Between the Covers

Hardcover. Oblong small quarto measuring 9.5" x 7". String-tied brown leather over stiff paper boards with an eagle and "Victory Club Album Official Government Photographs" stamped on the front board. Contains 51 black and white gelatin silver photograph measuring 3.5" x 5" without captions. Very good album with wear on the edges with near fine photographs.

A photo album of snapshots compiled by a soldier stationed in Alaska in the 1950s in an album titled "Victory Club Album Official Government Photographs.” The 1950s saw the establishment of the Yukon Command at Ladd Air Force Base as part of USARAL (U.S. Army Alaska). The photos show the barracks and the surrounding Alaskan wilderness. The men are seen in heavy winter coats on base, by the sea, and climbing rocks in the area. There are also photos of construction equipment used around the base. One photo shows a man posed next to a row of tents erected in the frozen ground. Another photo shows a uniformed man posed on large rocks with ocean waves crashing against them. This era was referred to as the “Feverish Fifties” when the Army used the Cold War as a reason to fuel engineering projects. According to the Alaskan Historical Society, “the military mission in Alaska centered on maintaining a deterrence against Soviet aggression and, providing a training environment for Arctic and cold region warfare.”

An interesting collection of military photos showing activities in Alaska in the 1950s.

Item #411534