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Walter J. Fitzgerald photographs

Guide to the Walter J. Fitzgerald photographs
1940

Collection number: HMC-0849.
Creator: Fitzgerald, Walter J.
Title: Walter J. Fitzgerald photographs.
Date: 1940.
Volume of collection: 0.01 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in the collection are in English.
Collection summary: Photographs of a Catholic bishop’s confirmation trip to the Lower Yukon and the Bering Sea coast.

Biographical note:
Walter J. Fitzgerald was born in Peola, Washington in 1883. He was ordained as a priest in the Society of Jesus of the Catholic Church, and served terms as president of both Seattle College and Gonzaga University. In 1939, he was named Bishop Coadjutor of Alaska, and in 1945, Bishop of Alaska. Bishop Walter J. Fitzgerald died in Seattle, Washington in 1947.

Collection description:
The collection consists of photographs from Bishop Walter J. Fitzgerald’s confirmation tour of the Lower Yukon River and the Bering Sea in the spring of 1940. The collection contains: a card by Bishop Fitzgerald addressed to a Mr. Jacobsen in Fairbanks, which was sent with the photographs. The subjects of the photographs are as follows: Bishop Fitzgerald in fur parka and mukluks at Alaska Missions in Nulato; Bishop Fitzgerald and U.S. Marshal Stanley J. Nichols in fur parkas at Alaska Missions in Nulato; a native mother, son, and daughter sitting on building steps at St. Michael; the bishop with native musher John Aluska standing behind the sled and dog team which brought them from Stebbins to Chaneliak (also spelled Chaniliut), 72 miles away on the Yukon River; the Malamute dog team which brought the bishop from St. Michael to Chaneliak; the bishop with confirmed 14 year old native boy Andrew Henry “Bing” Tukken; the bishop with four native catechists at Chaneliak; and three different group photos of Father Martin Lonneux, S.J., and his native congregation at Chaneliak, 101 of which were confirmed in the district.

Arrangement: The collection is arranged in no discernible order.

Digitized copies: Four images have been digitized and can be found on Alaska’s Digital Archives. For information about obtaining copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.

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

Preferred citation: Walter J. Fitzgerald photographs, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.

Acquisition note: The collection was purchased via Internet auction in 2006.

Processing information: This collection was described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2005. The guide to the collection was converted to current standard by Veronica Denison in 2015.

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