon: Love our channel? Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference. This silent, amateur travelogue film dates to the 1940s and was shot by an unknown American filmmaker who journeyed north from Seattle via steamship. The film takes viewers on a tour through Alaska, which was purchased by the United States in 1867. As an elaborate, handmade title card notes, the man behind the purchase was former Secretary of State; William H. Seward (:20). His home is captured in Auburn, New York with his own statue erected outside of the structure (:25). Seattle’s expansive harbor is viewed (:41). The piers are pictured loaded with pounds of fish as cranes wheel in barrels full of catches (1:17). Gutted and cleaned fish are swept off the ship’s deck (1:39). The wide thoroughfare known as the Alaskan Way parallels Seattle’s waterfront (2:04). An office is pointed to overlooking Elliot Bay which publishes the local paper “Alaskan Weekly” (2:08). The Alaskan Steamship Company’s pier is highlighted (2:34). A merchant ship “SS Flemish Knot” (2:45) unloading crates of cargo onto the pier. This vessel was a C1-M-AV1 type designed by the United States Maritime Commission. The filmmaker’s ship sails down the Inside Passage (3:18). Small villages are erected along the waterline (3:30). A small island sits in the Inside Passage (3:56). The first city reached is Ketchikan with a population of about 6,000 (4:38). The slopes of Deer Mountain are captured in the background. Pedestrians line the pier some holding brightly colored balloons (5:19). A fountain follows with streams of water shooting upwards (5:32). Totem poles are common in Alaska as many are carved onto objects of daily use (6:03). Saxman Village in Ketchikan is pictured with a wide variety of totem poles (6:16). Eagles are pictured at the tops (6:40) of some of the totems as often with the chosen animal comes a story of some sort of family encounter with said creature. The town area and local shops are captured along the port as the film moves to another location (7:22). Upon leaving the port, the fishing fleet of Ketchikan is pictured anchored at the harbor (7:37). A school of porpoises follows the boat (8:11). The city of Juneau was named for Joe Juneau; the man attributed with locating the first source of gold in 1900 (8:16). The city is pictured (8:27) with bright houses against a lush background. A welcome banner is slung through the center of the downtown area (8:34) near hotels and shops. A pair of Alaskans move down a narrow dirt way (8:43). The Federal building follows housing the Territorial Legislature and United States district court (8:53). Russian influence is noted in the architecture from the early beginnings of the state (9:10). A rocky stream runs down a gently sloping hill (9:42). A view is then captured from the heights of Juneau peering out towards Gastineau Channel to Douglas Island (10:07). As the tour leaves Juneau, the ship passes the fishing fleet once again (10:23). The Mendenhall Glacier appears at (10:35) with snowy peaked mountains all around. The northern sunset is captured in pinks and reds at 10:15 pm over the mountains and waters (11:06). A half moon is captured in the night sky (11:26). The city of Cordova follows; whose main industry is of crab and salmon canning (11:49). A woman walks across a long bridge decorated with fishing nets (12:04). Residential homes are pictured on a slope above gentle waters (12:13). Cordova’s main street follows (12:21) as locals wander across. A member of the Pioneer’s Cabin (12:49) shows off his member’s pin on his shirt (13:08). The Columbia Glacier (13:23) is pictured under heavy clouds. The ship is then viewed which carries the filmmakers aboard it (14:00). Small chunks of glacier bob in the water (14:24). The film concludes as the Wrangal Range is captured (14:51) encircled by misty puffs of clouds. We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: “01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.“ This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit