NORTHWEST AIRLINES, INC.:

An Inventory of Its Corporate Records at the Minnesota Historical Society

Manuscripts Collection

Part or all of this collection is restricted.
For details, please see restrictions.


Expand/CollapseOVERVIEW

Creator: Northwest Airlines, Inc., creator.
Title:Corporate records.
Dates:1917-1998 (bulk 1930-1994).
Abstract:Financial records, photographs, and subject files of a St. Paul-based commercial airline with global operations stretching from the Far East to Western Europe.
Quantity:55.75 cubic feet (59 boxes) and 2 user video files: MP4 (1.1 GB).
Location:See Detailed Description section for shelf locations.

Expand/CollapseHISTORICAL NOTE

Northwest Airlines was incorporated in 1926 as Northwest Airways. The company began service on October 1, 1926, as an airmail carrier between the Twin Cities and Chicago. Passenger service was inaugurated in July 1927. Northwest expanded its service through the Dakotas and Montana to Spokane and Seattle, Washington, in 1928-1933. The company was reincorporated as Northwest Airlines, Inc. in 1934.

During World War II the company set up and operated a military cargo route to Canada, Alaska, and the Aleutian Islands.

In 1946 Northwest Airlines was awarded a route to Alaska, and the "Great Circle" route to the Far East. Scheduled service to the Far East began July 15, 1947, with stops in Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, and Manila. The company reached the East Coast in the late 1940s, and began the first transcontinental air coach service in 1949.

Northwest participated in the Korean Airlift from 1950 to 1953 during the Korean War.

In 1979 transatlantic service to Europe was begun. A holding company, NWA Inc., was created in 1984, with Northwest Airlines as its principal operating subsidiary. That same year Northwest entered into a marketing agreement with Mesaba Aviation Inc., a Minnesota-based regional carrier, under which Mesaba operated as Northwest Orient Airlink. NWA Inc. was taken private in 1989 after a leveraged buyout by Alfred A. Checchi, Gary Wilson, and other investors.

For many years the company used the name Northwest Orient Airlines for advertising and marketing purposes.

In October 2008 Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines acquired Northwest Airlines, making it the single largest airline at that time. The merger also ended Northwest's Minnesota-based commercial operations after more than eighty years.


Return to top

Expand/CollapseSCOPE AND CONTENTS

Financial records, photographs, subject files, accounting statements and reports, operating statistics, aircraft purchase agreements, slides, advertising materials, video and audio recordings, clippings, manuals, study reports, historical and background information, records of the company's Meteorology and Flight Operations departments, some timetables, and correspondence and memoranda.

There is information about routes and service inaugurations, aircraft purchases, air mail service, pilots, aircraft accidents, strikes, and hijackings. There are newspaper accounts of the 1989 takeover of NWA Inc., and of the company's brush with bankruptcy in the 1990s. There is information about bomber modification plants operated by Northwest during World War II in both Minnesota and Ohio, and there are some records of several other airlines and their predecessors that merged with Northwest. Correspondents include Northwest executives and meteorologists; officials of the Boeing Company and other aircraft manufacturers; aviator Amelia Earhart; and others.


Return to top

Expand/CollapseARRANGEMENT

These records are divided into the following sections:

Accident Files
Audio and Video Recordings, Movies, and Slides
Financial Records
Flight Operations Department Records
Meteorology Department Records
Photographs
Public Relations Department Records
Subject Files
Reserve Material


Return to top

Expand/CollapseADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Access Restrictions:

Access to records less than 25 years old requires written permission.

Access to and use of reserve material requires the curator's permission.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here.] Northwest Airlines, Inc. Corporate Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 7,932; 12,974; 13,484; 13,695; 13,969; 14,231; 14,324; 14,611; 14,790; 15,277; 15,529; 15,679; 16,027

Processing Information:

Processed by: David B. Peterson, October 1993, April 1998, January 2000; Christopher G. Welter, November 2009; photographs reprocessed by Lynn Leitte, June 1998.

Digital video transferred from master film by the Minnesota Historical Society for preservation purposes, July 2019. Digital video transferred from master video cassettes by the Minnesota Historical Society for preservation purposes, April 2018.

Catalog ID number: 990017295060104294


Return to top

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Expand/CollapseACCIDENT FILES

LocationBox
148.K.17.6F17Accident Photos, 1948-1952.
Accidents: General information, 1929-1974.
Chicago: O'Hare Field, September 17, 1961.
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., January 26, 1962.
Graham Island, B.C., June 3, 1963.
Martin 2-0-2 Aircraft, 1950-1951.
McChord Field, Washington, September 6, 1953.
Miami, February 12, 1963.
Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, August 28, 1958. 2 folders.
Missoula, Mont., October 28, 1960.
Pacific Ditching, July 11, 1960.
Puget Sound (near Seattle), April 2, 1956.
Sandspit, B.C., January 18, 1952.
Sitka, Alaska (ditching near), October 22, 1962.
Tell City, Ind., March 17, 1960. 3 folders.
LocationBox
144.E.8.3B30Detroit (Northwest flight 255), August 16, 1987:
[General files], 1987-1989. 6 folders.
Includes correspondence and memoranda, newspaper clippings, television and radio news report transcripts, news releases, and legal briefs.
Chichan, Cecelia (sole survivor), 1988.
DC-9 grounding, 1987.
Federal Aviation Administration, 1988.
National Transportation Safety Board conclusions, 1988.
Newspaper clippings, 1987-1988. 3 folders.
One year later, 1988-1989.
LocationBox
142.G.9.1B-152Photograph of floral memorial at Flight 255 crash site, [1987].
Mounted 8 x 10 color photograph with 2 x 5 metal plate with the inscription "August 16, 1987, NORTHWEST FLIGHT 255, from All of Us to All of You."
LocationBox
144.E.8.3B30Photographs of lost crew members, et al., [ca.1987].
Pratt & Whitney, 1988.
Radio and television news report transcripts (Twin Cities media), 1987. 3 folders.
LocationBox
144.E.8.4F31Detroit, December 3, 1990. 2 folders.
Runway collision of Northwest flights 1482 (DC-9) and 299 (727) at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
Miami, February 12, 1963:
Crash of Flight 705 (N724US) 13 minutes after departure from Miami International Airport.
LocationBox
144.E.8.5B32Artifacts:
Audio tapes, 1963. Two 7-inch reels and one audiocassette.
All unidentified.
Flight data tapes, 1963.
Two 5-inch metal spools. One says "Last Flt. 700 1-3-63, 724" and the other says "Tape from Ship 730 Flt. 704 April 30, 1963, `Kirkpatrick Incident.'"
Miscellaneous log pages and in-flight reports recovered from wreckage, 1963.
Miscellaneous material samples and notes, 1963.
Includes brush material, duct matter, and plastic subjected to flame for testing purposes in connection with the investigation of the accident.
LocationBox
144.E.8.4F31Boeing accident information presented at Renton, Washington, 1963.
Boeing Company report on elevator balance bay icing, 1963.
Boeing flight test program report, 1963.
Civil Aeronautics Board exhibits:
1A-1C: Notice and order of C.A.B. hearing, 1963.
2A-2Z15: Operations Committee report, 1963.
3A-3G: Flight Recorder Committee, 1963.
3C (obsolete): Analysis of flight recorder data, 1963.
4A and 4B: Witness Committee report, 1963.
5A-5V: Weather Committee report, 1963.
6A-6Q: Structures Committee report, 1963.
7A-7D: Power Plant Committee report, 1963.
LocationBox
144.E.8.6F338A and 8B: Systems Committee report, 1963.
9A-9D: Human Factors Committee report, 1963.
10A-10L: Maintenance Records Committee report, 1963.
11A-11B: NASA wind tunnel tests, 1963.
Civil Aeronautics Board: Structures Committee report, 1963.
Maintenance and Engineering Department: Permanent document register, 1965.
Master file (F.C. Judd), 1963-1966. 2 folders.
Newspaper clippings, 1963.
NWA's theory as to probable cause of the accident, 1964.
Parts and wreckage releases, 1964-1965.
Photographs of reassembled wreckage, 1963.
Ship 724: Field notes, 1963.
Simulator studies, 1963.
Stabilizer trim electrical limits revision, 1962-1964.
Stewardess flight log book and flight packet, 1963.
Weather Committee report, 1963.
Witness Committee report, 1963.

