Western Union Telegraph Expedition collection, 1865-1932.

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Western Union Telegraph Expedition collection, 1865-1932.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/184778752

The Western Union Telegraph Expedition Collection consists primarily of photocopies of documents relating to the history of the Western Union Telegraph Expedition of 1865-1867, including correspondence, memoranda, and reports. It also contains the typescript of a brief history of "The Collins Overland Telegraph-Western Union Extension via Behring Strait," written in 1932; two original documents (a letter of recommendation and a one-page weather record for Port Clarence, Alaska, May 1867); a photocopy of a letter from J. T. Rothrock to the Provincial Librarian and Archivist, Victoria, British Columbia (11 January 1913), conveying Rothrock's memories of his participation in the expedition; and a typed transcript by Charles Hubbell of the diaries of expedition participants P. M. Smith and George R. Adams.

0.45 cu. ft.

University of Alaska Fairbanks, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 6947895

University of Alaska Fairbanks, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library

Related Entities

There are 4 Entities related to this resource.

Collins, Perry McDonough, 1813-1900

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ns4n2x (person)

Adams, George R. (George Russell), 1845-1938

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63v1sjf (person)

Western Union Telegraph Company

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6jx27mt (corporateBody)

The bark Golden Gate and clipper ship Nightingale were both involved in the Western Union Telegraph Expedition to British Columbia, Alaska and Russia to survey areas where the Western Union Telegraph Company planned to construct a telegraph line linking America and Europe. The line was never completed. Charles S. Bulkley was Engineer-in-Chief and Charles M. Scammon was Chief of Marine. The bark Golden Gate was the flagship of the expedition from June 1865 to March 1866, after which the clipper s...

Western Union Telegraph Expedition (1865-1867)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68w8hpg (corporateBody)

In 1865, a man named Cyrus Fields was creating the Atlantic Cable—a telegraph line running under the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. Convinced submerging a telegraph cable in water was impossible, the Western Union funded Perry McDonough Collins and his expedition to build the first overland cross continental telegraph line. In order to put up the line, land surveys were conducted in Canada, Asia, and Alaska. Kennicott and his party of highly qualified naturalists and botanists focused their efforts e...