Using Historical Photography to Rediscover the Farallon Wreck Site, Iliamna Bay, Alaska

Summary

In the winter of 1910, the steamship, SS Farallon, fared through a storm in Cook Inlet attempting to offload passengers in Iliamna Bay, Alaska. Hitting an offshore reef, the vessel foundered, stranding the crew and passengers for a month or more. During this time the mail clerk, John Thwaites, photographed the adventures that befell those stranded. More than 100 years later, these archived photographs were used to relocate the unlikely location of the castaway campsite. This paper shows the importance of historic photography as an effective part of the literature review process prior to heading out into the field.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Steamboat Archaeology in North America   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-44,12