The Thomas Gray Papers, dated 1959, 2000-2006, consist of a wooden plaque painted by Thomas Gray while he was stationed at Little America V during the International Geophysical Year, 1957-1958. This collection also includes an oral history interview on audiocassette where Gray discussed his experience as the chief meteorologist of the Antarctic Weather Bureau and how he managed a team of international meteorologists.

The Thomas D’Amico Papers contain materials collected by D’Amico before, during, and after his time aboard the U.S.S. Bear of Oakland for Richard Byrd's second Antarctic expedition. The collection contains one coat, four pairs of googles, one pocket knife, one knife in a sheath, one pair of gloves, a three piece set of Fraunfelter commemorative china (a mug, small bowl, and a soup bowl), one United States Navy medal, one American Guernsey Cattle Club medal, one Havalite pencil and lighter combination, and several documents pertaining to D’Amico’s time before, during and after the expedition. Documents include correspondence, a scrapbook, clippings and photographs. Materials are dated circa 1926 to 1957, with the bulk of material being dated circa 1933 to 1935.

The Scrapbook Documenting Operation Deepfreeze and News about Antarctica is a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings concerning Operation Deepfreeze and other news connected with research occuring at that time in Antarctica; it dates from 1955-1956. The creator of the scrapbook is unknown, but was donated by Richard E. Byrd's grandson Robert Breyer.

The Robert Reed "With Byrd in Little America" Project for Grade 7B Social Studies Class is a booklet created by Reed for a school project, circa 1943. The booklet contains a 3-page essay titled "With Byrd in Little America," a pencil drawn map of the Little America base, and black-and-white photographs of the research station depicting men, dogs, sleds, supplies and gear, a plane, aerial photographs, and pilot Bernt Bachen.

The Richard Lockhart Papers, dated 1945-1997, contains diaries, articles, correspondence, photographs, a certificate and a scrapbook regarding Operation Highjump, 1946-1947, and the United States Ship Pine Island.

The Lewis S. Sims Correspondence and Scrapbook Documenting Involvement in the United States Antarctic Service Expedition contains correspondence sent from Lieutenant Lewis S. Sims to his wife while he was serving on the United States Antarctic Service Expedition from 1939-1941. It also contains one scrapbook of clippings and photographs related to the expedition, dated 1939-1941, and loose photographs and other ephemera that were originally attached to the scrapbook. The loose material is dated 1939-1943, with the exception of two items dated 1962 and 1972. The scrapbook's contents highlight the journey of the Antarctic Snow Cruiser, a vehicle designed for the Antarctica terrain and tested on the Expedition.

The Lawrence Haines Films Taken During Operation Highjump contain six 16mm films and two 8mm films. The films were shot by Lawrence Haines, a ship photographer on Operation Highjump. Films contain images of ships, boats, Antactic landscapes, and men; it is unknown if films are Haines's personal films, or films taken as part of his official duties. Films date from 1946-1947.

The Lawrence A. Warner Field Notebooks From United States Antarctic Service Expedition, dated November-December 1940, consists of five field notebooks written by Warner while he was conducting a geological survey of the Edsel Ford Ranges in Antarctica as part of the United States Antarctic Service Expedition. Each notebook is numbered and has a title, except for the 4th and 5th notebooks. The notebooks contain an index to reference where graphs and drawings are in the notebook. Summaries of the types of rocks and minerals that were discovered at the Edsel Ford Ranges are also included in the notebooks.

The Keystone View Company "600 Set" Antarctica Stereoviews date from the 1920s, and consist of three black and white photographic stereoviews from that set depicting scenes from two different Antarctic expeditions. Stereoviews have explanatory text and questions about the images printed on their backs and are numbered 344, 345, and 346. These are the only images in the Antarctic section of the "600 Set" as produced during the 1920s. 344 and 345 depict scenes from the Belgian Antarctic Expedition (1897-1899), while 346 depicts polar explorer Roald Amundsen several days after his discovery of the South Pole in 1911.

The Julius Grigore Jr. Papers, dated 1992-2004, consist of photocopies of articles Grigore wrote, photocopies of correspondence Grigore sent to Admiral Richard E. Byrd regarding Operation Deep Freeze I, and a monograph Grigore wrote about aerophilately and the First Byrd Antarctic Expedition. Articles written by Grigore from 1967 to 2004 feature topics such as Panama aerophilately (the study of airmail) and the history and research of the wind chill index. The correspondence, which originally dates 1954-1955, contains Grigore’s initial letter of interest and application to join Byrd on Operation Deep Freeze I, and follow-up correspondence by Grigore to inquire about the status of his application. A copy of Grigore’s monograph, “Canal Zone and Panama Aerophilately and Philately Associated with the First Byrd Antarctic Expedition (BAE I), between 1928 and 1930,” is also included in this collection.

The Herb Harvis Collection of Byrd Antarctic II Expedition Glass Slides and Maps of Antarctica, dated 1910s-1934, 1964-1987, contains materials related to Byrd Antarctic Expedition II and the exploration and mapping of Antarctica. The glass lantern slides contain photographs taken during Byrd Antarctic Expedition II. The expedition crew, Little America, the Antarctic landscape, the United States Ship Bear, and Richard E. Byrd’s aircraft are featured in these images. It is not known who took the photographs. A glass lantern slide projector is also included. This collection also includes the Antarctic Map Folio Series published by the American Geographical Society of New York. The map folios are dated 1964-1975. Geological maps of Antarctica prepared by the United States Geological Survey and a map of the Falkland Islands published by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense are also included in this collection.

