Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Alaska’s glaciers have drawn visitors for generations. Filmed during a tour of southcentral or Southeast Alaska around 1959, these scenes capture travelers taking in the coastal landscape, waterfalls, the newly adopted Alaska state flag, and dramatic views of hanging and tidewater glaciers, including glaciers calving into the sea.
The following student research was provided in 2026 by a University of Alaska Fairbanks physics undergraduate within the Honors College:
There are many types of glaciers, such as tidewater glaciers, shown at 0:44. These glaciers flow into water and calve to form icebergs. Calving, shown at 1:01, is when the front of a glacier, also known as the terminus, breaks off. Calving is a natural process, while climate change is contributing to widespread glacier loss today, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Another type of glacier is a hanging glacier, clearly visible at 0:34. Hanging glaciers terminate at or near the top of a cliff, leaving the glacier “hanging” behind, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
These clips remind us that the desire to explore incredible places has existed throughout history and across cultures.
Source & Format
Color, silent, 16mm film
Machetanz Collection (AAF-1135)
Alaska Film Archives
Repository
The Alaska Film Archives is a unit of the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives Department, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Contact
If you have additional information or can help further identify what’s seen here, we welcome your insights. Please contact us using the information in the “About” section.
Support the Alaska Film Archives
The Alaska Film Archives appreciates your support. Donations of any amount help us preserve and share Alaska’s audiovisual history. Visit the “About” section of our YouTube channel to learn how you can help. Thank you!
Alaska’s glaciers have drawn visitors for generations. Filmed during a tour of southcentral or Southeast Alaska around 1959, these scenes capture travelers taking in the coastal landscape, waterfalls, the newly adopted Alaska state flag, and dramatic views of hanging and tidewater glaciers, including glaciers calving into the sea.
The following student research was provided in 2026 by a University of Alaska Fairbanks physics undergraduate within the Honors College:
There are many types of glaciers, such as tidewater glaciers, shown at 0:44. These glaciers flow into water and calve to form icebergs. Calving, shown at 1:01, is when the front of a glacier, also known as the terminus, breaks off. Calving is a natural process, while climate change is contributing to widespread glacier loss today, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Another type of glacier is a hanging glacier, clearly visible at 0:34. Hanging glaciers terminate at or near the top of a cliff, leaving the glacier “hanging” behind, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
These clips remind us that the desire to explore incredible places has existed throughout history and across cultures.
Source & Format
Color, silent, 16mm film
Machetanz Collection (AAF-1135)
Alaska Film Archives
Repository
The Alaska Film Archives is a unit of the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives Department, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Contact
If you have additional information or can help further identify what’s seen here, we welcome your insights. Please contact us using the information in the “About” section.
Support the Alaska Film Archives
The Alaska Film Archives appreciates your support. Donations of any amount help us preserve and share Alaska’s audiovisual history. Visit the “About” section of our YouTube channel to learn how you can help. Thank you!
