August 22, 1919, Panorama of the East Fork Toklat River and Glacier in Denali National Park, Alaska by U.S. Geological Survey Geologist Stephen Reid Capps.
(Image: S.R. Capps/U.S. Geological Survey)

June 30, 2011, Panorama of the East Fork Toklat River and Glacier in Denali National Park, Alaska by Ron Karpilo.
(Image: © 2011 Ron Karpilo)

Please feel free to leave me a comment or contact me if you have questions about my project.

Thanks,

Ron Karpilo

June 7, 2011, Entrance to Denali National Park with view of Mount Healy in background, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, United States.

This summer I’m beginning work on a project reconstructing and mapping the 1916 and 1919 scientific field investigations of U.S. Geological Survey geologist Stephen Reid Capps in the Denali National Park and Preserve area of Alaska.  Capps made significant contributions to the early understanding of Alaskan geology and is widely recognized as a pioneer of Alaskan glaciology.  Besides his scientific contributions, he was a talented photographer and writer and his photographs, observations, and writings about the game in the McKinley region were instrumental in the establishment of Mount McKinley National Park, which later would be renamed Denali National Park and Preserve.  Over the last few months, I’ve been visiting archives and libraries across the U.S. collecting Capps’ field notes, personal letters he wrote from the field to his wife, his professional and popular publications, and his extensive collection of photographs.  I plan to use the material I’ve gathered to determine where he visited during his fieldwork and conduct several backpacking and packrafting trips in Denali to retrace, map, and document the routes of his travels.  In addition, I plan to use repeat photography techniques to document landscape and ecosystem changes in the Denali area during the period between Capps’ exploration and the present.  My project is partially funded by a Murie Science and Learning Center Research Fellowship award from Alaska Geographic and Denali National Park and Preserve.  Here’s the link to the MLSC Fellowship announcement on the Denali National Park website.  Over the next year or so, I’ll be writing a lot about Stephen Capps and providing details about my project (including preparations, techniques, archive findings, fieldwork, gear, images, results, etc).

Please feel free to leave me a comment or contact me if you have questions about my project.

Thanks,

Ron Karpilo

Here are a few photos I’ve taken from my kitchen window over the past few months:

Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) also know as the Varying Hare in brown summer morph in my backyard in Anchorage, Alaska.  © 2010 Ron Karpilo
Photo info:  June 6, 2010, Nikon D300 camera w/ Nikkor 17-55mm f2.8 lens at 55mm 1/320 sec at f2.8 and ISO 200.

This is the same Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) as above in his white winter morph in Anchorage, Alaska.  He still has a little bit of brown fur on his ears that hasn’t turned white yet.  © 2010 Ron Karpilo
Photo info:  December 23, 2010, Nikon D300 camera w/ Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 lens at 200mm 1/125 sec at f2.8 and ISO 800.

Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) grooming his white winter coat in Anchorage, Alaska.  © 2010 Ron Karpilo
Photo info:  December 23, 2010, Nikon D300 camera w/ Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 lens at 180mm 1/200 sec at f2.8 and ISO 800.

Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) trying to hide and conserve heat in the -7 degree F daytime temperature in Anchorage, Alaska. © 2010 Ron Karpilo
Photo info:  December 23, 2010, Nikon D300 camera w/ Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 lens at 200mm 1/250 sec at f2.8 and ISO 800.

His white fur is amazing camouflage.  When he’s sitting in the snow with his eyes closed, the black and brown fur on the tips of his ears are the only color that betrays his hiding spot.  It must be working because he’s successfully avoided predators for the past year.  We know the predators are around.  In October we saw a large Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) in our neighborhood which is the primary predator of Snowshoe Hares.  Keep your fingers crossed for him.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Ron Karpilo

Today, with the exception of weather delays and the occasional volcanic eruption, travel between the lower 48 states and Alaska is relatively simple and uneventful compared to a century ago.  Everyday multiple flights operated by major airlines depart Seattle, Denver and other cities and arrive at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport a few hours later.  In 1915 the trip to Alaska was still a significant undertaking, requiring a multi-day steamship voyage up the inside passage.  Getting to Alaska was just the beginning of the adventure.  Travel throughout the territory at the beginning of the 20th century was limited by the general lack of road and rail infrastructure and typically required travel by foot, horse, dogsled, or boat.

