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John Carroll Benton papers

Guide to the John Carroll Benton papers
1930-1949

Collection number: HMC-0645.
Creator: Benton, John Carroll.
Title: John Carroll Benton papers.
Dates: 1930-1949.
Volume of collection: 0.20 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in this collection are in English.
Collection summary: Papers and photograph album of an U.S. Army Coast Artillery officer who served in the Sitka area.

Biographical note:
John Carroll Benton attended San Francisco Junior College (1937-1938), where he was an active member of the rifle and pistol club and the Army-Navy Society, graduating in 1938. He then attended the University of California-Berkeley, where he was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. While attending college, Benton joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps, and became an artillery officer in the United States Army during World War II. In 1940, Benton trained at the Coast Artillery Training Center at Camp McQuaide, California, and in 1941 at the Coast Artillery Replacement Training Center at Camp Callan, California near San Diego. Benton was an officer in the Second Battalion of the 250th Coast Artillery (155 Gun), and later with Battery D of the 266th Coast Artillery. During the war, Benton was stationed at Fort Ray and Fort Rousseau (1941-1943), both near Sitka, and was involved in constructing gun emplacements in the vicinity.

Collection description:
The collection consists of the World War II papers and photograph album of John Carroll Benton. The collection contains: papers from Benton’s college career at San Francisco Junior College and the University of California-Berkeley; a cartoon of artillery officers training at Camp McQuaide, California; a xerographic copy of Benton’s original 64 page photograph album; and 311 black and white photographs from the album; and 26 copy negatives of selected images. Locations where the photographs were taken include: Crater Lake National Park, Oregon (1931); Lassen Peak Volcanic National Park, California (1933); Camp McQuaide, California (1940), Camp Callan, California (1941); Fort Ray, Fort Rousseau, and Sitka in Alaska (1941-1943); Kirby gun emplacement and dam; Kruzoff Island; St. Lazaria Island; Biorka Island; and Sound Island.

Arrangement: The materials in this collection are arranged by type.

Alternative formats: A Xerox copy of the original album is available. Copy negatives were made from selected prints in the collection.

Digitized copies: Four photographs from this collection have been digitized and are available on Alaska’s Digital Archives. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.

Rights note: Archives does not hold copyright to materials in this collection.

Preferred citation: John Carroll Benton papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.

Acquisition note: This collection was purchased from eBay in 2003.

Processing information: This collection was described, rearranged, and photograph album disassembled by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2003. The collection was converted to current standard by Veronica Denison in 2014.

Container list:

