Fort William H. Seward at Haines, Alaska

Scenes from Fort William H. Seward at Haines, Alaska, show various buildings including the fire hall tower, and troops learning to snowshoe and ski. The films are dated 1940-1945, but these scenes may be from an earlier time. The former U.S. Army post has been referred to over the years as Fort William H. Seward, Chilkoot Barracks, and Port Chilkoot. According to the National Park Service, Haines was chosen as the site for a permanent fort in 1902 in order to monitor incoming gold seekers rushing over the Dalton, Chilkoot, Chilkat, and White Pass trails. The fort also played a role in establishing the boundary between Alaska and Canada. It was one of 12 military posts built in Alaska during the Gold Rush era, but the only active Army post in Alaska during the period 1925 to 1940. During WWI and WWII, the fort served as a training site for troops (B&W/Silent/16mm film).
This is a clip from AAF-6681 of the Colonel and Mrs. Ellis Altfather Film Collection held by the Alaska Film Archives, a unit of the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives Department in the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
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