Carl O. Tweiten Papers

Consists of an autobiography of Carl Tweiten and a regional history of Sirdal, Norway. The autobiography touches on Carl’s experiences in Alaska during the 1930s including some information on well-known figures in the region. Also included is the manuscript entitled, “Sirdal, Norway” that describes the city’s past and present history.

Carl Tweiten oral history interview

Biographical Note

Carl O. Tweiten was born in a logging camp in Deming, Washington on 12 June 1909. He was the first of eight children in his family. His parents had both emigrated to the U.S. around the early 1900’s, and had met and married in Tacoma. Carl’s family moved to Tacoma when he was a year old, and the children attended school there. When Carl was eleven, the family moved to Sirdal, Norway, and he finished his schooling there.

Carl returned to Tacoma when he was eighteen and worked in a sawmill for a while before moving to Alaska in 1929. Here he lived and worked for over fifteen years, trapping, mining, and prospecting at a time when much of the land was still rough and untamed. It was hard work, and Carl didn’t have much luck at mining, but he was still fond of the area and his lifestyle. In the early 1940’s, Carl was involved in an accident with some mining dynamite, and lost sight in one eye. Shortly after this, he lost interest in mining and moved back to Washington in 1946.

Carl settled in University Place and worked first in lumber and plywood mills and later ran his own nursery. During this time, he also made several land and forest investments, reflecting his continuing interest in the wilderness. He later retired and moved to Gig Harbor, running a small tree farm and selling land. He traveled back to Norway twice during this time, and also kept in touch with his friends and family who still resided in Alaska.