Major grant to support Bus 142 conservation work Jeff Richardson 907-474-6284 Oct. 19, 2022
Angela Linn removes miscellaneous ropes and tie-downs in Bus 142 in the Engineering High Bay on the UAF campus. UAF photo by Eric Engman Angela Linn removes miscellaneous ropes and tie-downs in Bus 142 in the Engineering High Bay on the UAF campus. The bus is being prepared for conservation work before its exhibition at the University of Alaska Museum of the North. A $500,000 federal grant from the National Park Service and the Institute of Museum and Library Services will help the University of Alaska Museum of the North prepare Bus 142 for public exhibition during the summer of 2024.
The money will fund extensive conservation work on the 1940s-era bus, made famous by the book and film “Into the Wild.”
In 2020, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources removed the bus from the spot where it was abandoned off the Stampede Trail near Healy, Alaska, and brought it to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The university signed an agreement with the state to care for the bus and make it available via a free public exhibit.
“Since acquiring Bus 142, museum staff have been diligently cataloging, researching and preparing for this undertaking,” said Angela Linn, ethnology and history senior collections manager at the museum. “This included comprehensive consultations with professional conservators who have over 30 years of experience in the field.”
Preserving historic automotive artifacts requires specialized skills, Linn said. Museum staff and student employees will work with the conservators, B.R. Howard and Associates, to mitigate damage to the bus caused by vandalism, weather conditions and biological growths such as lichen and moss.
Conservation efforts will include making structural and paint repairs, cleaning, replacing windows, and preserving the graffiti and epitaphs left by people who visited the bus on the Stampede Trail. The team will also apply protective coatings to prevent further metal deterioration and fading.
Della Hall catalogs items in Bus 142 in preparation for conservation work. UAF photo by Eric Engman Della Hall catalogs items in Bus 142 as she prepares the bus for conservation work. “Conservation treatment is an essential step in the process of preparing museum objects for long-term exhibition,” said Patrick Druckenmiller, museum director. “This work must be done before the bus is ready for exterior exhibition.”
Members of the public can view the conservation work in person weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from the lobby of the Usibelli Building at UAF or via the Bus 142 live webcam. A preliminary virtual exhibit of Bus 142 is also available online on the University of Alaska Museum of the North webpage.
While the grant will give a big boost to its efforts to create the Bus 142 exhibit, the museum will need to raise significant additional funds to make the final exhibit a reality, which includes constructing a cover for the bus. The museum is working with the nonprofit Friends of Bus 142, which functions as the news and fundraising home base for the “Into the Wild” global community. Local partners include JL Properties and Avis Alaska.
Opportunities for financial or in-kind support are also available at the Bus 142 crowdfunding site or by contacting Aelin Allegood, UAMN development officer, at ajallegoodalaska.edu.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Angela Linn, ethnology and history senior collections manager, 907-474-1828, ajlinnalaska.edu; Megan Koch, UAMN director of visitor services and marketing, 907-474-6941, makochalaska.edu
did they remove it from where it sat because it was deemed to be an "attractive nuisance"?
WTH didn't they just leave it there to rot?
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
did they remove it from where it sat because it was deemed to be an "attractive nuisance"?
WTH didn't they just leave it there to rot?
Heli lift. To save lives.
eta: not rusting out fast enough
Should have lifted it to Northern Dave's.
He'd have been able to fix that up for a lot less than 1/2 Million Dollars.
Could have subbed out the upholstery to Higgie's dad too.
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
3/4’s of that money is for salary of those doing the work on it. Did you want them to work for free? Hell, this not near as bad as some of the other crap I’ve seen and NPS likes to throw it’s money around.
Before the making of that movie some of the movie personnel were in Fairbanks. My nephew ran a machery dealership there. One of the movie people came in and inquired about off-road transportation. My nephew was curious about what they were doing. The movie guy was bragging about this guy who they were making the movie about. It dawned on my nephew who he was talking about. He said you really aren’t making a movie about the dumbass that went out there unprepared and died are you. Negotiations went south after that.LOL. Edk
3/4’s of that money is for salary of those doing the work on it. Did you want them to work for free? Hell, this not near as bad as some of the other crap I’ve seen and NPS likes to throw it’s money around.
OK, so 3/4ths of that $500k, divided by $150K salary a year, works out to about 2.5 years of salary. A year and a quarter for two workers, or 2.5 years for one restorer? What the fugg are they doing to an old bus that takes 2.5 years of work, or even a year?
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
3/4’s of that money is for salary of those doing the work on it. Did you want them to work for free? Hell, this not near as bad as some of the other crap I’ve seen and NPS likes to throw it’s money around.
OK, so 3/4ths of that $500k, divided by $150K salary a year, works out to about 2.5 years of salary. A year and a quarter for two workers, or 2.5 years for one restorer? What the fugg are they doing to an old bus that takes 2.5 years of work, or even a year?
Well it is UAF working on it. I have a few .gov contracts I over see with them, since COVID hit, they haven’t done [bleep] that I can see. They claimed they didn’t have enough workers, then they ordered new lab equipment, etc. This is for different scientific work, I’m sure they can make up excuses for a bus.
Also, I can almost guarantee more than 2 people will be working on that. Add in any OT pay, benefits, etc. and you won’t even have 1 years of salary.
3/4’s of that money is for salary of those doing the work on it. Did you want them to work for free? Hell, this not near as bad as some of the other crap I’ve seen and NPS likes to throw it’s money around.
OK, so 3/4ths of that $500k, divided by $150K salary a year, works out to about 2.5 years of salary. A year and a quarter for two workers, or 2.5 years for one restorer? What the fugg are they doing to an old bus that takes 2.5 years of work, or even a year?
Well it is UAF working on it. I have a few .gov contracts I over see with them, since COVID hit, they haven’t done [bleep] that I can see. They claimed they didn’t have enough workers, then they ordered new lab equipment, etc. This is for different scientific work, I’m sure they can make up excuses for a bus.
Also, I can almost guarantee more than 2 people will be working on that. Add in any OT pay, benefits, etc. and you won’t even have 1 years of salary.
Well, being it is University related, I forgot about the immediate 25% minimum "Administrative Costs" that get sucked off before work is even thought of.
Maybe they should have applied for a $750K grant? Or a cool million?
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
IIRC It was like 80 or 90 k for a shrimp tread mill study.... And we all know this one was the best performer. Rest of em probably got fuuked up in the tread mill before they worked all the problems out of it.
3/4’s of that money is for salary of those doing the work on it. Did you want them to work for free? Hell, this not near as bad as some of the other crap I’ve seen and NPS likes to throw it’s money around.
I would rather they not work on it all. The heli should have taken it directly to the scrap metal place.
If beyond retrieval disposal to shortstop dumchit adoration was good enough for Bin Laden, why not a junk bus?
Same gov't turds that find a trappers cabin and tear it down or burn it up because they don't like it or where it's at. I suppose liberalism at it's best...mb
" Cheapest velocity in the world comes from a long barrel and I sure do like them. MB "
alaska.edu.