Return to top


Expand/CollapseAUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDINGS, MOVIES, AND SLIDES

Produced by and/or related to Northwest, Republic, and North Central Airlines, Hughes Airwest, and Southern Airways. Most of the material consists of television and radio commercials. There are also employee training presentations, interviews with and speeches by company executives, television news clips, company history presentations, and a political action committee presentation. There are also some slide carousels in the Flight Operations Department Records.

Materials are organized by format (video, motion pictures, audiocassettes, and slide carousels). Videocassettes are organized by carrier (Northwest, Republic, Hughes Airwest, North Central, and Southern), and thereunder are grouped by format (U-matic, Betacam, VHS).


LocationBox
144.E.8.7B34Northwest Airlines U-Matic format videocassettes:
Beijing Aerospace Show (32-5-86), [1986?].
Customer on Line 3, undated. 2 videocassettes.
"Northwest Orient Open" and "Northwest Orient Close" (A-30), 1982.
Grey Advertising.
Rothmeier, Steven G. (NWA Chairman and CEO):
SGR No. 3: Lead-in (85-11-14 .05), October 30, 1985.
SGR No. 1: Brent Baskfield, May 1987.
SGR No. 2: Brent Baskfield, May 1987.
SGR No. 3: Executive management team, May 8, 1987.
SGR No. 4, May 8, 1987.
SGR No. 1: Republic (86-01-02 .01), 1986.
For NWA employees; executives talking about NWA/Republic Airlines merger.
SGR No. 2: Republic (Part 2) (86-01-02 .02), [1986?].
Television spots (commercials):
2nd spot (general); 4th spot (frequent fliers) (J-28), undated.
"Free Travel" (J-18), January 24, 1986.
Grey Advertising.
"Independence Bowl Hangar/REV" (J-27), January 8, 1986.
Grey Advertising.
Travel Fair (travel agent version) (70), 1982.
Twins Win; Twins Lose; Twin Cities Tales (011 or 110), undated.
LocationBox
144.E.8.8F35Northwest Airlines U-Matic broadcast format videocassettes:
"Celebration of Growth," "We're Northwest Airlines," "The Spirit is Gonna Get You" (005), undated.
VPR Creative Group. See also Public Relations Department Records, Box 20.
Historical reel (Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising), 1987. 1 master video cassette (U-matic) (5 minutes, 26 seconds); 3/4 inches and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
"Mini NF to More," Look/Mini NF to More," "Bloomingdales," "Restrictions," "Shades," "Phone Bill," "How Far," "Hong Kong," "Rickshaw," and "Can Do."
"Ride on Time" (024), undated.
Rothmeier, Steven G. (NWA Chairman and CEO):
SGR No. 3 (85-11-14 .02), [1985?]. 3 videocassettes.
Television spots (commercials):
"Factory Tour," "Spirit," "More Destinations," "People" (J-06), 1986. 1 master video cassette (U-matic) (3 minutes, 43 seconds); 3/4 inches and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
Manhattan Transfer/Edit.
"Follow the Red Tail" (J-05), 1986. 1 master video cassette (U-matic) (1 minute, 19 seconds); 3/4 inches and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
Manhattan Transfer/Edit.
"Image," "Employees," "More Places," "Look to Us," "Bemidji" (J-12), 1987. 1 master video cassette (U-matic) (4 minutes, 58 seconds); 3/4 inches and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
Manhattan Transfer/Edit. No sound.
"Silver Tray" (J-26), 1986. 1 master video cassette (U-matic) (1 minute, 5 seconds); 3/4 inches and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
mgs agency. Poor sound quality.
"Wide Cabin/rev Peter Lawford" (J-09), June 19, 1980. 1 master video cassette (U-matic) (1 minute, 10 seconds); 3/4 inches and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
Campbell-Mithun.
Transitions to Leadership (003), October 1, 1991.
Wilson, John: Strategy presentation, October 22, 1991.
LocationBox
144.E.8.9B36Northwest Airlines Betacam format videocassettes:
Checchi, Al:
Interview (89-07-25 .01), July 5, 1989.
Presentation (048), February 17, 1992.
Clouser, Chris:
Chris Clouser on ad campaign (No. 5) (92-05-33 .05), [1992?].
Interview, February 2, 1995. 3 videocassettes.
Commercials regarding maintenance bases in northeastern Minnesota ("Not for Broadcast") (017/018/019), undated.
Dasburg, John:
Green Bay address (Tape 1), January 11, 1996.
Mission statement speech (020), October 26, 1991.
Sales address, March 3, 1993.
Who is John Dasburg?, September 23, 1993. 3 videocassettes.
DCA Meeting, December 9, 1991. 6 videocassettes.
Executives/employees meeting in Washington, D.C.
Directors meeting, January 9, 1992; "All about Al;" "Iowa;" (030), undated.
"Future is in Your Hands" (040), undated.
VPR Creative Group.
KLM Inaugural (MSP) (91-04-18 .01 and .02), April 2, 1991. 2 videocassettes.
Managers and directors meeting, May 5, 1992. 4 videocassettes.
"Northwest AicCares/Share Our Strength," December 21, 1993.
TeleEdit.
NWA Service '96: Q & A with Dasburg/Adler, January 30, 1996. 2 videocassettes.
One Team, One Goal (SYD No. 18), July 28, 1991.
Laurie Kumerow.
Quality awareness (045), undated.
Quality awareness (92-03-14) (sub-master), undated.
"Some People Know How to Fly" (023), undated.
Special report video (92-05-33 .01 and .02), May 13, 1992. 2 videocassettes.
Includes Herb Ihle, John Wilson, Steve Phillis, Dan Handlin.
TCAS - Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System; Training Scenarios; (88-09-16 .07), [1988?].
Uniform fashion show (91-06-44 .01 and .02), June 19, 1991. 2 videocassettes.
Wilson, John: Gloomy outlook presentation (92-04-28), April 6, 1992.
LocationBox
144.E.8.10F37Doan, Chris: Mission/vision statement to mechanics (002), 1991.
Highlight commercials (91-11-99 .01 and .02), 1991. 2 videocassettes.
TFI.
In-flight shows:
No. 20-12B: West/South, December 1993.
No. 21-1A: East/North, January 1994.
No. 24-4C: International, April 1994.
No. 27-7A: East/North, July 1994.
No. 30-10B: West/South, October 1994.
No. 29-9C: International, September 1994.
CH1: English; CH2: Japanese.
LocationBox
144.E.9.1B38Northwest Airlines VHS format videocassettes:
Advertising, 1992.
"BB History," April 13, 1995.
Includes Austin, San Antonio, Tulsa, Birmingham, and Oklahoma City.
Crash & Sue's Film & Video Post.
"Best of the Best," undated.
Commercial using historical footage.
Checchi interview: State of the airline, March 12, 1991.
WCCO-TV news Dimension report.
Checklist for the Future, undated.
"Come on Up - World Business Class," February 9, 1993.
Juntunen Video, Inc.
Competitive review - Pacific region, January-April 1991.
Corporate Communications/Advertising, 1992.
Dasburg, John:
"Dasburg Strategy," December 23, 1994.
Mission speech, undated.
Twenty-fifth Anniversary speech, undated.
"Who is John Dasburg?," undated.
Domestic 60 Minutes: 255 One Year later, August 15, 1988.
WDIV Ch. 4, Detroit.
Drunk pilots television reports, March 16-17, 1990. 2 videocassettes.
Twin Cities (Minn.) television stations.
"Fighter Meet," 1986.
Ground services recruitment, September 1990.
J. Walter Thompson, May 7, 1992.
Includes "Anthem Spud," "Anthem Ballerinas," and "Anthem."
Djm Films, Inc.
Kirby [Puckett]: "Home Run," undated.
Puckett was a player for the Minnesota Twins baseball club.
MEM-AMS, undated.
New Ways Campaign, undated.
Northwest Airlines Deal, December 16, 1991.
Apparently news clips from Twin Cities (Minn.) television stations.
Northwest Airlines history:
Aircraft parking (A-29), undated.
History/Overview (Slattery), undated.
Military operations (A-20), September 18, 1986.
The EM COM Group, Inc.
NWA history: Vince Doyle, undated.
NWA history narrative (A-19), undated.
Filmed in Vancouver, B.C.
"Restricted Articles" (A-26), undated.
Vince Doyle Collection: Film footage of Northwest Airways to Airlines, undated.
Northwest Experience/Atlanta roll-out, August 11, 1989.
Landor Associates/VCA Teletronics Inc.
Northwest News Magazine:
January 1989.
Box says "March 1989."
September 1989.
Box says "April 1989."
NTN News
December 1988.
January, March 1990. 2 videocassettes.
LocationBox
144.E.9.2F39June, September.-October, December 1990. 4 videocassettes.
January, March-September, November-December, 1991. 11 videocassettes.
May, 1992.
Special report apparently having to do with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
Northwest Video Magazine, September and November 1989. 2 videocassettes.
Northwest World Update, undated. 4 videocassettes.
April Show - 4B; April Show - C; December - 12A; December - 12B.
Officers and directors meeting (92-05-36), May 5, 1992.
"Rose," "Pelts," "Hilliard," "Smith," "Hammontree," February 10, 1994.
Rothmeier, Steven G.: Two Speeches, Q & A session (87-12-23), 1987.
Saatchi & Saatchi Agency, undated. 1 master video cassette (VHS) (15 minutes, 50 seconds); 1/2 inch and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