I found the following excerpt by Stephen R. Capps describing of the routes of travel and commenting on the challenges of getting to and around Alaska in 1915 particularly interesting:

U.S. Geological Survey geologist Stephen Reid Capps, 1907, USGS Photo Library.

This part of Alaska is accessible only by ocean steamship, and two lines maintain regular schedules between Seattle and ports on the Gulf of Alaska. During the summer season steamships make regular calls at Anchorage, on Knik Arm, and although no docks had yet been constructed in 1915, passenger and freight were discharged at receiving barges and taken ashore by small boats. From Anchorage small launches connect with all upper Cook Inlet points and make trips up Susitna River as far as the mouth of Talkeetna River. Anchorage is the summer terminus of the new Government railroad from the coast to Fairbanks, by way of Susitna Valley. The rails on the line were laid from Anchorage to Eagle River in 1915. The ultimate coastal terminus of this railroad is Seward, and during the winter, when ice forms in upper Cook Inlet and navigation is closed, all travelers bound for the Knik-Turnagain district land at Seward. The old Alaska Northern Railroad, now incorporated into the Government railroad system, extends from Seward northward for 71 miles to Kern Creek, on the north side of Turnagain Arm, beyond which it had not been completed in 1915. When in operation this road could be used by travelers from Seward to Kern Creek, but for the last two or three years it has not been regularly operated. The route of the railroad line was used, however, by winter travelers journeying afoot or by dog sled from Seward to upper Cook Inlet and thence across the Alaska Range to Kuskokwim and lower Yukon rivers, and the mail was carried by dog sled over this route. From the terminus of the railroad at Kern Creek the winter trail follows the north shore of Turnagain Arm eastward to Indian Creek, ascends that stream to its head, crosses the divide to Ship Creek, follows that stream down to the base of the mountains, and thence goes around the shore of Knik Am to the town of Knik. The old winter trail ascended Glacier and Crow creeks to Crow Creek Pass and thence followed Raven Creek down to Eagle River and that stream down to Knik Arm. This trail was well graded, at the cost of much labor, but the high winds prevailing at Crow Creek Pass in the winter led to its abandonment in favor of the Indian Creek and Ship Creek route. In the fall of 1915 the work of reopening the railroad from Seward to Kern Creek was begun, and as soon as the line is built between Kern Creek and Anchorage the district will have rail communication with Seward the year around. A telephone line from Seward to Anchorage is already in operation.

As throughout the winter foot travel to this district has been slow and difficult and the cost of transporting freight almost prohibitive, and as even water transportation during the summer has until recently been irregular and unreliable, the completion of a railroad with continuous service to the region will be of inestimable value in the development of its agriculture and mineral resources.
Stephen R. Capps  (1916, U.S. Geological Survey, Bulletin 642, p. 150-151)

Development of a few key roads and rail routes and the advent of travel by light plane, helicopter, and snow machine makes getting around Alaska significantly easier today than it was in 1915.  However, much of the state is still remote and roadless and many of the same challenges that Capps faced still exist today.

I’m standing front of a 1977 Hughs 369D helicopter with a steam drill and glacier mass balance monitoring equipment on East Fork Toklat Glacier, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska.  Almost century ago, Capps could only dream of the fieldwork possibilities with the technologically advanced tools we have available today.  To put it simply, we’re extremely spoiled.  © 2003 Ron Karpilo
Photo info:  June 27, 2003, Kodak DC290 at 8mm 1/295 sec at f9

The late Alaska bush pilot legend, Jay Hudson (owner of Hudson Air Service) refueling his 1977 Cessna 206 on the runway at the Talkeetna Airport in Talkeetna, Alaska, United States.  During the second half of the 20th century, Jay Hudson and his father Cliff Hudson flew thousands of people into remote Alaskan territory.  © 2004 Ron Karpilo
Photo info:  August 6, 2004, Nikon D100 camera w/ Sigma 15-30mm f3.5-4.5 lens at 18mm 1/320 sec at f14 and ISO 200.

Fall view of the Iditarod Trail looking up Crow Creek valley toward Crow Pass in Chugach National Forest, Alaska.  The Monarch Mine operated in this area from 1906 to 1948. Today scattered and rusted cables and debris are all that remain of the mining structures and equipment. © 2010 Ron Karpilo
Photo info:  September 11, 2010, Nikon D300 camera w/ Nikkor 17-55mm f2.8 lens at 17mm 1/320 sec at f8 and ISO 200.