Folder Item # Description Dates
1 1 The Ricochet; Official Publication of the San Francisco Junior College Rifle and Pistol Club, Vol. 1, No. 2 1938 February 21
1 2 San Francisco Junior College Third Annual Commencement Exercises, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco 1938 May 20
1 3 Omega Mirror; California Chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa, Berkeley, California; Vol. 1, No. 2 1939 November
1 4 Phi Sigma Kappa song sheet undated
1 5 Photo clipping of Phi Sigma Kappa float in parade before Cal-Navy game undated
1 6 Clipping of “M’Quiade Follies” cartoon of soldiers at Camp McQuaide in The Call Bulletin: An Independent San Francisco Newspaper 1940 December 30
1 7 Initiation Banquet Celebrating the Union of Epsilon Chapter Sigma Phi Sigma with Omega Chapter of Phi Sigma Cappa, at the Berkeley Elks Club 1947 May 17
2 Xerographic copy of photograph album 1930-1943
3 Items from photograph album: clippings related to Benton’s membership on the college rifle and marksmanship teams and the Army-Navy Society; Dance card; Ticket to the Omega of Phi Sigma Kappa Annual Spring Formal undated, 1938
4 1a “Pelican Bay Mill” 1931
4 1a “Pelican Bay Mill” 1931
4 1b-f “Crater Lake”: Crater Lake National Park, Oregon 1931
4 1g “Lizzie 1931”: dog undated
4 2a “Hat Lake” 1933
4 2b “Lake Helen” 1933
4 2c “Lassen Peak”: Lassen Volcanic National Park, Mineral, California 1933
4 2d “Lassen Peak 1933” man on summit 1933
4 2e “Top of Lassen 1933” 1933
4 3a “View [from] Lassen P[eak]” 1933
4 3b “Boiling Spring” 1933
4 3c “Bumpas Hell” 1933
4 3d-e Boiling Spring 1933
4 4a “House Allen’s Place” 1933
4 4b Mountain peak in distance 1933
4 4c “Lake Allen’s Place” 1933
4 4d “Dick, Velma-Tex [dog] Hot Rock 1933” 1933
4 5a “Tex-Bob, Manton 1933”: two dogs 1933
4 5b “Dick, Velma, & Tex” 1933
4 5c “Dick & Velma, Fullep Ranger Station” 1933
4 5d “Fullep Station”: five people and dog 1933
4 6a-e Soldier marching on parade ground in front bleachers opposite college buildings 1935
4 7a Military review on parade ground 1935
4 8a Benton in front of tent 1935
4 8b-c Benton in uniform 1935
4 8d “Johnie and I”: Benton on horse 1935
4 8e Field tents on platforms with sides rolled up 1935
4 8f “Chris, Brad, Me, Tommy A.”: Soldiers in front of tent 1935
4 9a-b Tent camp scenes 1935
4 9c Ferry garage and sailboat at dock undated
4 9d-g Scenes on sailboat trip 1936
4 10a Light ship in distance 1936
4 10b “Light ship”: view from ship 1936
4 10c View of island 1936
4 19a “1st Platoon B Troop Passing in review” undated
4 19b “On Parade” undated
4 20a “Browning Aircooled MGS”: machine gun on tripod 1937
4 20b Soldier wearing gas mask 1937
4 20c “Chris & Me”: standing in front of troop tent 1937
4 20d “Troop Hdq.”: tent with flag out front 1937
4 20e “Peanuts”: dog 1937
4 20f “Moving Out”: soldiers on horseback 1937
4 20g Mojave”: horse 1937
4 20h “Mojave and Me”: Benton with horse 1937
4 21a “Peanuts” Dog 1937
4 21b “Accident at Moore Field”: riding accident 1937
4 21c “B troop street”: tent camp 1937
4 21d “Gas Mask” 1937
4 21e “Packing Rifles” 1937
4 24a-d People on outing at park 1938
4 25a Woman climbing tree 1938
4 25b-c Soldiers at tent camp undated
4 25d-e Soldiers and artillery near bluff undated
4 26a “2D BN 250th CA (155 Gun)”; “Maj. Boyers, Lt. Benton”: soldiers in dress uniforms marching in formation undated
4 26b “Camp Callan”: soldier standing in front of HQ. Battery-B, 55th Bn. 1941
4 28a “Explosion of 40 T[ons] of dynamite, Sitka 1941”: mushroom cloud 1941
4 28b “Sitka”: view from ship in harbor undated
4 28c “Sitka from Alice Island” undated
4 28d “Sitka from Blockhouse Point” undated
4 29a “Sitka”: distant view from water undated
4 29b “Hq. Btry. 1st Bn., 250th CA, Sitka 1941”: soldier at camp during inspection 1941
4 29c “Bill Lux”: soldier working on construction of command post undated
4 29d “Work on CP at Sitka (Forbes, Lange, Lux)” undated
4 29e “Bob Dunn [on] Mt. Verstovia, Nov. 1941”: man skiing 1941
4 30a-b “Deer on post at Ft. Ray” undated
4 30c “Entrance to Totem Pole Park” undated
4 30d “Totem Pole” undated
4 30e “Russian Blockhouse” (double exposure photograph) undated
4 31a-b “Medvetcha River”: waterfall and bridge over the river undated
4 31c-d Totem poles in park undated
4 31e “On Sitka Highway, Fall 1943”: soldier sitting on bridge rail 1943
4 32a “Sitka Power House on Medvetcha River” undated
4 32b Soldier on foot bridge undated
4 32c “Squires” Soldier sitting on bridge rail undated
4 32d “Silver Bay” undated
4 32e “Octopus” undated
4 33a Captain Bassett and soldier in office undated
4 33b “Horseley”: Lt. Robert M. Horseley at desk in office undated
4 33c-e “Baseball at Ft. Rousseau”: soldiers playing baseball on field next to barracks undated
4 34a “Looking E. from Harbor Mt.” undated
4 34b “Looking N. from Harbor Mt.” undated
4 34c-e Soldiers playing baseball on field next to barracks at Fort Rousseau undated
4 35a “N.W. from Harbor Mt.” undated
4 35b “W. from Harbor Mt.” undated
4 35c “S.W. from Harbor Mt.” undated
4 35d View of mountaintop undated
