Artifact of the Month: May 2024

Alaska Steamship Company Menu

Consistent boat travel to Alaska began to pick up following the purchase of the territory from Russia in 1867, and it exploded with the rush for gold in the Klondike a few decades later. Born out of the growing need for shipping, the Alaska Steamship Company formed in 1894 and began hauling people and goods to various locations along the Inside Passage. As communities like Ketchikan grew, so did passenger travel. Tourism declined during the years of the Great Depression, only to pick back up again following World War II. Due to increasing competition, the Alaska Steamship Company would end passenger service to Alaska in 1954 and shut down shipping services in 1971.

Meals on board the steamships included special menus printed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the 1940s, the Alaska Steamship Company released a set of eight menu designs featuring husky dog portraits painted by Josephine Crumrine-Liddell. The designs were meant to harken back to an earlier form of travel with sled dogs. These menus were wildly popular and became treasured collectors' items. This month's featured artifact is the lunch menu from the S/S Columbia on Friday October 31, 1941. Featured on the cover is Cheechako, the beloved mascot of Elemdorf Field and Fort Richardson in Anchorage.

After finalizing her divorce, Nina Crumrine moved from Seattle to Ketchikan in 1923 to live with her brother who was a fish cannery superintendent. In tow was her six-year-old daughter, Josephine, who learned to paint while sitting on her mother's lap. Both women would become beloved Alaskan artists and would travel the state for inspiration. Josephine preferred to work in pastels and is most well known for her portrayal of animals. In 2005, Josephine died at the age of 88.


Object ID #: THS 68.3.10.7