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James and Marie McDowell papers

Guide to the James and Marie McDowell papers
1946-1974 

Collection number: HMC-0361.
Creators:
McDowell, James A.
McDowell, Marie.
Title: James and Marie McDowell papers.
Dates: 1946-1974.
Volume of collection: 10.1 cubic feet and 6.49 GB.
Language of materials: Collection materials in English.
Collection summary: Primarily the records of the Cook Inlet Courier.

Biographical note:
James (Jim) and Marie McDowell moved to Alaska with their infant son Bruce in 1945. They established the Moose Horn Trading Post in Chugiak, which they ran for 15 years. They also founded their first newspaper, The Knik Arm Courier. In 1958, the McDowells moved to Homer and started The Cook Inlet Courier. In addition to reporting various events from the Kenai Peninsula, the Courier documented damage in Homer from the 1964 earthquake. Bruce McDowell died in 1962. Eventually, Jim and Marie moved to Kenai while still printing the paper. Jim joined or supported the volunteer fire departments wherever they lived. Marie started the first post office in Chugiak and was post master for several years. She was very active in the building and support of schools and libraries in their communities. She served on the state Board of Education from 1971-1972. Marie died of cancer in 1973. The Cook Inlet Courier halted publication shortly thereafter.

Collection description:
This collection contains the records of The Cook Inlet Courier newspaper, including the financial and subscription records, layout materials, subject files, letters to the editor, and at least a portion of the newspaper’s photograph and negative morgue. It also contains correspondence, meeting minutes, and research files from the McDowells’ civic activities with groups like the Kenai Peninsula Public Utility District #1 board, the Homer Chamber of Commerce, and the Wildwood Boarding School. A small portion of materials relate to the McDowells’ property interests in Chugiak including the Moose Horn Trading Post. The collections also holds a small amount of the McDowells’ personal correspondence and photographs.

Arrangement: This collection is arranged in three series based on record type: personal papers and business records, photographs, and negatives.

Digitized copies: Select negatives have been digitized due to film deterioration. Digital copies of collection material not available online. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.

Use restrictions: Copyright to materials in the collection is not held by Archives and Special Collections.

Preferred citation: James and Marie McDowell papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.

Works used in preparation of inventory:

“Marie McDowell Dies.” The Cook Inlet Courier. 1973 July 12.

“Cook Inlet Editor Dies After Illness.” Anchorage Daily Times. 1973 July 12.

Separated materials: Publications were removed; newspapers were sent to the Alaska State Library for potential addition to Alaska’s Digital Newspaper Program. Ephemeral items were separated to EPH-0539, EPH-0544, EPH-0545, EPH-0546, and EPH-0547. Tourism brochures were added to EPH-0402. Three postcards were added to EPH-0087. Records created by the Wildwood Boarding School were separated to EPH-0550.

Acquisition note: The collection was given to the Archives in 1983 by James McDowell.

Processing information: The preliminary collection description was written by Arlene Schmuland in 2011. Additional processing and container list was completed by Becky Butler in 2023.  Rusting metal fasteners, duplicate materials, and publications were removed. Damaged folders and binders were photocopied and removed. Photographs were removed from layout paper and rehoused. The corresponding layout papers immediately follow each sheet of photographs. Select negatives were digitized and removed due to vinegar syndrome. Thermal papers were photocopied; copies immediately follow each paper and use copies are available on the server. A plaque was photographed and removed from the collection.

Container list:

 Series 1: Personal papers and business records; undated, 1945-1974. 4.05 cubic feet. This series contains the records and letters to the editor of The Cook Inlet Courier as well as correspondence, meeting minutes, and research files from the McDowells’ civic activities. Folder titles are provided by the creator unless in brackets. Loose items were roughly grouped by topic and foldered.

