Collections

The Valdez Museum’s historical collections contain a variety of artifacts, textiles, photographs, and documents that trace the community’s history from its founding to modern times. Staff-collected material bolster information found in donated family and personal collections. Life stories of individuals along with stories of events and eras are represented. The Valdez Museum’s collection is distinct in that, from among the records of life in a small frontier town, spring the telling of four major national events: The Gold Rush, The 1964 Earthquake, Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, and the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

Onlookers, residents, and journalists duly documented each event through written word, photograph, video, and through collecting memorabilia and other representative objects. Many of these materials came to be donated to the Valdez Museum, resulting in a collection full of primary source material that is provocative and enlightening.

Collections Policy PDF

Research

The museum Archive is open to researchers by special appointment. Researchers planning to use the archive are requested to make an appointment at least a week in advance.

Archival and Reproduction Fees PDF