4 35e Snow-laden trees undated
4 36a “Harbor Mt.”: view from water undated
4 36b View of mountaintop undated
4 36c Wooded coastline undated
4 36d “N.E. from Biorka” undated
4 36e View of coastline from water undated
4 37a “Mt. Edgecombe-Crater Ridge” undated
4 37b-c Rocks and breakers on coastline undated
4 37d-e “Vitskari Rocks” undated
4 38a “Edgecombe”: Mount Edgecombe view undated
4 38b “N. toward Mt. Aanahootz” undated
4 38c-e Coastline scene from breakers undated
4 39a “Pyramids”: mountain scene from water undated
4 39b Mountain scene undated
4 39c Island view undated
4 39d Rocks near coastline undated
4 39e “Jawbone”: dog undated
4 40a “Road at Kruzoff I[sland]” undated
4 40b “Muskeg Express”: tractor on road on Kruzoff Island undated
4 40c “Rueben L. Fain”: fishing boat off shore undated
4 40d “Landing material at Kruzoff [Island]”: Shoals Point undated
4 40e “Topsy” Dog undated
4 41a “Mt. Edgecombe” undated
4 41b Mountain view from coastline undated
4 41c-e “Dock constr. Ft. Babcock” undated
4 42a “St. Lazaria I[sland]” undated
4 42b “Supply run”: soldiers on board boat undated
4 42c Views from boat undated
4 43a “Biorka”: view of island from water undated
4 43b Shoreline of island undated
4 43c-e “Landing S.L. at Little Biorka”: soldiers unloading heavy machinery from lighter undated
4 44a Soldier on lighter undated
4 44b “Peters” Soldier undated
4 44c “St. Lazaria I[sland]”: coastline undated
4 44d “View of small island from water undated
4 44e Natural Arch on St. Lazaria Island undated
4 45a “Natural Arch [on] St. L[azaria] Is.” undated
4 45b Island coastline view undated
4 45c “Landing S.L. at St. Lazaria [Island]” undated
4 45d “Sea Parrot”: puffin undated
4 45e “Landing Supplies [on] St. L[azaria Island]” undated
4 46a “Peters”: close-up of fellow soldier undated
4 46b “Tamara San at Kirby”: fishing boat undated
4 46c-d “Supply Landing at St. Lazaria”: cargo boom up hillside (photographs were originally taped together) undated
4 47a “Jawbone”: dog undated
4 47b “Baths at Kirby” undated
4 47c “Tent camp at Kirby” undated
4 47d “Work on 2d dam at Kirby” undated
4 47e “Mason at No. 1 dam Kirby, Dec. 1942” 1942 December
4 48a-b “Work on Fixed Gun Emplacement Olga (Kirby), June 1942” 1942 June
4 48c “75mm Gun M1897 Pedestal Mounted (Kirby)” undated
4 48d “Neva Str[aight] through gun sight” undated
4 48e “Gun Position at Kirby”: Olga Spit undated
4 49a “Btry. Kirby”: Olga Spit undated
4 49b “Mt. Annahootz” undated
4 49c “Neva Str[aight] from S.L. position from Sound Isl.” undated
4 49d “Looking W. from Kirby Landing” undated
4 49e “Krestof Sound” undated
4 50a-d “Construction of log cabin at Kirby” undated
4 51a View of wooded shoreline and mountain undated
4 51b “Landing at Kirby” Dock undated
4 51c  “Beach at Kirby” undated
4 51d. Shoreline view undated
4 51e Rowboats at dock undated
4 52a Winter scene undated
4 52b Distant view of shoreline undated
4 52c “Kirby Dam Dec. 1942” 1942 December
4 52d-e “Bald Eagle captured near Kirby” undated
4 53a Dog undated
4 53b “Two-and-a-Half”: dog undated
4 53c “Snuffy and pup”: dogs undated
4 53d “Rex”: dog undated
4 53e “Rex, Doan, and 2½”: soldier and tow dogs undated
4 54a View from boat undated
4 54b “Mt. Annahootz, Nov. 1942” 1942 November
4 54c “Mt. Annahootz, Dec. 1942” 1942 December
4 54d-e “Krestoff S[ou]nd” undated
4 55a “Krestoff Sound” undated
4 55b “Btry Kirby from Sound Is.” undated
4 55c Krestoff Sound undated
4 55d Olga Strait undated
4 55e “Olga Str.” undated
4 56a Olga Strait undated
4 56b “DeGroff Bay” undated
4 56c “Nakwasina Passage” undated
4 56d “Miners Cove N. to Neva Str.” undated
4 56e “Neva Str.” undated
4 57a Olga Strait undated
4 57b “East across DeGroff Bay” undated
4 57c “South on Olga Str.” undated
4 57d “Olga Str.” undated
4 57e “Krestoff Snd.” undated
4 58a Krestoff Sound undated
4 58b “South on Krestoff Snd.” undated
4 58c “Krestoff Snd.” undated
4 58d “South of Krestoff Snd.” undated
4 58e Krestoff Sound undated
4 59a Award ceremony for sailors aboard ship undated
4 59b “Maj. Borman-Me HECP” undated
4 59c John Benton and sailor in uniform undated
4 59d John Benton in uniform undated
4 60a-b Machine gun on tripod undated
4 61a Machine gun on tripod undated
4 61b Rifle with scope and bayonet on bipod undated
4 62a Two rifles, bipod, and mortar with crates undated
4 62b Rifle on bipod undated
4 63a Three rifles undated
4 63b Machine gun on tripod undated
5 “Btry D 266th CA, Ft. Rousseau”: officers and enlisted men in formation outside barracks, John Benton in center circa 1942-1943
5 Crater Lake National Park, Oregon 1931
5 Artillery training at Camp Callan near San Diego, California: guns, Gonzales Bivouac, buildings, vehicles, scenery circa 1941
5 Artillery training at Camp Callan: Soldier at camp, guns, vehicles, bivouac, firings circa 1941
5 Views of Tongass Sound, Krestoff Sound, and Kirby near Sitka, Alaska circa 1942-1943
5 Unidentified family and scenic photographs undated, 1949
6 Copy negatives undated

 

 

 

 

 

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