The Steamboat Inspection Service was created by an Act of Congress on June 28, 1838 to help prevent explosions in steam boilers. The Bureau of Navigation was created by an act on July 5, 1884 under the Dept. of Treasury. A board of local inspectors of steam vessels was established April 21, 1898 to regulate commerce and navigation in Alaska. In 1903 the Bureau of Navigation was transferred to the Dept. of Commerce and Labor. On April 9, 1906 inspection districts were established at Juneau and St. Michael. The Steamboat Inspection Service and Bureau of Navigation consolidated June 30, 1932 into an agency designated as the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection. The name of the Bureau was changed by an act on May 27, 1936 to the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation.
From the description of Records of the U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service, 1906-1909. (UAA/APU Consortium Library). WorldCat record id: 42927910
From the description of Records of the U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service, 1906-1909. (Alaska State Library). WorldCat record id: 42929844
