Skip Larsen 1966 Travelogue

Dateline: October 4, 2024.

    The photos of Juneau below were shot on Kodachrome slide film by Skip Larsen during a 6-week trip through the Yukon Territory and Alaska in 1966 - see the link above for more information about that trip and many more photos from it.

    We have posted 22 of the 39 photos in this part of the collection.

    Click on each image to greatly enlarge it.

Sailing on an Alaska state ferry from Skagway to Juneau.

Sailing up Gastineau Channel, with Douglas Island on the left and downtown Juneau on the right.

Downtown Juneau. In 1966 there were two ferry terminals at Juneau, downtown and at Auke Bay.

The massive mill of the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mining Company dominated the approach for many decades.

The Mendenhall Glacier was the focus of the visit to Juneau, and there are a total of 18 photos in the collection from two visits to the glacier.

Seeing these photos, it's shocking how little of the glacier is left today (2024).

The visitor center.

What a wonderful location for a family portrait.

July 14th was Karla's 8th birthday.

A high view of part of downtown Juneau, and the bridge to Douglas Island. A large gravel lot at the bridge was being used for camper parking.

Looking across Gastineau Channel to Douglas Island.

They attended a historical play that evening.

The next day, they returned to Mendenhall Glacier, and went for a hike above the glacier. The gravel moraine at the lower left looks like the glacier was advancing at that time.

Mendenhall Lake and the visitor center.

This amazing viewing spot seems to be where the trail ended!

Nugget Falls.

The sign notes that this is a glacial groove, which is a groove or gouge cut into the bedrock by gravel and rocks carried by glacial ice and meltwater; it is also called a glacial striation.

Before boarding their ferry to Sitka at Auke Bay, the group visited the Yaxté kootéeyaa (Big Dipper totem pole) located there, and Skip got two photos of it. The pole had been designed by architect Linn A. Forrest, and carved by Frank St. Clair, a Tlingit and Master Carver from Hoonah.

The view across Auke Bay from the totem pole.