I’m currently working on a long-term documentary project about Stephen R. Capps, retracing his footsteps, repeating his photographs, and mapping his Alaska fieldwork.  I’m actively seeking funding, sponsorship, and collaborators.  Please contact me (ron@karpilo.com) if you would like to hear more about my project.

Here are a few older posts related to Capps:
1915 Alaska Fieldwork by USGS Geologist Stephen R. Capps Alaska Railroad Construction – Part 1
Repeat Photography of Eklutna Glacier, Chugach State Park, Alaska (1915 – 2010)
Repeat photography of Raven Glacier at Crow Pass in Chugach National Forest, Alaska (1915 to 2010)

Please feel free to leave me a comment or let me know if you have questions.  Follow me (@RonKarpilo) on Twitter for updates.

Thanks,

Ron Karpilo

September 11, 2010, Lacy Karpilo and I hiked the Iditarod Trail to Crow Pass in Chugach State Park, Alaska.  As a part of my on-going repeat photography project, we search and found the original photo locations and repeated several images of Raven Glacier taken in 1915 by U.S. Geological Survey geologist Stephen R. Capps.

Repeat photo of the lower portion of Raven Glacier at Crow Pass in Chugach National Forest, Alaska.  Lacy is holding a photo of the glacier taken in 1915 by U.S. Geological Survey geologist Stephen R. Capps.  In 1915 Raven Glacier extended beyond the field of view of the Capps image.  When we visited in 2010, the glacier had retreated to the center portion of the frame.  © 2010 Ron Karpilo

Repeat photo taken in 2010 of the upper portion of Raven Glacier at Crow Pass in Chugach National Forest, Alaska.  Lacy is holding a photo of the glacier taken in 1915 by U.S. Geological Survey geologist Stephen R. Capps.  In the 95 years between the images, the terminus of the glacier has retreated into view and the upper portion of the glacier has thinned significantly.  Several of the smaller cirque glaciers are now detached from Raven Glacier.  © 2010 Ron Karpilo

Earlier this year I repeated a 1915 Capps image of Eklutna Glacier.  Here’s the link to my post about my repeat photography of Eklutna Glacier in Chugach State Park, Alaska.

Here’s a post about Stephen Reid Capps and his 1915 Alaska Geology Fieldwork.

Please feel free to leave me a comment or let me know if you have questions.  Follow me (@RonKarpilo) on Twitter for updates.

Here are a few pictures of today’s sunset and Mount Redoubt  that I took from my home office window in Anchorage, Alaska:

Winter sunset view across Cook Inlet of Mount Redoubt Volcano (10,197 ft) in Lake Clark National Park from my home office window in Anchorage, Alaska, United States.  © 2010 Ron Karpilo
Camera Gear: Nikon D300 Camera, Nikkor AF-S VR 70-200 mm f/2.8G IF-ED Zoom Lens, SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash Card 16 GB
Camera Settings: Lens Focal Length 200mm, Shutter Speed 1/50, Aperture f/2.8, ISO 800

Winter sunset view across Cook Inlet of Mount Redoubt Volcano (10,197 ft) in Lake Clark National Park from my home office window in Anchorage, Alaska, United States.  © 2010 Ron Karpilo
Camera Gear: Nikon D300 Camera, Nikkor AF-S VR 70-200 mm f/2.8G IF-ED Zoom Lens, SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash Card 16 GB
Camera Settings: Lens Focal Length 70mm, Shutter Speed 1/40, Aperture f/2.8, ISO 800

Please feel free to leave me a comment or let me know if you have questions.  Follow me (@RonKarpilo) on Twitter for updates.

Thanks,

Ron Karpilo

On March 12, 1914, the U.S. Congress approved the construction and operation of the Seward-Fairbanks route of the Government Railroad.  By June of 1915, the railroad moved its headquarters from Seward, Alaska to a hastily assembled railroad construction town on the banks of Ship Creek.  The railroad camp would eventually become the present city of Anchorage.  Anticipating the influx of people in the region for the railroad construction and associated support activities and the future potential agricultural and mineral development, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) determined it was important to conduct topographic and geologic surveys of the area.  For the 1915 summer field season, two USGS parties were deployed to the Turnagain Arm and Knik Arm region of Alaska.  James W. Bagley led the topographic survey and Stephen Reid Capps led the geologic investigation.

