[Alaska]. [Yukon]. Sterling, Joseph S.

[Substantial Photographic Archive Related to Joseph S. Sterling and His Business Dealings in the Yukon Territory and Alaska]

[Alaska & Yukon Territory]: 1901-1912. 162 photographs in two albums, loose, and mounted on card. Various sizes. First album octavo, black cloth with manuscript paper label on cover; moderate wear, several images clipped throughout (81 photos, captioned in ink, plus newspaper clippings and ephemera; most images 2.5 x 3.5 inches, with a handful both larger and smaller). Second album quarto, black cloth with gilt cover; light wear (53 photos, 3.5 x 5.5 inches, captioned in ink or the negative). Thirteen images mounted on card; cards worn, minor soiling, most images clear but a few grainy (many images 6 x 8 inches with some larger, captioned in ink). Fifteen photos loose, most 5 x 7 inches, captioned in ink. About very good. Item #3733

A wonderful photographic archive documenting the business dealings of Joseph S. Sterling during his years in central Alaska and the Yukon Territory. Sterling left Trenton, New Jersey for the Yukon Territory in 1901 at the age of twenty-three, during the Gold Rush. He worked as a fur trader and miner before establishing a business partnership with Peter Vachon in 1904. The two established several trading posts and mercantiles, first at Fairbanks, then later at Chena, and Ft. Gibbon, specializing in furs. This partnership lasted until 1914, at which time Vachon moved to Seattle to work in real estate and Sterling began an enterprise raising silver foxes, first in Alaska and then in New York State. The images here document Sterling and Vachon's business efforts, life on the Alaskan frontier, and the local natives with whom they did business. Most of the images are neatly captioned and dated.

The earliest images are found in the smaller photo album, labeled on the cover: "Book No. I. Dawson, Yukon Territory, Canada and Fairbanks, Chena, Fort Gibbon, Alaska and Other Points in Alaska. Joseph S. Sterling." The opening image shows three men inside, two seated with their arms crossed and one standing between them, captioned "Our Cabin at Dawson 1901." Further images of Dawson include the governor's mansion, a street scene, an "Indian tent" as well as local natives, a fire in town, and a self portrait. One of Vachon & Sterling's business cards is among the ephemera in the album, dated in pencil 1904; other pieces include clipped letterheads and newspaper clippings about the men and their enterprise.

The mounted and loose photographs are the largest images present, and some of the most striking. One such shows a group of five native men and three children, as well as a sled dog peeking in at the corner, and is captioned, "Taken when Joseph S. Sterling was 47 days with the Indians. Some of the party at the head of the Tanana River. Alaska, winter 1903-4." Though a bit blurry in spots, the standing men are clearly discernible, as are their bold expressions. Another image from this group shows the store in Chena in 1908, noted as being "26 x 80 - 3 stories - Log." Several people stand on the porch of the storefront, which has handsome plate-glass windows along its first floor fronting and a bow window on the second. Other images show the Chena docks and warehouses of the company, and the barges on the waterfront. Some of the loose photos show the exterior and interior of the Tanana Commercial Company store in Ft. Gibbon, also in 1908. One interior shot is caption "Downstairs showing fire pump & hose, Dec. 1908," depicting two men in the background holding the fire hose for effect. Blankets, suits of clothing, and other sundry dry goods can be seen in the background, as well. Another is labeled "The grocery side, downstairs, Dec. 1908," presumably representing the other half of the store. The same two men pose again with the first hose, canned goods lining the shelves neatly behind them. The upstairs of the store is also depicted, where pots and pans and other dishware are on display, as well as cafe-style tables. The fire hose again makes an appearance: "Up stairs showing reach of hose. Dec. 1908."

The final album dates to the final years of Sterling's time in Alaska, 1911 to 1914. Highlights include distant vistas of an Indian village on the bank of the Tanana River, as well as a similar shot of Ft. Gibbon. A handsome photograph depicts "Front Street, Cordova, Alaska Aug. 21, 1914", taken by Sterling, with several other images also of Cordova. Others show Sterling's silver fox farm and its operations, with images of the animals and their enclosures. Altogether, this is a wonderful photographic archive of one man's business ventures in Alaska and the Yukon, showing a full range of his progress from trapper to merchant to fox rancher.

Price: $7,500.00