Still Pictures Aerial Photography in Record Group 77: Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers
Aerial Prints of Army and Army Air Force Installations, 1934 (77-AFF)
These photographic prints are medium to high level aerial photographs provide a number of views of each installation and construction projects being carried on. The photographs were probably taken by the Army Air Force, the identification numbers are the same as those in Record Group 18-AA, appearing quite similar to the types of aerial views found in that series. Forts, airfields and camps included are- Ft. Benning, GA; Ft. Bliss, TX; Ft. Bragg, NC; Ft. Devans, MA; Duncan Field, TX; Hamilton Field, GA; Ft. Humphreys, VA; Kelly Field, TX; Langley Field, VA; Lawsen Field, GA; Ft. Leavenworth, KS; Ft. Lewis, WA; Maxwell Field, AL; Ft. Meade, MD; Middleton Air Depot, PA; Mitchell Field, NY; Ft. Monmouth, NJ; Ft. Myers, VA; Ft. Riley, KS; Ft. Sam Houston, TX; West Point and Ft. H.G. Wright, NY. There are no negatives for these prints. This series is partially digitized.
An Album Containing Photographs of Civil Engineering Projects in Brazil, ca. 1933 (77-BE)
This album, titled Rainbow-5, NEB (No documentation could be located to explain this title), includes black and white photographs taken in South America mostly in Brazil. The photographs were taken in the areas of Fortaleza, Belem, Caicara, Santa Rita, and Recife show construction of roads, bridges, docks, and harbors. There are scenes of unloading ships at piers and docks; waterways, harbors and ships. There are aerial views of Macau, Natal, Punta do Maceio andthe harbor at Natal. There are also photographs of a railroad water tank car and a wood-burning locomotive. Also included are two views of Colonel Procopio of the Brazilian Army standing in the cab of a first-class coach locomotive. All the prints are captioned and numbered. There are no original negatives for this series.
Construction and Renovation Photographs of St. Mary's Falls Canal and Locks, ca. 1889 - 1941 (77-SOO)
This series consists of photographs relating to the ongoing construction and renovation of the locks on the St. Mary's Falls Canal (also known informally as the Soo Canal) at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, as well as activities related to river navigation and ingenuity in the area. Coverage includes the repairs to the first federal lock (named Weitzel), the building of the second, third and fourth federal locks (named Poe, Davis, and Sabin respectively), the deepening of channels in the river, notable wrecks and accidents, views of the original 1855 State Locks, and other relevant subjects. The series includes an aerial view of the Bascule Bridge accident (77-SOO-1575). The finding aid for the series is available in the Still Pictures Research Room. This series is fully digitized.
Mississippi River Commission, 1922 - 1939 (77-MRC)
Photographs taken or acquired by the Mississippi River Commission documenting River works on the Mississippi in the Vicksburg, New Orleans, and Memphis Districts. They include construction and completion views of levees, dikes, spillways, cofferdams, and revetments located primarily on the southern portion of the Mississippi River. Construction views include some photos of the use of convict-labor wearing jail-stripes. Also included are aerial photographs of the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries including the Arkansas, White, and Red Rivers and flood views of the Mississippi River illustrating the effect on rural and urban areas primarily in the states of Mississippi and Louisiana. Additional photographs of the 1927 flood are in 77-MHF and 26-MF.
Photographic Prints of Fort Totten, New York, 1957 (77-FT)
These photographs consist of copies of maps and vintage prints showing the buildings, personnel, and activities at Fort Totten in Flushing, NY. Most of the images show the fort during the 1890s. Included are views of personnel in formation, the fort's baseball and football teams, aerial views of the fort complex, and maps of the fort. Only a few of the photographs contain captions. Some of the prints contain page numbers and may have been used in a book about the fort.
Photographic Report of Major Noland Varley on the Physical Effects of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, 1945 (77-VH)
Photographs in the "Report by Major Noland Varley, Manhattan District Corps of Engineers on the Physical Damage, Hiroshima, Japan" (Vols. I - III) were taken by members of the MED group including Dr. W. C. Penney. Vol. I consists of a summary of the physical effects of the bomb on structures, meteorology, the population, and public utilities. Graphs and an annotated map are attached. Vols. II and III contain captioned pre-and post-strike aerial and ground photographs with some annotated to refer to specific numbered sites and objects including- the Commercial Museum, Sanwa Bank Building, Chugoko Electric Company, Gogoku Shrine, Business Men's Club, Fukoromachi School, Castle grounds, Fukuya Department Store, Hiroshima Radio Station, City Hall, views taken from the Bank Building, and other structures. also documented in the report are detail photographs of the physical damage to the buildings, bridges, and other structures destroyed and damaged by the atomic blast and fire.
Photographs of Activities and Equipment of the Corps of Engineers, 1918 - 1941 (77-AQ)
The mounted prints in this series related to the training of engineering troops, appear to have originated from two sources; one set were originally film slides created jointly by the Corps and the Army Signal Corps, while the other group originated in the Operations and Training Section of the Office of the Chief of Engineers. The film slide group are identified by a FS number like 5-2 or 5-13, while the O and T prints are identified by an Engineer Board negative number like 217-68 or 1-56 or a Signal Corps number. Regardless of the numbering system, or lack of one, all the photographs under a specific heading, like assault boats, relate to that subject. Some of the subjects illustrated are- Aerial Photography and Reading, Assault Boats, Bridges of all types, Camouflage, Demolition, Engineering Equipment, Construction and use of Obstacles, Water Supply and photographs of Engineer units and other military activities in France. Most of the prints are from the World War I era, while the rest depict activities between the wars. For a complete set of instructional materials, see the lantern slide sets in series 77-OT. There are a few negatives; they are filed with the prints. The finding aid for the series is available in the Still Pictures Research Room.
Photographs of Civil Works Projects by the Corps of Engineers, 1936 - 1940 (77-HI)
This series includes two photographs showing aerial views of the Washington National Airport, VA, before and during construction in 1939 and 1940. The finding aid for the series is available in the Still Pictures Research Room.
Photographs Comparing the Water Diversion Investigations of the Niagara River, 1927 (77-BW)
These black and white slides compare the effects of water diversion on the Niagara River and Falls documented by investigations of 1906, 1917, and 1927. The 1906 study was prompted by a Congressional Act of June 29, 1906, to determine the effects of the water diversion by power companies on the river. The photographs were taken by a permanent member of the survey staff, Oscar Hagenjos, and depict the cataracts and rapids above them under varying conditions of water flow. The photographs were submitted in a report dated January 30, 1907, (See appendix III or Annual Report of Corps of Engineers, House Document, Vol. 16, 70th Congress, 1st Session, 1907-08, page 2458). The 1917 slides are copies of the negatives in 77-CW. For information regarding that inspection, see the inventory card for that series. The slides from 1926-1927 were taken by an undetermined source and little information could be located on them. It is logical to assume, however, that these later ones were taken to compare changes in appearances with earlier photographs of the same views. The slides for all three periods depict the water levels and flow at various amounts and include views of Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, Goat Island, the Whirlpool and its rapids, the American Rapids above Goat Island, and aerial views of the Falls as a whole. See 77-CW for negatives for some of the 1917 slides. See Finding Aid for 77-NSD for negatives matching some of these lantern slides. The finding aid for the series is available in the Still Pictures Research Room.