Compilation of S & S commercials for Northwest Airlines.
Special report video: New financial agreements, undated.
"Spirit," "Twins Win," "Twins Lose," undated.
TCAS news coverage, September 21, 1988.
Television advertising: Southern Airways, North Central Airlines, Hughes Airwest, Republic Airlines, Northwest Airlines, undated. 1 master video cassette (VHS) (1 hour, 10 minutes); 1/2 inches and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
Poor quality.
Television spots (commercials): "Arena," "Score--FFP/FRAN" (J-17), 1986.
Travel Fair (C-16), 1984.
Travel Fair (C-18), 1985-1986.
"Training, Sales & PR Stuff," undated.
Dave Coleman.
"Twin City Tales," undated.
World Business Class; Advertising (broadcast, radio); Product video; Internal video; undated.
World plane clips, March 14, 1997.
LocationBox
144.E.9.3B40Republic Airlines U-Matic format videocassettes:
Republic Airlines history:
T-22. Historical, undated.
T-23. Historical: Commercials, new look, employee orientation, February 15, 1985.
T-29. Historical footage: A Lady Remembered, May 1, 1986.
"Republic Reflections," undated.
Television spots (commercials):
0-18. "Winter Vacation," December 21, 1982.
0-19. "Royal Treatment," "Ryan," "Postcards," Celebrity Service/Channing/Berle Non-Stop," March 5, 1984. 1 master video cassette (U-matic) (2 minutes, 47 seconds); 3/4 inches and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
0-22. Meyers new service; Ft. Meyers generic, undated.
0-23. "Jumpstart," "Bad Day," April 18, 1984.
0-30. "New Service/Atlanta/Hou," "New Service/Memphis/DFW," "New Service/Minneapolis/STL," "New Service/St. Louis/MSP," "New Service/Omaha/PHX," October 25, 1983.
0-32. "Tulsa Teaser," Tulsa Intro.," February 9, 1984.
0-33. Lyric Corp, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Pair Fare, Letters, Celebrity Service, etc., September 15, 1982.
0-39. "Letters/More Cities," "Winter Vacation," "Pair Fare," "Simple as A-B-C," "Letters," etc., March 21, 1983.
0-42. "Spokane/Destinations," November 11, 1982.
Republic Airlines U-Matic master broadcast format videocassettes:
Republic Airlines history:
T-19. Coming Together - Republic and Northwest Orient, February 10, 1986.
T-20. "Rally 'Round Republic," March 20, 1984.
T-24. News of Merger of North Central and [Southern?], [1979?].
T-25. NEWS
Filmed in Minneapolis and Memphis; includes interview with Bernard Sweet, president of Republic.
LocationBox
144.E.9.4F41Television spots (commercials):
0-17. Dancer Fitzgerald Sample: Perks/Business First, November 21, 1984.
0-21. Press Forum (Master), undated.
0-25. "Sunshine" [Los Angeles and Las Vegas], January 18, 1982.
0-34. Buffalo/Rochester/Hartford-Springfield/South Bend/Fort Wayne/Oklahoma City/Tulsa/Kansas City/Birmingham/Baton Rouge/Wichita/Lansing/Milwaukee/Knoxville, undated.
O-35. Tulsa/Atlanta/Memphis/Milwaukee/Orlando/etc., January 13, 1984.
O-36. Dancer Fitzgerald Sample: "Ultimate Super Saver," January 24, 1985.
0-38. Atlanta roll-out, November 29, 1984.
O-40. Fall 1984, December 17, 1984.
O-41. Perks commercials, September 20, 1985.
Travel fairs:
R-06. Republic Airlines consumer, undated.
R-07. Corporate travel manager version, undated.
LocationBox
144.E.8.10F37Republic Airlines open-reel format video:
Republic Airlines history:
T-28. [untitled], undated. 8-inch reel.
Travel fairs:
R-01. Travel agent version, October 29, 1985. 8-inch reel.
R-03. Corporate travel managers version, November 8, 1985. 8-inch reel.
R-05. Consumer version, November 8, 1985. 8-inch reel.
LocationBox
144.E.9.5B42Hughes Airwest videocassettes:
Television spots (commercials):
O-07. Orange County/Las Vegas and Tucson/Denver to Burbank, Orange County/Los Angeles area to Arizona/Burbank, Orange County to Denver/Seattle to Oakland-San Jose/Oakland-San Jose to Seattle/San Francisco area to Arizona, March 1, 1979.
U-Matic master broadcast format.
O-08. Price and Service versions: Flights between Denver, Burbank, Houston, Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Seattle, etc., April 8, 1980.
U-Matic master broadcast format.
O-09. "Business Coach," undated.
U-Matic master broadcast format.
O-10. "Top Banana," undated. 1 master video cassette (U-matic) (16 minutes); 3/4 inches and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
O-11. "Isn't Hawaii," undated.
U-Matic format.
O-15. Flights between Los Angeles, Houston, Denver/Las Vegas, Southern California, Tucson, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake City, undated. 1 master video cassette (U-matic) (11 minutes, 14 seconds); 3/4 inches and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
North Central Airlines U-Matic format videocassettes:
Television spots (commercials):
O-13. "Good People" spots, undated.
O-14. Lift-off Breakfast; Lift-off/Wine basket; Diane/Steak dinner; Door/Continental breakfast; New York/Dinner; New jet/Drinks, October 1975.
O-15. Bored passengers; Plastic food; Direct service; etc., 1978.
O-06. In-flight commercials (food and dinner on various flights), November 19, 1976.
Southern Airways videocassettes:
Television spots (commercials):
O-00. [untitled], undated.
U-Matic master broadcast format. Unable to digitize due to deterioration.
O-01. Orgy; Party; Bum, undated. 1 master video cassette (U-matic) (2 minutes, 45 seconds); 3/4 inches and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
O-02. [untitled], undated. 1 master video cassette (U-matic) (2 minutes, 44 seconds); 3/4 inches and 1 user videodisc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.
U-matic master broadcast format.
LocationBox
Shelf Q-12-G (Room B-105.7)43Northwest Airlines motion pictures:
Airventure U.S.A.: A Northwest Orient Airlines travel feature (Film No. 15), undated.
"Northwest to Alaska"
Grain of Sand, undated.
Television spots (commercials), undated. 1 master film reel (9 minutes, 24 seconds); 16mm and 1 user video file: MP4 (721 MB).
Half the World; Globe; Florida Nightcoach; Florida Dollars; No. 1 to Miami; Hawaii Booklet; Hawaii Dollars; HNL "Big Mamma"; Hong Kong; Orient/Quick Cut; Orient/Wedding; Hong Kong Tram. Campbell-Mithun, Inc., advertising agency.
Television spots (commercials), undated Digital version
The Square World Air Cargo Marketing Forum, undated.
NWA Cargo Sales Division.
They're Playing Our Song, undated.
Republic Airlines
Travel fairs:
1977-1978 (Shari Lewis) (C-9).
1980 (John Byner - London Version).
LocationBox
Shelf Q-12-G (Room B-105.7)441981 (Arte Johnson) (C-13).
1984 (Travel agent version) (C-17).
1985-1986 (C-18). 2 movies.
LocationBox
Shelf Q-12-H (Room B-105.7)45Air Cargo (G-11), 1982-1983.
Minneapolis-St. Paul crash, August 28, 1958. 1 master film reel (4 minutes, 16 seconds): 16mm and 1 user video file: MP4 (380 MB).
Copy of KSTP newsreel.
Minneapolis St. Paul crash, August 28, 1958 Digital version
Travel fairs:
1978-1979 (National Geographic travel agent film) (C-10).
1982 (commercial version) (C-14).
1982 (travel agent version) (C-14).
1984 (corporate version).
Wings that Serve (No. 203), undated.
LocationBox
144.E.9.7B46Audiocassettes: Northwest Airlines radio spots (commercials):
undated. 8 audiocassettes.
1986. 3 audiocassettes.
1987. 2 audiocassettes.
1990.
1991.
1992. 5 audiocassettes.
1994.
1995. 11 audiocassettes.
Open reel audio tapes:
Hughes Airwest: Radio spots (commercials), undated.
North Central Airlines: Radio spot (commercial), undated.
Northwest Airlines:
Nyrop (Donald W.) speech: Service from the Orient to Washington, D.C. (X-09), October 2, 1965.
Radio spots, 1992.
"Kids: 1. Free is Good; 2. Day One Kids."
LocationBox
144.E.9.8F47Slide carousels:
Hughes Airwest:
Travel agent presentation, 1979.
Includes script.
Republic Airlines:
Corporate public relations slide show, 1980.
Includes audiocassette.
Courtesy, undated.
Includes audiocassette.
Courtesy is the Key, undated.
LocationBox
144.E.9.9B48Friendly persuasion, Show 1: The company, 1984.
Includes audiocassette.
Manuals and audiocassettes are located in Subject Files under "Republic Airlines."
High-jacking of Flight 275, 1985 (P-02), 1985.
Includes audiocassette.
Minnesota: Something for You (Tray A), undated.
North Central Airlines. Includes audiocassette.
Northwest Airlines Flight Operations Department slide presentations.
See Flight Operations Department Records, Boxes 25-28.
Political Action Committee presentation, 1985.
Includes script.
LocationBox
144.E.9.10F49Republic Reflections (company history), 1979-1980.
Includes audiocassette.
Sales development corporate slide presentation, 1980.
Includes audiocassette.
Station visit presentation, [ca.1984?].
Includes script.

