What would you do if you ran across a group of prospectors in Alaska? Edward W. Nelson was on assignment with the United States Army as a weather observer in northern Alaska in 1881. He spent his free time studying the flora and fauna of the region. Thousands of the specimens he collected while in Alaska were sent to the brand new United States National Museum for further study. Early in July of 1881, he joined a detail sent to examine a schooner that had been spotted in Norton Bay and discovered a group of prospectors. Join us in transcribing his entries and learn more about his daily experiences and observations.
What would you do if you ran across a group of prospectors in Alaska? Edward W. Nelson was on assignment with the United States Army as a weather observer in northern Alaska in 1881. He spent his free time studying the flora and fauna of the region. Thousands of the specimens he collected while in Alaska were sent to the brand new United States National Museum for further study. Early in July of 1881, he joined a detail sent to examine a schooner that had been spotted in Norton Bay and discovered a group of prospectors. Join us in transcribing his entries and learn more about his daily experiences and observations.
Learn more about Nelson through the Edward William Nelson and Edward Alfonso Goldman Collection at the Smithsonian Institution Archives.