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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Northwest Airlines Corporation

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: 1934-1947, 1986-2010 - 2010

Historical Note

Northwest Airlines was a major United States airline from 1926 to 2010. Initially established as Northwest Airways, Inc. it became Northwest Airlines in 1933. From 1947 through 1986, the airline was referred to as Northwest Orient Airlines between 1947 and 1986. The word 'Orient' was used after the airlines expanded their route map to include flights to Asia. It was removed from the airline name after the 1986 merger with Republic Airlines. The airline ceased operations when it was acuired and merged into Delta Air Lines.

Found in 21 Collections and/or Records:

Ed Brown Northwest Airlines Photographs

 Collection — Folder 1
Identifier: 1995-06-20-A
Content Description

The collection is comprised of four photographs of Northwest Airways aircraft, dated August 1933. Aircraft include a Ford Tri-motor 5AT (NC8410), Travel Air 6000 (NC8754), Stearman C3 (NC6255), and Sikorsky S-38 (NC303N). Photographs were taken at the Northwest Airways Overhaul Base at Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Dates: 1933 August

Mary Christensen Commercial Airlines Collection

 Collection — Folder 1
Identifier: 2000-09-13
Contents of the Collection

The collection includes route maps, schedules, and brochures by Northwest Airlines and Western Air Lines, circa 1940s. Materials from both airlines feature the Douglas DC-4 and DC-3 aircraft in their promotional art. Also included is a Souvenir Air Log by Northwest Airlines, which unfolds to a reversible map that features domestic and international routes along with trivia about the science of air travel.

Dates: Circa 1945-1950

Ethyl Y. Dale Airman's World Annotated Book

 Collection — Box 1
Identifier: 1982-02-11-A
Content Description The Ethyl Y. Dale Airman's World Annotated Book is a small collection consisting of one book that Dale used as a travel diary from 1932-1969. The book is a copy of Airman's World published by William Morrow in New York in 1933. Dale recorded all the flights she took throughout the pages of the book. She noted in the page margins the origins and destinations of her flights, occasionally recorded the date, and had...
Dates: 1932-1969

Norman Damborg Lockheed and Northwest Airlines Collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1984-12-28-B
Contents of the Collection

The collection is comprised of Northwest Airlines and Northwest Orient Airlines promotional material highlighting Lockheed aircraft. A Lockheed-Northwest Sales Development Material kit includes three lithographs and a photograph of Lockheed military and commercial aircraft. The collection also includes a Northwest Orient Airlines in-flight entertainment booklet containing puzzles and trivia about the Lockheed Super Constellation.

Dates: Circa 1950s

Edward Doelker Northwest Airlines Collection

 Collection — Box One
Identifier: 2023-09-19
Contents of the Collection The Edward Doelker Northwest Airlines Collection is comprised of textual materials collected by Edward Doelker during his career in equipment services for Northwest Airlines (NWA), 1961-1997. The bulk of the collection is personnel records, including work-related correspondence, performance appraisals and certificates of commendation, grievance claims and appeals, and Northwest Airline company policies. There is also a small amount of NWA ephemera, including luggage tags, a notepad, and a...
Dates: 1961-1997, undated

Jack H. Frazelle Collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2015-08-17
Contents of the Collection The Jack H. Frazelle Collection is comprised of photographs and textual materials collected by and/or given to Jack H. Frazelle during his 20+ year career as Assistant Manager of Boeing Field. Materials range from the 1910s to the 1980s.The collection includes assorted photographs, both in color and black-and-white, depicting aircraft, both in flight and on the ground; Boeing facilities; and one image of the Graf Zeppelin in a hangar in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Some of the...
Dates: circa 1910s-1980s

Don Gray Northwest Airlines Collection

 Collection — Folder 1
Identifier: 1995-04-27
Contents of the Collections

The collection is comprised of a Northwest Airlines Souvenir Flight Packet containing tickets, timetables, brochures, route maps, decal, postcards, and assorted travel receipts. Packet was received during a Northwest Airlines flight between New York and Seattle in July, 1954. Most of the brochures and postcards feature a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.

Dates: 1954

Esther (Hutchings) Hebrew Western Airlines Flight Attendant Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2021-12-10
Contents of the Collection The Esther (Hutchings) Hebrew Western Airlines Flight Attendant Collection consists of textual and visual materials gathered by Hebrew during her career as a stewardess for Western Airlines (WAL) in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The materials illuminate the work and life of flight attendants in the mid-twentieth century. The collection is organized in two series: Western Airlines career-related materials and other airlines. There are several files of textual materials related...
Dates: 1945-1951, undated

Frank L. Houston Collection

 Collection — Box One
Identifier: 2016-12-01
Contents of the Collection The collection is comprised of primarily textual materials with a small amount of photographs relating to the World War II and post-war flight career of pilot Frank "Sam" Houston, 1940-1980. The textual materials include a 1940 high school graduation diploma for Houston, eight (8) war ration booklets, circa 1942-1943; five (5) pilot log books, which span from Houston's learning to fly in 1942 through 1966, including some of his time as a pilot with Northwest Airlines. The log books include...
Dates: 1940-1980

Alda Jane Lewis Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 2012-03-19
Abstract

Alda Jane Lewis (1923-2012) was born in Ohio and worked as a United Airlines flight attendant. The collection contains photographs, manuscripts, reports, maps, personnel records, and brochures collected during her career.

Dates: 1939-1984

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