Return to top


Expand/CollapseFINANCIAL RECORDS

Miscellaneous financial and accounting records retained by the public relations/corporate communications department.


LocationBox
147.G.12.9B1Financial reports and operating statistics:
Audit reports, 1927-1954. 4 folders.
Missing 1929, 1930, 1932-1935, 1937.
Audited financial statements, 1927, 1928, 1931, 1955-1975. 4 folders.
Annual reports to Post Office Department, 1930, 1931, 1934-1937. 2 folders.
Monthly airmail operating statements, 1931.
LocationBox
147.G.12.10F2Operating statistics and financial reports, 1931-1939. 13 folders.
LocationBox
147.G.13.1B3Operating statistics and financial reports, 1940-1947. 5 volumes and 3 folders.
LocationBox
147.G.13.2F4Operating statistics and financial reports, 1948-1951. 2 volumes and 5 folders.
LocationBox
147.G.13.3B5Operating statistics and financial reports:
1952-1953.
1965-1966.
Northwest Airways, Inc.:
"Report" (financial and operating statements), 1929.
Third annual report (unpublished), 1929. (unpublished)
Mileage statistics, 1929.
LocationBox
147.G.13.4F6Operating statistics and financial reports, 1967-1969. 3 volumes.
LocationBox
147.G.13.5B7Operating statistics and financial reports, 1969-1971. 3 volumes.
"F. W. Whittemore." 1 volume.
Employee and equipment performance statistics, with list of staff and assignments, 1932-1933.
Equipment register, 1928-1931. 1 volume.
LocationBox
147.G.13.6F8Operating statistics and financial reports, 1972-1974. 3 volumes.
LocationBox
147.G.13.7B9Accounting volumes:
Account book, 1929-1931.
General ledger, 1928-1930.
LocationBox
142.C.19.411Journal, 1929-1931.
LocationBox
147.G.13.7B9Journal vouchers, 1932-1934.
Traffic accounts receivable (airlines), 1939-1946.
Trial balance ledger, 1929-1932.
LocationBox
144.E.10.1B50General ledger, May 24, 1934-June 30, 1937.
Journal vouchers, April 16, 1934-June 1941.
Ledger, 1929-1931.
LocationBox
147.G.13.9B12Miscellaneous financial records:
Purchase agreements, credit agreements, quarterly reports:
Purchase agreements with Boeing Company, 1961-1968. 12 folders.
LocationBox
147.G.13.10F13Purchase agreements with Boeing Company, Lockheed, McDonnell Douglas, 1950s-1960s. Includes 11 volumes.
Miscellaneous NWA quarterly reports.
NWA credit agreements, 1947-1956.
LocationBox
144.E.10.2F51Credit agreements:
1958-1964.
1967-1972.
Financial statement, 1950.
Forms 10-K:
1959-1975. 3 folders.
1986-1987.
Insurance agreement (1958-1973).
Operating statements and financial reports, 1985-1989. 7 folders.
"Grey Book." Called "Financial and Statistical Report" beginning March 1988.
Prospectus and reference stock information, 1958.
Prospectuses, 1964, 1969.
Quarterly reports, 1980.
SEC registration statement, 1969. (Form S-7)

Return to top


Expand/CollapseFLIGHT OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT RECORDS

Include several boxes of training material (including slide presentations) and manuals used in the training of flight crews. There are ten slide carousels with accompanying audiocassettes, for training on everything from cold weather operations to crew communications to wind shear; pilot handbooks for some of the most common jet and turbo-prop aircraft; and initial hire pilot instructional manuals. There are also domestic menu manuals, a sales department manual, and three employee manuals for Mesaba Aviation Inc. There are pilot handbooks and aircraft operating manuals that were selected from dozens of such items to reflect major aircraft types, and to focus on manuals developed largely by Northwest itself, rather than borrowed from the FAA or from aircraft manufacturers.


