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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Northwest Airlines, Inc.

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: 1926 - 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 acquired and merged into Delta Air Lines.

Found in 26 Collections and/or Records:

David R. Hellyer Pan Am Clipper Club Collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2024-00-00-32
Content Description The David R. Hellyer Pan Am Clipper Club Collection is a small collection consisting of materials collected by Hellyer as a child traveling between Tacoma, Washington and Asia in the early 1950s. The materials demonstrate how air travel, especially aboard Pan Am Clippers, captured his imagination as a child. Included are drawings by Hellyer of airplanes, a photograph of his Kindergarten class in Tacoma which had a child's drawing of an airplane on view, and an air-travel themed...
Dates: 1951-1953, 1969

Frank L. Houston Pilot Collection

 Collection — Box 1
Identifier: 2016-12-01
Contents of the Collection The Frank L. Houston Pilot 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 war ration booklets, circa 1942-1943; five 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...
Dates: 1940-1980

Alda Jane Lewis Flight Attendant Collection

 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

Mary (Finley) North Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant Collection

 Collection — Box 1
Identifier: 2008-02-26
Contents of the Collection The Mary (Finley) North Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant Collection is comprised of textual materials and photographs. The material was collected by North during her career as a Northwest Airlines (NWA) flight attendant, circa 1940s-1950s. There are five (5) log books, ranging from 1946-1950, that include details on North's flights, such as locations and dates; NWA materials, such as pay check stubs, ticket holders, business correspondence, and complimentary letters; and...
Dates: circa 1940s-1950s

Dorie Moore Flight Attendant Collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2013-09-17-A
Contents of the Collection The Dorie Moore Flight Attendant Collection is comprised of primarily textual materials with two DVDs related to Dorie Moore's career as a flight attendant and purser with Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines, 2001-2012. The collection has been sorted into two series; Series I: Northwest Airlines and Series II: Delta Air Lines.The bulk of the material is in Series I and documents Moore's work with Northwest Airlines. It includes a flight attendant manual; blank employee forms,...
Dates: 2001-2012

Northwest Airlines Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2009-07-14-A
Contents of the Collection The Northwest Airlines Collection consists primarily of company personnel, promotional, and flight service materials produced by Northwest Airlines from 1975 to 2007. The collection contains textual, audiovisual and visual materials. Formats include videocassettes, an audiocassette, slides, and photographs. In addition, there are an assortment of promotional materials, some of which are posters that picture company aircraft and early company logos. There are documents related to personnel...
Dates: 1975-2007

Richard Pemberton Northwest Orient Airlines Collection

 Collection — Folder 1
Identifier: 2013-10-03
Contents of the Collection The Richard Pemberton Northewest Orient Airlines Collection is a small collection comprised of materials compiled by Richard Pemberton, a flight dispatcher for Northwest Orient Airlines (NWA), during his career. The material includes textual materials and photographs.The textual materials include flight dispatcher seniority lists, 1947-1984; navigational charts; records of aircraft dispatchers flight tours, 1976-1986; photocopies of flight planning tables; a NWA News newsletter,...
Dates: 1940s-1980s

Alex R. Polson Northwest Orient Airlines Collection

 Collection — Folder 1
Identifier: 1989-07-06-A
Contents of the Collection The Alex R. Polson Northwest Orient Airlines Collection is a small collection comprised of textual marketing materials from Northwest Airlines and Northwest Orient Airlines, collected between 1948-1956. Included are a souvenir Flight Kit, maps, postcards, and brochures. There are also timetables with fares for various routes, predominantly for service to Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, and China. Materials feature several aircraft that began commercial service in the late 1940s, including the Boeing...
Dates: 1948-1956

Robert W. Radoll Early Aviation Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 1990-10-26
Contents of the Collection The Robert W. Radoll Early Aviation Collection documents the professional and personal life of early aviator and airmail pilot Robert W. Radoll from circa 1920 to 1933. The collection consists of textual material, such as correspondence, clippings, and logbooks, as well as a total of 138 photographs. It is divided into two main series: Professional and Personal.The Professional series has been further divided into subseries: Barnstorming, Northwest...
Dates: 1920-1933

Polly (Peppard) Rohrback Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant photographs

 Collection — Folder 1
Identifier: 2011-02-23-A
Contents of the Collection The Polly (Peppard) Rohrback Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant photographs is small collection consisting of six color photographs that depict Polly (Peppard) Rohrback during her time as a flight attendant for Northwest Airlines (NWA), circa 1968-1978. The photographs range in size from 1x2" to 8x10". One is a graduation group portrait of NWA stewards and stewardesses, most of the rest are more casual group shots. Two images have captions which provide contextual information;...
Dates: 1968-1978

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