Box/Folder Description Date
1/1 Marine transportation, ports, and terminals, etc. 1964-1965
1/2 Borough, local affairs (Homer, Ninilchik) 1962-1963
1/3 Spit damage [only partially accurate title] 1960-1966
1/4 [Kenai Peninsula public utility district records 1] 1960-1962
1/5 [Kenai Peninsula public utility district records 2] 1960-1961
1/6 [Kenai Peninsula public utility district records 3] 1960-1964
1/7 [Kenai Peninsula public utility district records 4] 1956-1964
1/8 Natural resources, wilderness area, forests, parks, etc. 1960-1965
1/9 [Homer Chamber of Commerce tourism committee records] 1961-1964
1/10 [Russians in Alaska clippings] undated, 1961-1965
1/11 [Juvenile delinquency] undated, 1961-1966
1/12 [Highway and roads] undated, 1960-1964
1/13 [Kenai Peninsula promotion] undated, 1965
1/14 [Kachemak Bay Citizens Band Radio Club] 1965-1966
1/15 R. Rivers – correspondence 1964-1965
1/16 Valley Cooperator [and Co-Op Newsletter] 1959 December – 1960 December
1/17 [Print job mockups and drafts] undated, 1960-1967
1/18 Public works appropriations / Alaskan projects 1960-1962
1/19 Howard W. Pollack [Alaska Drilling Associates letter] 1961 February 7
1/20 Natural resources / Div. lands / Proposed regulations – revised undated
1/21 Mining 1963 March 31
1/22 Legal [and financial records] – Inlet Courier 1964-1966
1/23 Cook Inlet Commercial 1963-1965
1/24 School [opening and commencement records] 1966-1970
1/25 [Cook Inlet Courier] legals 1967, 1969
1/26 Appraisal report Chugiak, Alaska 1963
1/27 [Realty office correspondence] 1964
1/28 Letters to editor 1973
1/29 [Letters to the editor] 1973
1/30 [Cook Inlet Courier] subscription orders 1967-1968
1/31 [Cook Inlet Courier] subscription orders 1969
1/32 [Cook Inlet Courier] subscription orders 1970
1/33 [Cook Inlet Courier] subscription orders 1971-1972
1/34 Coronet Commercial order undated, 1969
1/35 Moose Horn 1949-1966
1/36 Circulation list – Cook Inlet Courier undated
1/37 [Cook Inlet Courier subscriptions ledger] 1967-1971
1/38 R file undated, circa 1960-1964
1/39 Redevelopment committee, western Kenai Peninsula (functions as O.E.D.P.) 1961-1964
1/40 Schools 1960-1964
2/1 Salty Dawg Saloon undated
2/2 S file undated, 1966
2/3 Seldovia news, Elsa Pederson 1964 1964-1966
2/4 Seldovia news, Elsa Pederson 1963 1963
2/5 Seldovia news, Elsa Pederson 1962 1962
2/6 State progress reports 1962-1967
2/7 State election code 1960
2/8 [State legislation] 1964
2/9 Jack Dunham’s newspaper 1964
2/10 [The Kenai Peninsula: Alaska’s Scenic Wonderland pamphlet] undated
2/11 [Seward entry records in the All-American City Award Contest] 1963-1964
2/12 Soda Sam undated, 1963
2/13 State, of Alaska (Advertising) 1962-1967