LocationBox
148.F.9.3B21Flight crew manuals:
Boeing 727:
Aircraft operating manual, 1964-1988. 2 volumes.
Quick reference handbook, 1983-1985.
LocationBox
148.I.12.5B25Operations manual--training manual (Vol. A), 1948-1960. 3 volumes.
Slide carousels with tapes (some include scripts):
Basic indoctrination: NWA advertising campaign, 1982.
LocationBox
148.I.12.6F26General:
Digital radar, 1978.
Wind shear and sensory illusions, 1977. 2 carousels.
LocationBox
148.I.12.7B27Meteorology: Mountain wave and turbulence plot, 1989.
Includes script.
OPS briefs:
No. 57: Hijacking communications, May 1980.
No. 71: Low level wind shear escape techniques, May 1983.
Includes script.
LocationBox
148.I.12.8F28No. 77: Cold weather operations (revised), November 1983.
Special OPS brief: Crew communications, March 1, 1980. 2 carousels.

Return to top


Expand/CollapseMETEOROLOGY DEPARTMENT RECORDS

LocationBox
149.H.6.8F16Flight standards bulletins, 1964-1986.
Fog dispersal:
Los Angeles, 1970.
Seoul, South Korea, undated and 1970.
Spokane Airways fog seeding operations, 1988-1990. 2 folders.
Manager's memoranda and reports, 1984-1990. 3 folders.
Frederick E. Brennan.
Manuals:
Aeronautical meteorology, 1948-1959.
General refresher, 1987.
Unidentified, undated and 1968-1978. 2 folders.
"727 Ship Manual."
Missoula (Mont.): Visibility data, 1950-1970.
Ozone contamination in aircraft cabins, 1963-1982. 2 folders.
Study reports:
Forecasting Marginal Weather Conditions, undated.
Saul Singer.
Proposed Landing System for Duluth Airport, 1964.
F.A.A.
Proposed Landing System for Twin Cities Airport, 1964.
F.A.A.
Supersonic Aircraft, undated and 1963-1969. 2 folders.
Trop/Wind Forecasts for the New Northwest, [ca.1987?].
Turbulence plot program:
undated and 1965-1990.
Storm detection weather radar code, undated and 1976-1983.
Wind shear:
Crash of Canadian Pacific airplane at Tokyo (March 4, 1966), undated and 1966-1976.
LocationBox
148.K.17.6F17Low-level wind shear, undated and 1963-1987. 2 folders.
Miscellaneous correspondence and papers, undated and 1982-1986.

Return to top


Expand/CollapsePHOTOGRAPHS

Primarily 8 x 10 black-and-white prints documenting the history of Northwest Airlines and commercial aviation in general. Includes photos of various aircraft used by Northwest. There are images depicting airmail and express mail service; maintenance and construction of aircraft; modification of planes into WWII bombers; airports around the United States; christenings of planes and inaugural flights for service routes; company executives; employees; uniforms; cargo and passenger spaces in planes; live cargo; and cargo loading equipment.


