Juneau-Douglas History Research
This page is provided to support those interested in digging deeping into the history of Juneau and Douglas. Please note that while all of these links have been vetted by either City Museum staff or credible Juneau-Douglas history researchers, most of the sites are not sponsored by the Museum or the City and Borough of Juneau.
- Juneau-Douglas City Museum Research Request Form. This document includes details about how the public can request an appointment or get research assistance from the Curator of Collections & Exhibits. Click the link above to complete the form and then save it to your desktop. You can also print out the form and write in your responses. Completed requests should be emailed to the Curator of Collections & Exhibits at museum[email protected] or delivered to the address listed on the form.
- Researchers for Hire is a list with contact information provided by the Alaska Historical Collections of the Alaska State Library.
- Gastineau Channel Historical Society is a non-profit organization that promotes the history of the Gastineau Channel area, operates the Last Chance Mining Museum and cares for the Sentinel Island Lighthouse.
- Gastineau Genealogical Society is a non-profit organization that supports those researching their ancestors.
- Treadwell Historic Preservation & Restoration Society was established to stabilize, preserve and restore the existing structures and buildings of the mine on Douglas Island for the purpose of public access, education and enjoyment.
- 1867-2017: 150 Years of Change, Áak’w Aani (small lake tribe land) at the time of purchase Vimeo Presentation by Discovery Southeast naturalist Richard Carstensen.
- Digital Betty is a collection of Vital Records dating 1898 – 1936 from Juneau and Douglas compiled from local newspapers by genealogist Betty Miller. They are organized both alphabetically and chronologically.
- Digital Bob is a searchable archive containing articles by Robert DeArmond, one of Juneau’s preeminent historians, on the history of the Gastineau Channel area.
- Gastineau Channel Memories presents the web version of Gastineau Channel Memories 1880-1959, the first of three volumes on local Juneau history.
- Globalizing Southeast Alaska is a tour of the cruise ship industry’s representation of wilderness and its material reshaping of Southeast Alaska’s landscape, identity, and economy. This is a collaborative community research project initiated at the University of Alaska, Southeast, and was funded in part by a Juneau History Grant from the Juneau-Douglas City Museum.
- Historic Preservation in Juneau includes surveys and inventories of Juneau’s buildings and historic neighborhoods.
- Historic Treadwell Mines Tour: Courtesy of U.S. Dept of the Interior Bureau of Land Management is a historical picture book about a world-class gold mine at the turn of the century. The on-line tour features streaming audio narration or can be viewed and read without the audio.
- Juneau Community Development Department Maps and Drawings Page includes contemporary and historic materials of the geographic areas of Juneau and Douglas, including a plot survey of Evergreen Cemetery.
- Juneau-Douglas City Museum Virtual Exhibits and Collections is an online database of the Museum’s permanent collection and includes objects, photographs, archives, the education collection and the reference collection.
- Juneau Trails Project presents comprehensive information about 10 trail networks between Berners Bay and Douglas.
- Public Art Archive – Juneau shows public artworks in the Juneau area, as part of the Public Art Archive, “a growing database and mobile website of completed public artworks around the world.” You can also view artworks by location with this map – you will need to zoom in to see artwork in Juneau and Alaska.
- Sealaska Heritage Institute houses material and objects that document the history, culture, heritage, art, and language of the Native people of the Northwest Coast.
- The Alaska Department of Natural Resources’ Recorder’s Office oversees 34 recording districts that record, index, and archive all of the documents that create the Official Public Record of the State of Alaska.
- Alaska’s Digital Archives‘ purpose is to provide a single easy-to-use location for institutions across the state to share their historical resources.
- The Alaska Free Press Index is a resource for locating information from January 19, 1887 through March 21, 1891. (large PDF file)
- Alaska Searchlight Index was created from a handwritten card file of personal names which include companies and business names.
- The Alaska State Archives preserves more than 30,000 cubic feet of State and territorial records.
- California Digital Newspaper Collection – Alaska X Files is a storage spot on this internet archive where local historian Jim Geraghty tags articles of particular relevance to Alaska history.
- Digitized Index Cards from Captain “Kinky” Bayers Collection contain Kinky Bayer’s colorfully annotated references to historical and current events in Alaska towns.
- SLED, the Statewide Library Electronic Doorway connects people to library, government, local community, and Internet information resources.
- The California Digital Newspaper Collection is a freely accessible repository of digitized California newspapers from 1846 to the present.
- Chronicling America is a website providing access to information about historic newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages.
- Genealogy Bank is an online genealogical resource that helps you discover information about your family history.
- The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps found here are particularly useful to study urban growth and decline patterns and research the evolution of specific buildings, sites and districts.
- The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation’s record keeper of business conducted by the United States Federal government.
- The Online Archive of California (OAC) provides access to primary source collections maintained by libraries, special collections, archives, historical societies, and museums throughout California.
- The University of Washington Libraries has materials from the University of Washington Libraries, University of Washington Faculty and Departments, and organizations that have partnered with the UW Libraries.
- The British Colombia Archives provides access to records from the provincial government and includes genealogy indexes.
- The British Colonist was the leading paper in the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia until the 1890s. This website contains all the issues from 1858-1920.
- Public Record Office Victoria holds records created by Victorian Government departments and authorities dating from the establishment of the Port Phillip District in the mid-1830s through today.
- The Yukon Archives acquires, preserves, and provides access to the Yukon’s documentary heritage.
- Ancestry bills itself as the world’s largest online family history resource with more than 14 billion birth, marriage, death, census, and military records. There is a subscription fee for this service, after a free 14-day trial. Note: The Juneau Public Library has a subscription to Ancestry, which may accessed at any of the library’s branches (must use the library’s network).
- Google Books allows you to search the “world’s most comprehensive index of full-text books” which you can preview or read for free.