Description:
Mildred Manty (1911-1978)
Mildred Manty, originally from Connecticut, traveled to Hawaii during World War II as a nurse. After the war, she settled in Hilo and worked at local pineapple plantations. In 1963, Manty moved to Alaska where she was a longtime Public Health Nurse with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services in the Ketchikan area.
Many knew Manty as the "logging camp nurse" because she travelled between the 20 logging camps in the region that supplied timber to the Ketchikan Pulp Mill. The Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag she often traveled with is this month's featured artifact. The stains, tears, and taped up corners are a tribute of Manty's dogged efforts to provide medical service to remote communities.
Tragically, Manty was killed in a plane crash in Summer Strait, northwest of Prince of Wales Island on August 25, 1978. Manty Mountain in the Craig district was named in her memory. Following her death, Manty's estate donated to the Tongass Historical Society a tremendous collection of art, photos, books, and her well-used flight bag.
To learn more about Manty's story along with other women in aviation be sure to check out the Tongass Historical Museum's feature exhibit, Into the Wind: Aviation as Southeast Alaska's Lifeline. The exhibit will be on display through January 2022.
Ketchikan Museums: Tongass Historical Society Collection, THS 78.9.5.118
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Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag front view
Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag front view
Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag side view
Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag back view
Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag top view
Flight bag top view with Manty label written on
Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag front view
Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag front view
Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag front view
Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag side view
Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag back view
Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag top view
Flight bag top view with Manty label written on
Pacific Northern Airlines flight bag front view