LocationBox
147.G.14.1B14720B courtesy flights, [circa 1950].
LocationBox
142.G.9.1B-152Accidents: Photograph of floral memorial at Flight 255 crash site, [1987].
Additional information about the crash of Flight 255 is found in Accident Files, Box 30.
Advertising agency photo albums:
[1980s?].
12 x 16 color photographs of Northwest Airlines airplanes in the air over Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, New York City, Minneapolis, and what appears to be the Grand Canyon, and at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Includes some loose photos. Davis, Gibson Advertising Ltd., London, England.
[ca.1981?]. 2 volumes.
8 x 10 color aerial views of Minneapolis and St. Paul, photographs of maintenance and other personnel at work, and photos of Northwest airplanes landing, taking off, and on the ground at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Includes 747s and DC-10s. Davis, Gibson Advertising.
[1980s or 1990s].
"Photo reference prints" and "757." 5 x 5 color photographs of Northwest Airlines airplanes in the air, probably over the western United States. Also interior shots. Davis, Gibson Advertising.
LocationBox
147.G.14.1B14[1980s?].
Color photographs of Northwest Airlines airplanes in the air. Image in Industry Ltd., London, England.
[ca.1980]-1983.
Primarily 8 x 10 color photos of Northwest Airlines airplanes over major American cities. Image in Industry Ltd. Includes several additional loose photographs.
Airplane interiors (passenger), [1930, 1970-1976].
Airplanes, undated and 1959-1961.
Airports, undated and [1931-1975].
Includes identified and unidentified airports.
Airports and installations:
Images of buildings, runways, waiting areas, ticket counters, and travel agent offices.
Alaska, undated and 1952-1956.
Anchorage and Fairbanks.
District of Columbia, June 1956.
Florida, 1959-1960.
Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Georgia, 1959-1962.
Hawaii, 1955.
Illinois, undated and 1955-1959.
Michigan, undated.
Minnesota:
undated and 1955-1957.
Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester.
Minneapolis (Wold-Chamberlain Field), undated.
St. Paul (Holman Field), 1933.
St. Paul Modification Center, undated and 1944.
Montana, undated and 1956-1959.
Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell.
New York, [circa 1954].
North Dakota, undated and 1933, 1952-1958.
Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown.
Ohio:
Cleveland ticket office, [1960s?].
Vandalia Modification Center, undated and 1943.
Oregon, undated and 1944.
Pennsylvania, undated and 1966.
Virginia, [1960].
Washington, undated and 1944.
Seattle, Spokane, Yakima.
Wisconsin, 1951-1960.
Madison, Milwaukee.
Canada, undated and 1955.
Japan, 1953-1955.
Korea, 1950-1953.
Philippines, undated and 1962.
Taiwan (Taipei), undated.
Annual report photographs, 1976.
Annual report photographs and negatives, 1974.
Annual report slides, 1986.
Cargo:
Air Express Story, undated.
Includes narrative.
Interior of planes (cargo), undated.
Live cargo, undated and [1940]-1957.
Includes perishables, pets, domestic animals, and exotic animals and birds.
Loading, [1940-1975].
Loading hoists used for cargo lifting, [1940-1975].
[Newsworthy], [1940-1975].
Cargo that generated an announcement or press release or was otherwise considered unusual. Original file title was "Cargo: Misc."
Century 21 Exposition (Seattle, Washington.), 1962.
Computerization, [1960-1975].
Computerization of ticket, reservation, and customer service activities, etc.
Control towers, undated.
Conversion of the City of Bismarck, North Dakota, undated.
Credit union board of directors, January 1956.
Executives:
Archer, Shreve M., undated and 1942.
Crosson, Tom, undated.
Horn, John, undated.
Hunter, Croil, undated and 1940-1957.
LocationBox
147.G.14.2F15Hunter, Croil, undated and 1943-1958.
Lapensky, M. Joseph, undated and 1966-1983.
May, Daniel F., undated and [1983?].
Nyrop, Donald W., undated and 1955-1970.
Rothmeier, Steven G., undated.
Sweet, Bernard, undated.
Wolf, Stephen M., undated and 1984-1985.
Miscellaneous photocopies of photographs, undated and 1975-1981.
Flight attendants, [1970s?].
See also Stewardesses, below.
Flight operations, [1970s?].
Flood: Holman Field (St. Paul), 1952.
Fokker Tri-Plane owned by David Gauthier, [1965-1975].
Formosa flight, June 1950.
Interview with [China's] Chiang Kai Shek in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Historical file:
Airmail, 1928-1951.
Airplanes, [1917-1975].
Includes planes built by Stinson, Lockheed, Waco, Boeing, Douglas, Ford, and Curtis.
Earhart, Amelia, 1933.
Employees, [1930-1975].
First flight to Shanghai, July 15, 1947.
Holman Field (St. Paul), [1930-1940].
Lindbergh, Charles, undated.
Military, [1940-1975].
Oxygen masks and equipment, 1930-1940.
Passengers, [1925-1975].
Storefront window display, undated.
Hughes Airwest airplanes, undated.
Inaugurations and christenings:
Airports, undated and 1945-1960.
Aberdeen, South Dakota; Anchorage, Alaska; Braniff, New York; Duluth, Minnesota; Kalispell, Montana; Newark, New Jersey; Rochester, Minnesota; and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Boeing Stratocruiser, undated and 1952.
Cleveland Ohio to Tokyo, Japan flight, October 2, [1950].
Coast-to-coast service (New York opening), June 1, 1945.
DC-4 airplane, 1945, 1946.
DC-6B airplane, April 1954.
Service to Manila, Philippines.
DC-7C airplane, 1958, 1959.
DC-8C, [November] 1960.
Service to Okinawa, Japan.
Direct 747 service to Tokyo (negatives only), April 26, 1983.
Direct service from New York City k to Manila, Philippines, April 1, 1953.
First commercial flight, 1947.
Flights: U.S. cities, undated and 1945-1965. 2 folders.
Alaska; Atlanta; Chicago/Cleveland; Cleveland/Philadelphia; Chicago/[Miami]; Detroit-Wayne County/Philadelphia; Honolulu; Milwaukee/[Miami]; Milwaukee/Philadelphia; New York/Chicago; Portland; [Seattle]; Tampa.
Jet service, undated and November 1965.
Lockheed Electra, September 1959.
Martin 2-0-2, March-April 1947.
Okinawa (airplane), March 15, 1948.
St. Paul to Chicago, May 1, 1933.
Through service Tokyo, Japan/Minneapolis-St. Paul/Detroit/Philadelphia, [Aug 28], 1966.
Turbo Constellation, February-March 1955.
Twin Cities - Chicago night airmail service, 1928.
La Monte, Jim, [circa 1930]-1931.
Lost and found office, [1960].
Main base VIP tour, 1961.
Northwest Orient junket, [1974].
Northwest Passage beam, undated.
Overhaul base (St. Paul):
Cylinder shop, 1956.
Electronics shop, 1955.
Engine shop, undated and 1953-1955.
Fabric shop, undated.
LocationBox
144.E.10.3B53Flap shop, undated.
Fuels, fluids, etc., undated.
Hangars, [circa 1929] and [circa 1955].
Hydraulic shop, September, 1955.
Inspections, [1953-1955].
Maintenance docks, undated and 1944.
Metal shop, undated.
Paint and trim shop, undated.
Propeller shop, undated and 1938-1954.
Wheel and brake shop, undated and 1954.
Pacific Region's 40th anniversary, undated and 1987.
Passages: Miscellaneous photos, 1986.
Photo albums:
Harold Stassen western campaign tour, 1948.
Northwest to the Orient, [ca.1947?].
Photographs, undated and 1937-1952.
Includes stratocruiser christenings and a number of unidentified personal and family photographs that may be related to Charles "Speed" Holman.
Photos: Aircraft, 1920s-1960s.
Photos: Non-aircraft, 1930s-1960s.
Photos: Orient, undated.
Republic Airlines, undated.
Sales/Promotions [Department], [1950-1976].
Service awards, [1957-1974].
Simulators, undated.
Skycaps, undated.
Sports teams: Leagues and sponsorships, [1973-1976].
Stewardesses (group pictures):
See also Flight Attendants, above.
1962-1966. 2 folders.
1968-1970. 2 folders.
Traffic Managers' Conference, July 24-29, 1944.
Uniforms, [1940-1976].
War effort:
undated and 1943.
Bomber Modification Center: "E" Award ceremony, November 24, 1944.
At Holman Field, St. Paul, Minnesota.
B. Curry photo album (disassembled), [1944?].
Northwest/U.S. Army Air Force, undated and 1943.
World War II:
Air Transport Command Northern Region operation, 1943.
Bomber Modification Center (Holman Field, St. Paul), [1942-1944].
Bomber Modification Center (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Vandalia, Ohio), 1943.
Corregidor Island and other Philippine Islands locations, undated.
Ingrid Bergman presents watch to William Alvin, highest war bond buyer at the Bomber Modification Center, November 25, 1944.
"Production for Victory" show (Minneapolis), February 1944.
Miscellaneous photos, undated.

Return to top


Expand/CollapsePUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT RECORDS

LocationBox
148.K.17.7B18Directors' meetings files:
Milwaukee, April 27, 1959.
Portland, Ore., July 27, 1959.
San Francisco, August 29, 1960.
Tokyo, October 30, 1961.
Cleveland, Ohio, September 30, 1963.
Miami, Fla., January 25, 1965.
Seattle, October 25, 1965.
Hijacking files:
Flight 714, July 1, 1968: To Cuba. 2 folders.
Flight 334, January 22, 1970: To Cuba.
Flight 305, November 24, 1971: D. B. Cooper.
Hijacker Cooper parachuted out of the airplane near Ariel, Wash.
Flight 734, December 24, 1971: Minneapolis-Chicago flight.
Flight 22, May 8, 1977: Tokyo-Honolulu flight.
Flight 608, July 11, 1980: Seattle.
Historical Files:
Air Transport Association membership, 1936-1947, 1961, 1975.
Alaska-Orient route, 1943-1958.
LocationBox
148.K.17.8F19Amelia Earhart and related correspondence, 1932-1933.
Earhart worked on behalf of NWA on a Lockheed aircraft deal and during the Billings-Seattle route controversy.
Aviation in Minnesota, [1920s-1950s].
Billings-Seattle route controversy, 1933. 2 folders.
Clippings, 1934-1972.
Delta-C&S Air Lines, 1954.
Eastern Air Lines, undated and 1955.
Fifteenth Orient service anniversary, 1962.
General historical data, 1926-1978. 2 folders.
Harris, Harold R. (NWA president): Resignation, 1954.
Historic covers, 1935-1936.
Historical sketches and related printed matter, 1929-1976.
Korean airlift, 1950-1952.
NWA main base (MSP) tour guide's manual, 1962.
NWA thirty-fifth anniversary, 1928-1961.
Northwest Airlines, Inc. wartime activities, [ca.1944].
Orient route service, [1970s].
Orient tour sponsorship, 1962.
President's "E" Award, 1964.
Award for developing U.S. export markets.
Press releases:
Domestic travel, undated and 1962-1966.
Hawaii/Orient travel, undated and 1960-1966.
Miscellaneous, undated and 1948-1955.
"Quick Facts about NWA," 1950-1954.
Return of samurai sword to Japan, 1956-1957.
Routes and extensions, [1940s-1960s].
Includes many photographs.
Salute to NWA and Donald Nyrop by St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, 1976.
Includes audio cassette of special presentation at that event.
White, Marlene (stewardess): Racial discrimination case, 1962-1963.
You and the Jet Age, 1958.
Airline careers pamphlet.
LocationBox
148.K.18.1B20Service inauguration files:
Miami, Fla.: Mon Lei promotion, December 1, 1958.
Hilo, Hawaii, December 17, 1967.
Bozeman, Montana: Jet service, October 27, 1968.
Fargo-Chicago, April 1, 1968.
Montana service reductions, 1960.
Strike files:
Flight engineers' strike, 1960-1961. 3 folders.
International Association of Machinists strike, 1966.
Stewardess negotiations, 1967.
Other public relations files:
Confidential report regarding inability of NWA in domestic operations to be permanently self-sustaining at service mail rates as well as the relative earnings of Northwest, [ca.1951]. (NWA to C.A.B.)
Minnesota's Airport System (7-States Area Investigation, Docket No. 7454, State of Minn., Exhibit No. 5), [1956?].
Northwest Airlines, Inc. and Capital Airlines, Inc.: Merger application to Civil Aeronautics Board, May 1952. Vol. 1: Joint Exhibits. 1 volume.
Public relations manual, [ca.1950s].
"Report on Northwest Airlines, Inc.," Alvin P. Adams and Associates, 1949.
Aviation consultants.
"Spirit," 1991. 1 videocassette (VHS). 2 copies.
Probably produced in 1991 when the company was seeking public loans from the state of Minnesota. See also Audio and Video Recordings, Box 35.
Transatlantic promotion, 1978.
Transpacific route investigation, 1966.
C.A.B. Docket 16242.
Miscellaneous advertising printeds, [1950s-1960s].
Miscellaneous printed literature, 1944, 1966-1982.
Includes timetables, fare summaries, and other customer literature.
Miscellany, undated and 1951-1985.