View of the temporary railroad construction town consisting of tents and a few buildings along Ship Creek in Anchorage, Alaska, 1915.  Identifiable businesses in the image include: The Crest House, Sourdough Lodging, and Montana Pool Room. Note the recently cut tree stumps on the slope in the foreground and the smoke from the burning pile of brush in the lower right. This image was probably taken from Government Hill within a few days of Capps arrival in Anchorage on June 14, 1915.  Photo by S.R. Capps, 1915, U.S Geological Survey Photo Library.

Piles of lumber and railroad construction supplies near the mouth of Ship Creek in Anchorage, Alaska, 1915. This image forms a panorama with the previous image. The Montana Pool Room is visible near the left edge of the image. This image was probably taken from Government Hill within a few days of Capps arrival in Anchorage on June 14, 1915.  Photo by S.R. Capps, 1915, U.S Geological Survey Photo Library.

Modern satellite image map showing the current development of the Ship Creek area of Anchorage, Alaska.  Capps probably made the images of the railroad camp from Government Hill.  The above map includes a camera icon that’s located at my estimation of the general location of the original 1915 photo.  When the snow melts this spring, I plan on finding the exact location and repeating these images.

Here’s a short account by Alfred H. Brooks of the U.S. Geological Survey’s field activities in the in Cook Inlet and Susitna Region of Alaska in the summer of 1915:

The construction of the Government railroad from Seward to Fairbanks has led to a demand for information about the tributary regions. Most of these had been mapped and investigated in previous years, but there were some areas east of Knik Arm and in the Talkeetna Mountains about which little was known. Two parties ware detailed to explore those regions.

J.W. Bagley devoted the early part of the season to extending the topographic reconnaissance north of the previously mapped areas in the Talkeetna Mountains over an area of 835 square miles. He also surveyed an area of 150 square miles in the Knik and Turnagain Arm region. Pack-train transportation was used, and fieldwork began on June 6 and continued until September 5. Mr. Bagley’s surveys were much hampered by the smoke of forest fires in the early part of the season, and later he lost nearly three weeks because of the nondelivery of some supplies, owing to an accident that was caused by no fault of the contractor.

S.R. Capps, with a pack train and two men, studied the geology of the Knik and Turnagain Arm region, investigating the geology, of an area of about 1,200 square miles. From June 14 to September 12 was devoted to fieldwork, but about a week of this time was spent in investigating the mining developments of the Willow Creek district.
Alfred H. Brooks (1916, U.S. Geological Survey, Bulletin 642, p. 12)

This is part one of series of posts that I plan to do about Capps and his work. Please feel free to leave me a comment or let me know if you have questions.  Follow me (@RonKarpilo) on Twitter for updates.

Thanks,

Ron Karpilo

Image information:
Time/Date: 10:12 AM on July 12, 2010
Location: Stony Dome, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, United States
Camera Gear:
Nikon D300 Camera Body
Nikkor AF-S DX 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED Zoom Lens
B+W 77mm Slim Circular Polarizer Filter
SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash Card 16 GB
Camera Settings:
Lens Focal Length: 44mm
Shutter Speed 1/200
Aperture: f/8.0
ISO: 200

Please feel free to leave me a comment or let me know if you have questions.  Follow me (@RonKarpilo) on Twitter for updates.

Thanks,

Ron Karpilo

Eklutna Glacier 1915

Eklutna Glacier in 1915, image taken by U.S. Geological Survey geologist Stephen Reid Capps. Eklutna Glacier is located in the Eklutna Lake area of Chugach State Park, Alaska, United States.

Eklutna Glacier 2010

Eklutna Glacier in 2010, image taken by Ron Karpilo. Eklutna Glacier is located in the Eklutna Lake area of Chugach State Park, Alaska, United States.  © 2010 Ron Karpilo

I plan to write a more detailed post about these images and several other posts with more information about Capps and his work and the other historic images that I’ve repeated over the past decade.

Please feel free to leave me a comment or let me know if you have questions.  Follow me (@RonKarpilo) on Twitter for updates.

Update November 27, 2010
I just wrote a post about Stephen Capps and his 1915 Alaska geology fieldwork.