PBA Galleries

With 65 original snapshot photographs, one glued to the inside of the front cover, the others in corner mounts on black paper leaves. Most photographs approx. 6.5x9 cm (2½x3½"). Album is 20x24 cm (8x9½"), flexible leather on which is painted a profile portrait of a Native American.

Wonderful photographic record of the construction of the Alaska Highway across Canada, connecting the lower 48 states to Alaska, during World War II. Shown are the camps, vehicles used in construction, the grizzled construction workers, their trusted dogs, the rugged country traversed, and more. The photograph affixed to the inside front cover is of a man seated in the snow, above which is written in ink, Willard Dunn in Alaska - likely the album was created by Dunn. The first of the mounted photographs within the album is of the famed sign in Edmonton, Alberta, proclaiming "Start Alaska Highway." 

Willard Dunn worked for the Utah Construction & Mining Co. There are "Utah Construction & Mining Co" signs on many machines on the photos. The Utah Construction Company was organized in Ogden, Utah, in 1900.The company’s early success at building railroads in the West and Mexico soon expanded into building dams. The company was one of the main builder of the Hoover Dam, and participated in building the Alaska Military Highway.