Return to top


Expand/CollapseSUBJECT FILES

LocationBox
142.C.19.411A Million Miles Without an Accident, 1929.
Illustrated promotional book.
LocationBox
147.G.13.8F10Advertising binders (disassembled):
Include print ads and promotional literature.
undated and 1952-1957. 2 folders.
1957.
Alaska fishing excursion, [ca.1956].
Florida and the Caribbean, undated and 1965-1976.
Advertising Update (manual), 1988.
Agency and interline-related material, 1946-1976.
Agreement with Pennsylvania Railroad Company, 1955.
Aircraft lease agreements, 1961-1970.
Aircraft modification agreement no. 26: Boeing 747, 1971.
Aircraft purchase agreements:
No. 86: Boeing 727-51, 1963-1965.
No. 226: Boeing 747-51 and 747-51C, 1967.
No. 281: Boeing 727-251, 1967.
No. 400: Boeing 747B-51, 1969.
Airvision, 1988.
A system providing LCD color television for each passenger via a small screen installed on the backs of airliner seats. Airvision was a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Philips of The Netherlands.
Airwest: Northwest Airlines database report, 1991.
Annual reports: Correspondence and memoranda, 1983-1988.
Annual report to employees, 1989.
Audio-visual materials:
747 slide show script, 1971.
Master video log, 1990-1991.
Tape logs, 1990.
Video needs assessment and plan, 1991.
Biographies of early NWA airmail pilots, [1929].
Includes Charles W. Holman, Chadwick B. Smith, Walter R. Bullock, Fred W. Whittemore, Homer F. Cole, John F. Malone, Leon S. DeLong, Mal B. Freeburg, Lee Smith, and J. E. Ohrbeck.
Boeing 720B jet airliner, 1961.
Bonanza Air Lines:
Conversion to all jet-powered service, 1960-1961.
Presentation of scale model Fairchild F-27 Turbo-prop airplane to the Smithsonian Institution, 1962.
Buildings and facilities:
Building "B" (old headquarters building, located near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport), undated and 1980.
Main Base Facts and Photos, 1960.
"Northwest Orient Airlines new Systemwide General Office and Overhaul Base, Twin Cities International Airport, Wold Chamberlain Field, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota."
New general office (Eagan, Minn.), 1985-1986.
Includes print photos and color slides.
Calgary (Alta.), [circa 1981].
China route file, 1980.
Civil Aeronautics Authority, 1939.
LocationBox
142.C.19.411Civil Aeronautics Authority certificates, 1939.
Certificates authorizing Northwest to operate between Chicago and Winnipeg via the Twin Cities (Minn.) and Fargo and Grand Forks, N. D.) (Certificate No. 4) and between Fargo and Seattle via Bismarck-Mandan (N. D.) and Billings (Mont.) (Certificate No. 5).
LocationBox
147.G.13.8F10Clippings, undated and 1929-1960, 1986-1993.
LocationBox
142.G.9.1B-254Clippings scrapbooks:
Curry, E. B., 1943-1945.
Includes stories about airplane crashes, the war effort (World War II), and the Northwest-Vandalia Modification Center, Vandalia, Ohio. Stories clipped from Minnesota (especially Twin Cities) and Ohio newspapers.
Larson, Fred M., 1941-1956.
Includes stories about airplane crashes and fatalities, tornadoes and snowstorms, airplane test flights, the war effort (World War II), the inauguration of new routes, and a mechanics strike (1946). Stories clipped mainly from Twin Cites newspapers.
Zawasky, Ted S., 1941-1948.
Includes Northwest Airlines newspaper advertisements, and stories about airplane crashes, service reductions (1942), schedule changes and the addition of flights, railroad passenger service to Rochester, Minn., Northwest Airlines staff changes, airplane purchases, human interest stories (including stories about people flying into Rochester for treatment at the Mayo Clinic), and stories about Zawasky. There are also various programs, certificates, letters, and other items pasted into the scrapbook. Zawasky was Northwest's district traffic manager at Rochester, Minn. Most of the stories are taken from the Rochester Post-Bulletin.
LocationBox
142.G.9.1B-152 August 1941-April 1944.
Includes September 1942 issue of The Northwest Airlines Beam.
LocationBox
144.E.10.4F55Code of business conduct, 1983.
Collective bargaining agreements (photocopies), 1937-1947.
Company publications:
Field and Hangar, 1944-1945.
Newsletter for employees of the Northwest Airlines St. Paul modification center.
Miscellaneous, undated and 1950-1997.
Copenhagen explosion, 1985.
Corporate contributions:
1953-1972.
1985-1988. 4 folders.
Corporate history:
1956, [ca.1985].
Birth of an Airline, undated.
Inter-office memos and press releases, 1928-1944.
Newspaper clippings, 1931-1948.
Newspaper clippings index, 1919-1943.
Typescript narrative, [ca.1939?].
"History, Northwest Airways, Inc."
Miscellaneous material, 1926-1998.
Corporate logo, 1963-1964.
Corporate organizational chart, 1945.
Corporate papers (miscellaneous), 1931-1942.
Includes letters to shareholders, notices of meetings, and related papers.
Corporate visual identity manual, undated [1970s?].
Douglas Aircraft Company: DC-10 Super Ranger, 1972.
Durenberger and Boschwitz, 1980-1984.
Dave Durenberger and Rudy Boschwitz were Republican U.S. senators from Minnesota.
Employee Communication Program, 1984-1986. 4 folders.
Files of William C. Wren, Vice President - Public Relations.
Employees, 1952-1956.
Employees and executives: Hardesty, Donald H., 1954-1973.
Northwest Airlines Vice President - Finance.
LocationBox
142.G.9.1B-254Fare chart, undated.
Reverse side features time comparisons with railroad travel.
LocationBox
144.E.10.5B56Flight attendant policy manual, 1988.
LocationBox
142.C.19.411Flight dispatch record, 1941-1942.
LocationBox
144.E.10.5B56"Flight Kit," 1946.
Packet of informational materials and stationery distributed to passengers.
Flight operations, 1982-1986.
Graphs of revenue passenger miles flown, 1949-1972.
Great Northern Railway/Northern Pacific Railway: Joint report on Northwest Airways, Inc., 1934.
History of the Martin 202 aircraft in Northwest Airlines domestic operations, 1953.
Hughes Airwest:
Corporate profiles, 1975-1979.
Destination backgrounders, undated and 1972-1979.
Hughes Airwest (employee newsletter), 1975-1979. 2 folders.
Merger with Republic Airlines, 1978-1980.
News releases ("Teleflashes"), 1980.
Northwest Airlines database reports, 1991.
Pamphlets and miscellaneous papers, undated and 1974-1979.
Sundancer (in-flight magazine), June, October 1980.
Hunter, Croil:
President and general manager of Northwest Airlines.
Biographical and miscellaneous material, 1947-1970.
Speeches and historical material, 1945-1952. 2 folders.
Law Department, 1974-1976.
Marketing programs planning conference, 1991. 3 folders.
Marketing pulse report, 1992.
Media reference guide (folder 1), 1994.
LocationBox
144.E.10.6F57Media reference guide (folder 2), 1994.
LocationBox
144.E.10.6F57Merger with Republic Airlines: Press kit, 1986.
Merger Notes newsletter, 1986.
Published by Northwest Orient Public Relations Department to keep Northwest and Republic Airlines employees informed about the progress of the Northwest-Republic merger.
Mergers: Republic/North Central/Southern/Hughes Airwest, 1978-[1980].
LocationBox
148.I.12.9B29Mesaba Aviation, Inc.:
Emergency procedures manual: Vol. 12, 1989-1994.
Employee handbook, 1994.
Policies and procedures manual, 1989-1993.
LocationBox
144.E.10.6F57Minnesota Business Partnership, 1985-1988. 5 folders.
Files of William C. Wren, Northwest Airlines Vice President - Public Relations.
Murray, Walter J:
Advertising materials and employment contract, undated and 1946-1955.
We Japanese: Vols. I and II., 1946-1947. 2 volumes.
These books were the property of Ann King, wife of Don King, who was the chief pilot in Northwest Airlines' negotiations with the Japanese Government for landing rights in the 1940s. The books give a vivid insight into American-Japanese relations in the 1930s and 1940s, and of the ways in which the Japanese sought to present themselves and their culture to the world at that time. Each volume is inscribed "Ann King, Tokyo - 1947."
LocationBox
142.C.19.411National Safety Council awards, 1937-1938, 1940-1941.
Awards given to Northwest for operating without passenger or crew fatalities.
LocationBox
144.E.10.6F57North Central Airlines:
Merger with Southern Airways, Inc., [ca.1978].
Northwest Airlines database report, 1991.
Pamphlets, company histories, and miscellaneous material, 1956-1978.
Includes West Coast Airlines and North Central Airlines timetables (1956 and 1962), a souvenir map, Northliner
NWA Historical Archives: Miscellaneous memoranda, 1976.
Northwest Orient Airlines Company, 1926-1927.
Nyrop, Donald W.:
Northwest Airlines president, chairman, and CEO.
1975-1978.
Biographical and miscellaneous material, undated and 1954-1979.
News clippings, 1954-1979. 2 folders.
Tony Jannus Award, 1978-1979.
LocationBox
148.I.12.9B29Organizational structure (organization charts), 1986-1987.
LocationBox
144.E.10.6F57Pacific Air Lines: Anonymous letters concerning advertising campaign, 1967.
Past shift schedules, undated and 1984-1990.
Lists of NWA flights.
LocationBox
144.E.10.7B58Philippines: Permission to do business, 1947.
Permission to do business in the Philippines; amendments to articles of incorporation.
Pilots: Lite Off.
Printed items (miscellaneous), undated and 1947-1968.
Promotional material (miscellaneous), undated and [ca.1980].
Purchase agreement: General Precision Systems B747-51 Digital flight simulator, 1968.
Republic Airlines:
Company history, undated and 1982.
Hughes Airwest acquisition, 1980.
Friendly Persuasion salesmanship seminar:
A company-sponsored training program for reservations agents.
Audiocassettes 1-9, undated. 3 folders.
Manuals:
undated. 2 folders.
Senior reservation agents, undated.
Museum and retirees, 1984-1987.
Organization plan, 1983.
Retirees and pilots' wives, 1983-1985. 2 folders.
Route maps, systems, and city service, 1978-1991.
Miscellany, 1983.
Rothmeier, Steven G.: Correspondence and clippings, 1985-1989.
Files of William C. Wren, Northwest Airlines Vice President - Public Relations. Rothmeier was Chairman and CEO of Northwest Airlines.
Route and system maps, 1966.
Route proposals, 1966-1967.
Sales: "Ringmaster" contest and sales campaign, 1952-1953.
Sales Department: Publications, 1974-1977.
LocationBox
148.I.12.9B29Sales program: Sales Department manual, 1973-1979.
LocationBox
144.E.10.7B58Schedule (timetable), [ca.1929].
Service inauguration files: China, 1984.
Additional service inauguration files are found in Public Relations Department Records.
Shareholders: Annual meeting materials, 1970-1987.
LocationBox
144.E.10.8F59Smoking ban on Northwest airplanes, 1988-1989.
Takeover clippings, March-July 1989. 4 folders.
Takeover files:
Acquisition: Interested buyers, 1989. 2 folders.
Checchi group, 1989-1990.
Tokyo media seminar, May 15-16, 1995.
File of William C. Wren, Northwest Airlines Vice President - Public Relations.
Transatlantic Route application, 1977.
Twenty-five year service award banquet, 1987.
West Coast Airlines:
News releases, 1962-1970. 3 folders.
Public Relations Department presentation ("WCA Story") notebook, 1968.
Wild card route case (Docket 35752) re: Service from Minneapolis-St. Paul to London, [circa 1980?].
Wren: Tokyo media seminar, May 15-16, 1995.

