An out-of-focus photograph of the Assistant Purser from the West's ship posing on a wharf in Valdez. He dons his uniform as he stands in the near distance and looks to camera. The pier beneath him appears to stretch on an upward angle from lower right to left. A body of water extends across the image beyond the pier. From the far shore, a mountain rises in the distance at right. The photograph appears to be damaged. A cluster of white lines bisect the image on a large diagonal across the lower left corner.
Photograph looking up at a pallet of cargo being unloaded from the top deck of a ship. The ship sits in partial view in the near distance. Cargo netting stretches in front of the left half of the ship. The ship's decks stretch horizontally across the image. Both lower decks appear to be lined with passenger cabins. On the upper deck, boxes of cargo sit atop a pallet that is being hoisted from the ship. Rigging and masts extend vertically from the top of the ship to the right of the cargo.
Photograph of dock workers unloading a pallet of cargo from the Aleutian and onto the wharf in Valdez. Two spectators stand in the foreground at left with their backs to the camera. A pallet sits in partial view on the ground to the right of them. The dock stretches horizontally across the image ahead of the man and the woman. Dock workers attend to a cart laden with cargo at center. Netting hangs down behind the stack of cargo on the dock. The Aleutian is moored at the dock and is viewed from the side. It is in partial view and stretches across the image. The 2 lower decks appear to be lined with passenger cabins. A life saver attached to a guardrail at right reads, "S. S. ALEUTIAN SEATTLE." On the upper deck, equipment and rigging are visible.
Photograph of a portion of the ship, Aleutian, as viewed from the side and close-up in Valdez. The photograph appears to tilt downward towards the right. The ship is in partial view and is viewed from the side. Three decks enter frame at right and extend towards the left. Cabins and walkways line all three decks. Two passengers stand near a stairwell on the middle deck, left-of-center. In front of them, a life saver hanging from the guardrail reads, "[S.] S. ALEUTIAN [...]." On the upper deck, a lifeboat sits at right. On its side it reads, "S. S. ALEUTIAN [?]02 [...] [?1] PERSONS." The cabin on the upper deck sits recessed back at center. Atop it, a sign reads, "ALEUTIAN." Beyond the ship, mountains are visible in the far distance at left.
Photograph of the side of the ship, Aleutian, viewed close-up while docked in Valdez. The side of the ship stretches on a slight angle back from right to left. Its name, "ALEUTIAN," is printed near the upper left corner. About 5 portholes line the side of the ship, beneath the printed name. Hawsers stretch along the top edge and towards the right.
Photograph of crates of Darigold Milk being unloaded from the Aleutian in Valdez. The deck of the ship stretches on an upward angle from right to left. Rails line the edge of the right side of the deck. A man leans against the rail at right and faces left. To the left of the man, a gap in the rails stretches across the deck. Over this gap, crates of Darigold Milk and Kellogg's All Bran sit atop a pallet that hangs from ropes over the side of the ship. Beyond the cargo, a group of women stand along the rail. Port Valdez stretches beyond the side of the ship and into the distance. A large mountain rises from the shore in the background.
Photograph of a local woman standing along a dirt road and feeding pigeons in Valdez, Alaska. A dirt and gravel road stretches up through the image from the bottom edge and towards the left. In the near distance, right-of-center, a woman stands in profile, facing left, along the side of the road. She holds her hands outstretched in front of her. About a dozen pigeons stand in the road to the left of her. Down the road, a man wearing an apron stands along the left frame and holds a camera up to his face. He too photographs the woman feeding the birds. Heavy machinery stands behind the woman at right. A few buildings line the right side of the road as it stretches into the distance. Dark smoke billows from somewhere far behind the man with a camera.
Photograph of Mertie West standing on a dock in Valdez and toying with a camera she holds. Mertie West stands in the foreground, left-of-center. She faces towards the right and looks down towards a camera she holds in her hands. Behind her, the pier stretches across the image on an upward angle from right to left. A man walks along the pier, behind Mertie, at center. Adjoining, garage-like buildings line the right side of the pier. The building is viewed at an angle from the front, facing left. A sign spans the front of the 2 buildings. It reads, from left to right, "CENTER OF THE Prince William Sound Gold and Copper Belt," "VALDEZ TERMINUS OF A GREAT SCENIC ROAD THE RICHARDSON HIGHWAY," and "SHORT ROUTE TO Interior Alaska Chitina-Fairbanks-Circle." A garage door stands below the sign on the right side of the building. To the right of the door, a person sits on the ground. A dozen or more barrels are loosely lined up in front of the building, extending towards the left, behind Mertie and out-of-frame at left. Mountains are visible in the far distance. Some twisted streaks of white occupy the upper left corner and lens flare appears to radiate from it towards the center of the image.
