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Steamship at dock, loading copper ore, Beatson Copper Co., LaTouche Island, Prince William Sound,, ca. 1912
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| Title | Steamship at dock, loading copper ore, Beatson Copper Co., LaTouche Island, Prince William Sound, , ca. 1912 |
| Photographer | Thwaites, John E. (John Edward), 1863-1940 |
| Date | ca. 1912 |
| Notes | Caption on image: Steamer loading copper ore at LaTouche, Alaska
PH Coll 247.447 |
| Contextual Notes | The community of Latouche no longer exists, but it was located on Latouche Island, a small island (12 miles long, 3 wide) at the western entrance to Prince William Sound. A series of copper prospects were staked on Latouche Island in the late 1890s, and the Beatson copper mine, in the northwest section of the island, started shipping ore in 1904. In 1915, with war needs greatly boosting demand (and prices), the mine was taken over by the Kennecott Corporation. At its peak period in 1917-1918, there were about 300 people working at the Beatson and almost 4,000 people on the island, most in the town of Latouche close to the Beatson mine. Expanded operations required a steady supply of coal, and to supply that need, the Alaska Railroad built spurs into the coal mines. Most of the copper mines in Alaska closed soon after the end of World War I due to falling prices. The Beatson mine lasted much longer, but with copper prices nearing 5 cents a pound, it closed on November 29, 1930.
The earthquake that hit Alaska on March 27, 1964, caused massive changes to the state's landscape. Latouche Island was raised an average of 9 feet and moved about 60 feet to the southeast, resulting in discoveries such as stumps from a forest that was submerged below sea level and buried in prehistoric times.
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| Subjects (LCTGM) | Piers & wharves--Alaska--Latouche; Dwellings--Alaska--Latouche; Prince William Sound (Alaska) |
| Subjects (LCSH) | Steamboats--Alaska--Latouche Island; Copper ores--Alaska--Latouche Island |
| Location Depicted | United States--Alaska--LaTouche Island |
| Digital Collection | John E. Thwaites Photographs |
| Order Number | THW233 |
| Ordering Information | To order a reproduction, inquire about permissions, or for information about prices see: http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/services/reproduction-info
Please cite the Order Number when ordering. |
| Negative Number | THWAITES 247.447 |
| Repository | University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division |
| Repository Collection | John E. Thwaites Photograph Collection. PH Coll 247
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| Object Type | Photograph |
| Digital Reproduction Information | Scanned from a photographic print using a Microtek Scanmaker 9600XL at 100 dpi in JPEG format at compression rate 3 and resized to 768x512 ppi. 2003. |
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