Return to top


Expand/CollapseRESERVE MATERIAL

Location
Reserve 18Amelia Earhart and related correspondence, March 9, July 16, and November 12, 1933.
Restricted.
Photocopies of these three letters are also filed with Public Relations Department Records: Historical Files: Amelia Earhart and related correspondence.
Amelia Earhart to Croil Hunter, Northwest Airlines, 1933 Digital version

Return to top


Expand/CollapseRELATED MATERIALS

Records of Republic Airlines, which merged into Northwest Airlines, are also in the Minnesota Historical Society manuscript collections.

Return to top

Expand/CollapseCATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:
Advertising.
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States.
Air mail service.
Air travel.
Aircraft accidents.
Airlines -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
Airplane factories -- Photographs.
Airplanes -- Maintenance and repair -- Photographs.
Airplanes, Military--Modification.
Airports -- Photographs.
Bombers.
Business enterprises -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.
Cargo handling -- Equipment -- Photographs.
Consolidation and merger of corporations.
Employees -- Training of.
Flight attendants -- Photographs.
Hijacking of aircraft.
Leveraged buyouts.
Strikes and lockouts -- Airlines.
World War, 1939-1945.
Persons:
Brennan, Frederick E.
Checchi, Alfred A., 1948-.
Dasburg, John, 1943-.
Earhart, Amelia, 1897-1937.
Holman, Charles Willis, 1898-1931.
Hunter, Croil, 1893-1970.
Nyrop, Donald William, 1912-.
Rothmeier, Steven G., 1946-.
Sowa, Daniel F.
Wilson, Gary.
Wren, William.
Organizations:
Boeing Company.
Hughes Airwest.
Mesaba Aviation Inc.
North Central Airlines.
Northwest Airways, inc.
Republic Airlines.
Southern Airways, Inc.
West Coast Airlines.
Types of Documentation:
Financial records.
Photographs.
Schedules.
Video recordings (physical artifacts).
Manuals.
Slides.
Occupations:
Aviation mechanics (Persons) -- Minnesota -- Photographs.
Flight crews.

Return to top