2/14 Vern Mutch Drugs undated, 1965
2/15 W & W and Wythe & Son undated, 1962
2/16 Waterfront Bar & Café circa 1963
2/17 Water 1959-1963
2/18 W.K.F.L. Fount of Alaska undated
2/19 Tustumena 1961-1965
2/20 Turnagain Arm Causeway 1962 January 12
2/21 Treaty (Russia-United States) Mandatory, Inc. undated
2/22 Trans Alaska Telephone 1961-1967
2/23 Thompson Real Estate undated, 1960-1961
2/24 Pomeroy, Harold E. undated, 1963-1966
2/25 T file undated, 1966
2/26 [Local Affairs Agency records] 1961-1963
2/27 Map of Homer area 1964 circa 1962-1964
2/28 [Copy of Harold E. Pomery’s petition for borough chairman] 1963
2/29 [Government property sale advertisement] 1964
2/30 Subscriptions inserts undated
2/31 [Homer Chamber of Commerce records] 1964-1965
2/32 [Wildwood Boarding Program records] circa 1972-1973
2/33 [Cook Inlet Courier advertising pamphlet] 1974
2/34 [Coal Point Development, Inc. records] 1965-1967
2/35 [Eagle River Borough records] circa 1973
2/36 [“Today’s Logic” articles by James W. Phelps] 1975 April-May
2/37 [CIRI board member applications] 1974
2/38 [State Board of Education records 1971-1973
2/39 [Alaska Democratic Party records] 1961-1972
2/40 [Telenews scripts] 1971
2/41 [Personal correspondence] 1945-1969
2/42 [Cook Inlet Courier advertising records] undated, 1969
2/43 Donnis Thompson Boro Briefs 1973
2/44 [Arctic Winter Games records] 1974
2/45 [News releases] 1967
2/46 HEA Job Estimates – News 1960-1968
2/47 HEA – Annual Meeting undated, 1962-1966
2/48 Homer, promotion undated, 1954-1965
2/49 Homer, Incorporation 1964 (Boundary) 1965-1967
3/1 Homer Society of Natural History 1963-1966
3/2 Homer public dock tariff 1960-1963
3/3 Homer Winter Carnival Assoc. 1960-1967
3/4 I.B.M. 1963-1966
3/5 Hunting & Fishing Guide 1960-1961
3/6 “Jim” undated, 1960-1966
3/7 Kachemak City 1963-1965
3/8 Kenai Peninsula P.U.D. #1 1963, ‘64 1963-1966
3/9 Kenai Peninsula P.U.D. #1 1962 1962
3/10 Kenai Peninsula P.U.D. #1 1961 1961
3/11 Kenai Peninsula P.U.D. #1 1960 1960
3/12 Kenai Peninsula P.U.D. #1 1959 1959
3/13 Kenai Peninsula P.U.D. #1 (old) 1957-1961
3/14 Kenai Peninsula undated
3/15 Wendall Kay 1966
3/16 Lands, Division of (Hearings, Sales, etc.) 1960-1962
3/17 Petrolane 1966
3/18 Pacific Northern Airlines undated, 1961-1966
3/19 Poems undated, 1955-1962
3/20 [Cook Inlet Courier correspondence] 1973
3/21 [Letters to the editor] undated
3/22 A.R.A. 1961
3/23 State of Alaska 1960-1965
3/24 Fishery – Fish & Wildlife 1960-1965
3/25 Cook Inlet and tributaries report 1963-1967
3/26 [Homer volunteer fire department] 1959-1961
3/27 1 Class City 1961-1964
3/28 State of Alaska, Boundary Commission 1959-1964
3/29 B. Bartlett – correspondence 1960-1967
