The Unknown Photographer Project
Volume 1: Northern Exposure
Found 35mm slides from the edge of Alaska, Yukon, and somewhere else entirely.
These photos came with one word: Alaska. But the box didn’t stop there. Faces, places, roadside pauses from across the Yukon, British Columbia, maybe even a few spots no one wrote down.
I didn’t take these images. I just found them, arranged them, and gave them a place to sit for a while.
Take a look. Maybe something in here feels familiar to you, too.
Scenes from the Road
The roads weren’t marked. The stories weren’t either.
Trans-Canada Highway near Emory Creek Resort, British Columbia. From a time when roadside signs made every place sound slightly more important than it actually was. | Found 35mm slide, 1970s.
Somewhere in the ‘70s, a few cars stopped for bighorn sheep. No cones, no signs, just mutual curiosity. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
Fraser River near Hell’s Gate, British Columbia. The rail line on the right, the river below, and a reason to pull over. | Found 35mm slide, 1970s.
Kamloops Lake, British Columbia. The kind of place you pull over for, take one photo, and somehow remember forever. | Found 35mm slide, 1970s.
Juniper Beach area, British Columbia. Nothing dramatic, just roads and river balancing like they’ve always been there. | Found 35mm slide, 1970s.
Trans-Canada Highway, somewhere in the Rockies. That mountain looks like a Beetlejuice set piece. | Found 35mm slide, 1970s.
Our Lady of the Way Church, Beaver Creek. Technically Canada. Spiritually still the middle of nowhere. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
Alexandra Bridge, near Hell’s Gate. The kind of road cars could still cross, just before they couldn’t. The red still pops. The monument doesn’t look like that anymore. | Found 35mm slide, likely early 1960s.
The kind of mountains that don’t say much, but you still listen. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
Built to Roll, Not to Last
Some rolled in. Some broke down. Most stayed a little longer than planned.
Pulled over for the view. Stayed for the silence. Found photo of a camper on a rural Alaskan road. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
Camper with the hood up, parked in front of a pink trailer guarded by plastic flamingos. A little color, a little chaos, and a flamingo or two to watch over it. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
1970s Ford F-Series on the left, Dodge D-Series on the right, and mixed feelings about the campsite in between. Reminds me of trips with friends in Vermont. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
Ford F-Series camper, mountain backdrop, and not a soul around. Probably somewhere near Wrangell–St. Elias. The background feels edited—but isn’t. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska
The People Left Behind
Most of them didn’t look ready. Some of them didn’t care.
A woman feeding birds outside a trailer with a “Don’t Tailgate” bumper sticker. She knew the photo was coming—and probably didn’t care. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
The tanker’s missing an engine. The cows don’t seem concerned. And the guy in the trees might be rethinking his life choices. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
A small family gathering, somewhere at the end of the day. The black lab’s thrilled. The girl knows this photo matters. The ‘70s are all over it. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
A toddler at the grill. Homemade metal box, questionable supervision, and enough redneck energy to power a county fair. | Found 35mm slide, 1970s.
Inside the Fort Steele gatehouses. A man on the stairs, frozen in a frame from the early days of a town trying to remember itself. Feels like the ‘70s never left. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
Horse and carriage at Fort Steele, outside the Express & Stage Line building. A man rests his hand on the horse like he’s done it a thousand times. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
A boy watching a herd of Dall sheep from the side of the road. The kind of photo that sits in an old album until one day, you flip to it—and suddenly remember the moment. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
Everyone stopped for the Dall sheep. One woman’s petting a wild animal. Someone else brought a red Mustang. Just another day in the ‘70s. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
A boy watching a herd of Dall sheep from the side of the road. The kind of photo that sits in an old album until one day, you flip to it—and suddenly remember the moment. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska
Things People Built (and Left Behind)
Some of it had a purpose. Some of it probably still does. Most of it just sits there now.
An old fish wheel, likely in Alaska. Long banned in other states, but maybe not here. This one’s seen better days—but it’s still here. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
Salmon on drying racks. A shack in the background. Somewhere between tradition and a horror set. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
Abandoned log cabin, unknown location. Roof might need work. Ladder’s included. Probably still listed on Airbnb. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
Pelton Dam, Central Oregon. A dirt road that led somewhere then—maybe not now. Safety wasn’t quite the concern it is today. | Found 35mm slide, 1970s.
Things Worth Stopping For (Questionably)
They built it so you’d stop. You did. And someone brought a camera.
The original Santa Claus House at 511 Santa Claus Lane, North Pole, Alaska. A time capsule wrapped in tinsel. The guy out front, cigarette in hand, looks like he’s done with Christmas—and everything else. These days, that’d probably get him flagged on Yelp. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
Grizzly Gift Shop, unknown location. Like a Twin Peaks roadside stand, but with more antlers and fewer secrets. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska.
The Eskimo Museum in Fairbanks, Alaska. Peak 1970s tourist trap energy. Gone now, but this photo clings to the signage like it still matters. | Found 35mm slide, Alaska
What Was Left in the Box
No names. No dates. Just the ones they didn’t throw away
Strong summer vacation energy. Somewhere on Cape Cod, most likely. The kind of chaos you only get when no one’s in charge—but everyone’s fine. | Found 35mm slide, 1970s.
There were hundreds of slides in that box. Most didn’t say much. A few wouldn’t stop talking. These are the ones that stayed with me
The Unknown Photographer Project is a curated archive of found photographs. All images were acquired secondhand; none were taken by the current archivist.