Category: Facilities

Photo taken and submitted by Brian Fortier

Bettles Village and Trading Post, Alaska 1952
A young residence, name unknown, picking up his mail.

Photo taken and submitted by Brian Fortier

Bettles Village and Trading Post, Alaska 1952
A rare photo of inside the trading post.  This young Army technician had just spent the night.

Frank Theisen, Bettles, Alaska 1952
Frank came to Alaska from Chicago at the age of 26.  This photo was taken at age 56.  He owned the Slate Creek gold mine and worked as an employee for the CAA at Bettles during the long winter months.  One of his duties was to keep the runway clear of snow using the D8 Caterpillar.  In 1956 he went to California and remarried his former wife.  Frank died in California and was buried there.

Bettles FSS (BTT), Alaska 1952
Looking north towards the Brooks Range, the CAA Bettles FSS is located on the right and the runway on the left beyond the edge of the photo.  This facility provided air-to-ground communications with aircraft but point-to-point communications was accomplished by CW Morse code only.

The station manger and the supervisory electronic technician’s office’s were located in the north end of the building. The cables seen supported by tripods could not be buried underground because of permafrost.

This Facility is now closed.

Photo taken and submitted by Brian Fortier

Bettles Airport, Alaska 1952

Barrow FSS (BRW), Alaska, January 17, 1999
Barrow FSS break room.

Barrow FSS equipment room

Bethel FSS (BET), Alaska 1977
Interior view with Ed Adams at the console.  The facility has been decommissioned.

Photo taken and submitted by Brian Fortier

Bettles, Alaska, date unknown
Ariel view of Bettles looking north.  The north end of the runway can be seen in the lower left corner, just below the Koyukuk River.  Bettles Flight Service and FAA housing is also located in the lower left corner, just to the right of the runway.

Barrow FSS (BRW), Alaska, April 12, 1999
Looking southwest

Looking northeast

Looking northwest