3/30 Too large photos – Promotion – Ships undated, 1965-1967
3/31 Homer, Chamber of Commerce 1959-1969
3/32 Homer Centennial Committee 1964, 1966
3/33 Homer, Incorporation of undated, 1961-1962
3/34 Homer Women’s Club brochure undated, 1965
3/35 Bradley Lake 1961-1963
3/36 Capitol Move circa 1960-1962
3/37 Ferry, Homer-Kodiak 1962-1964
3/38 Fisheries 1960-1965
3/39 Gruening, Ernest U.S. Senate 1960, 1962
3/40 Highways, Dept. of (Roads – Sterling paving corresp.) undated, 1959-1964
3/41 Chamber – Planning 1956-1964
3/42 Homer Fair Association 1959-1965
3/43 Homer Cleaners & Laundry undated
3/44 Homer Little Theatre undated
3/45 Homer Hospital 1959-1966
3/46 Homer, Alaska undated, 1960-1964
3/47 Letters to the editor 1959
3/48 Letters to the editor 1960
3/49 Cook-Inlet and tributaries report [2] 1963-1964
3/50 Borough undated, 1967
4/1 Letters to the editor 1961 1961, 1964
4/2 Letters to the editor 1962 1962
4/3 Letters to the editor 1963 1963
4/4 Letters to the editor 1964 1961-1964
4/5 [Letters to the editor 1967-1968] 1967-1968
4/6 [Cook Inlet Courier correspondence] 1967-1968
4/7 Letters to the editor 1972
4/8 [Letters to the editor 1969-1970] 1969-1970
4/9 [Letters to the editor 1971-1972] 1971-1972
4/10 Fish and Game, Dept. of 1963-1964
4/11 Post cards 1964-1967
4/12 [Swopping News] 1954
4/13 [“Alaska’s Frontier Riviera” pamphlet] undated
4/14 Boats – Aerocraft, marine projects 1965-1967
4/15 Bohme, John 1960 February 19
4/16 Bradley Lake [2] 1959-1962
4/17 Coal Point Develop. 1965-1967
4/18 Earthquake – Marine 1964
4/19 Homer, Chamber of Commerce 1960-1965
4/20 Borough, Kenai 1961-1968
4/21 [Seldovia education negatives and records] circa 1970
4/22 Fire reports 1954-1957
4/23 Roads (State) 1961 circa 1961-1962
4/24 [Membership cards and coupons] circa 1953-1962
4/25 Aviation – State Division 1957-1961
4/26 Mining World correspondence 1959-1962
4/27 [Annotated copy of “Alaska’s Promise of Oil”] 1961
4/28 Communications – ACS, Trans-Alaska 1959-1961
4/29 Oil industry 1961-1962
4/30 Engineers 1958-1962
4/31 [Lumber industry] 1962
4/32 Fishing 1963-64 1962-1963
4/33 Juvenile problems 1958, 1962
4/34 Area redevelopment 1961-1963
4/35 Banks, banking 1959-1961
4/36 [Letters to the editor and correspondence 1] 1965-1968
4/37 [Letters to the editor and correspondence 2] 1964-1966
4/38 Homer papers 51-53-55 1944-1964
4/39 Chugiak Volunteer Fire Co. News 1954, 1957
4/40 [Financial records] 1974
4/41 [Kenai National Moose Range news release] 1973
4/42 [Photocopy of 1883 letter] undated
OSF 1 Annotated edition of Cook Inlet Courier 1971 September 16
OSF 1 Annotated map of Kodiak Island undated
OSF 1 Maps of Homer, Kachemak Bay, and Wildwood students’ home villages undated

 Series 2: Photographs; undated, 1946-1974. 4.3 cubic feet and 3.73 GB.

This series contains personal photographs of the McDowells’ first year in Alaska as well as the photograph morgue for The Cook Inlet Courier. For items listed as in the freezer, use copies are available from the server. Folders titled by date were generally on newspaper layout paper. Photographs were removed from layout paper and rehoused. The corresponding layout papers immediately follow each sheet of photographs. The dates appear to correspond with the day the photographs were printed in the newspaper, not the day they were taken.

5/1, freezer Personal photographs 1946
5/2 Photograph category list undated
5/3 Collier Chemical 1969
5/4 Bob Palmer – Firemen – U of A undated, 1968
5/5 Cook Inlet Courier city section 1970-1971
5/6 Fire department (volunteer) Kenai and Homer 1968-1969
5/7 Kenai police department undated
5/8 Fire – Echo Lake 1969 May-August
5/9 Fire – Firefighters undated, 1969
5/10 Fire – No. Road 1970
5/11 Fire – Russian River 1969
5/12 Fire – Swanson River, Army circa 1969-1970
5/13 Fire – Swanson River (cats working on fire line) circa 1969-1970
5/14 Fire – Swanson River (compressor plant & airstrip) circa 1969-1970
5/15 Fire – Swanson River (key fire picture) circa 1969-1970
5/16 Fire – Swanson River (helicopters) circa 1969-1970
5/17 Fire – Swanson River (miscellaneous) circa 1969-1970
5/18 Homer & harbor undated, 1969
5/19 Halibut Cove undated, 1969
5/20 Petrolane fire circa 1969
5/21 People undated, 1963-1969
5/22 Kenai & Homer people and places circa 1969-1972
5/23 Alaskan Arctic Gas Pipeline Company undated
5/24 Alaska Steamship Company staff undated
5/25 Anchor River flood undated
5/26 Gull Island tour undated
5/27 Homer Spit before 1964 earthquake undated
5/28 McMorrow family undated
5/29 Moose Horn Trading Post undated
5/30 Porpoise Room undated
5/31 Seldovia undated
5/32 Tsaro refinery undated
5/33 Will Thompson undated
5/34 Peninsula Builders Supply 1958 June
5/35 Homer & Kenai people and events 1958-1972
5/36 Homer citizens circa 1960-1969
5/37 Kenai Peninsula people and events circa 1961-1972
5/38 “Build Bradley Lake Now” 1961
5/39 Alaska locations undated, 1962-1972
5/40 Homer & Seldovia people undated, 1963-1972
5/41 Earthquake damage 1964 March 27
5/42 Seward & Valdez aerial circa 1964-1965
5/43 McDowell family circa 1965-1969
5/44 Pacific Northern Airlines circa 1965-1967
5/45 Kenai events circa 1965-1968
5/46 Ferry highway trip 1965
5/47 Homer water system circa 1966
5/48 Politicians circa 1966
5/49 Homer city council members 1966
5/50 Homer hovercraft circa 1966-1967
5/51 Homer water ski races 1967
5/52 Clem Tillion circa 1968
5/53 Cheerleaders undated, 1968-1969
5/54 Natural gas plant 1969
5/55 Tesoro refinery 1970
5/56 Wildwood 1971
5/57 Fashion circa 1971
5/58 Exxon subsea production system 1974
5/59 St. Herman’s Pastoral School 1974
5/60 Tundra times banquet 1974
5/61 Russian Orthodox and English Bay undated
5/62 Forget Me Not Studio undated
5/63 Unsorted 1 undated, circa 1968
5/64 Unsorted 2 undated
5/65 Unsorted 3 undated, circa 1968
5/66 Unsorted 4 undated
5/67 Unsorted 5 undated
5/68,

OSF 1

January 20, 1967 Pt. Graham 1967 January 20
5/69 January 7th undated
5/70 February 17th undated
5/71 July 15th undated
5/72 July 30th undated
5/73 August 6th undated
5/74 August 17th undated
5/75 October 15th undated
5/76 October 17th undated
5/77 November 26th undated
5/78 December 24th undated
5/79-97, OSF 1 August 29, 1968-February 20, 1969 circa 1964-1969
6/1-64, OSF 1 February 27, 1969-May 28, 1970 1969-1970
7/1-80, OSF 1 June 18, 1970-March 30, 1972 1970-1972
8/1-71,

OSF 1

April 6, 1972-August 2, 1973 1972-1973
9/1-41 August 9, 1973-July 4, 1974 1973-1974
OSF 1 Oversize photographs and album pages undated

Series 3: Negatives; undated, 1970-1974. 1.75 cubic feet and 2.75 GB.

This series contains negatives and contact sheets of events, people, and locations featured in the Cook Inlet Courier. Dates on folders and contact sheets appear to be from the day negatives were taken, not the day of publication. Select negatives have been digitized and removed due to deterioration; please request use copies from the server.

9/42-49 Unlabeled negatives 1-5 undated
9/50 North Road – original copy undated
9/51-66 Unlabeled negatives circa 1970-1973
10/1-4 1970 May-August 1970 May-August
10/5 1970 September 3 1970 September 3
10/6 1970 December 1970 December
10/7-9 1971 January-March 1971 January-March
10/10-12 1971 May-July 1971 May-July
10/13-14 1971 September-October 1971 September-October
10/15 1971 December 1971 December
10/16-27 1972 January-December 1972 January-December
10/28-39 1973 January-December 1973 January-December
10/40-46 1974 January-July 1974 January-July

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