The Harold Joerin Papers, which date from 1932 and circa 1980s-2005, contains newsletters, newspaper clippings, publications, photographs, a map and publications. The bulk of the collection is Antarctican Society Newsletters, which date from 1985-2005. This collection also contains a 1932 map regarding Richard E. Byrd's flight during Byrd Antarctic Expedition I, 1928-1930.

The George Frizell, Jr. Photographs and Ephemera Mailed While Serving on Byrd Antarctic Expedition II collections contains eleven photographs, one newspaper clipping about the Bear of Oakland leaving for New Zealand, and one fabric patch commemorating Frizell's time on the Byrd Antarctic Expedition II. The photographs include images of Frizell, Jr, Richard Byrd and other crew members on the Bear of Oakland. Other photographs include images of sled dogs and Antarctic landscapes. Titles of photographs were written on the back of the photographs and are maintained in the collection. Materials are dated circa 1933 to 1934 June 9.

The Fortman Family Antarctica Scrapbook, dated 1932-1947, contains newspaper clippings about Admiral Richard E. Byrd, the Byrd Antarctica Expedition II, the United States Antarctic Service Expedition, and Operation Highjump. The scrapbook has a handmade wooden cover with a wood burned image depicting Byrd's radio towers and the words "Antarctica Scrapbook." The scrapbook was compiled by Myra Williams Fortman, and the scrapbook cover with a wood burned image was created by Floyd Jacob Fortman and Kenneth R. Fortman. A separate folder contains more newspaper clippings and a copy of the General Foods Map of Antarctica (Grape Nuts Map) that were collected by the Fortmans for the scrapbook, but not pasted to the scrapbook pages.

The Dr. George Doumani Papers, dated 1957-1963, 2001-2002, contain rubber stamps, a stamped envelope and order form, and a stamp plate. Doumani ordered these materials when he was an employee at the Ohio State University (OSU) Institute of Polar Studies. The stamps feature the Antarctic expeditions Doumani attended through the Institute of Polar Studies: The Mount Weaver Expedition and the Antarctic Geological Expedition. A stamp for the International Geophysical Year, 1957-1958 is also included. This collection also includes an oral history interview on audiocassette. In the oral history interview, he discussed fossil discovery in Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year and his work with the Institute of Polar Studies.

The Charles Passel Papers, dated 1937-1953, 1971-2004, and 2012, contains notes, correspondence, photograph slides, and black and white photographs from Passel’s time with the United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939-1941). Journal articles written by geologists and polar scientists, and a copy of the research paper Passel wrote with Paul Siple, another scientist on United States Antarctic Service Expedition, are also included in this collection. This collection also contains VHS videocassettes recordings of speaking engagements where Passel spoke about his experiences in Antarctica, as well as an oral history interview on audiocassette where he discussed his time on the United States Antarctic Service Expedition. The original VHS videocassettes were created between 1996 and 2004. DVD copies of the VHS videocassettes were created in 2012.

The Carl Hoffmeyer Scrapbook on Operation Deep Freeze I, dated 1955-1957, contains newspaper clippings about the United States’ exploration and research progress during Operation Deep Freeze I. Newspaper clippings about the exploration of Antarctica by the United Kingdom, Russia, New Zealand, and Japan are also included in the scrapbook. Hoffmeyer divided the scrapbook into several sections; the sections are divided by articles that define the purpose of Operation Deep Freeze, the equipment used during the expedition, and the operation’s progress. The last part of the scrapbook has newspaper clippings related to the International Geophysical Year and the death of Admiral Richard E. Byrd.

The Barney Bradley Papers date from 2009. While serving on Byrd Antarctic Expedition II in 1933-1934, Barney Bradley kept a diary, took photographs, and collected newspaper clippings and a crew roster from the expedition. In 2009, Bradley's son Michael made reproductions of these items, including photocopies of the newspaper clippings and crew roster, reprints of photographs, and a typed transcript of the original diary. These reproductions were donated to the Polar Archives by Michael, and make up the Barney Bradley Papers; the Bradley family kept the original 1933-1934 items in their possession.

The Antarctic Deep Freeze Oral History Project, dated 1998-2005 June, contains recordings and transcripts of the interviews between Dian Belanger and veterans of Operations Deep Freeze I and Deep Freeze II. The Antarctic Deep Freeze oral history project was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and supported by the Antarctic Deep Freeze Association. It consists of recordings and typed transcripts of oral history interviews with members of Operation Deep Freeze to capture individual memory and personal perspective on United States involvement in Antarctica during the 1950s. Topics during the interviews include daily life on the bases and various jobs and workloads amongst team members. Abstracts providing brief summaries about each individual interview are included at the series levels in the collection.

The majority of formats in the collection include audio-only interviews, along with two video recordings on VHS videocassettes, one of which is a video recording of the oral history interview of Charles R. Wilson from this project. The other video recording is a VHS videocassette copy of a recording made prior to Dick Slagle's death in 1971.

For all series other than Dick Slagle's, the original recording of the interview on audiocassette is included, followed by a copy of the same recording and then a transcript of the interview. Transcripts of the audiocassette interviews are available online.

The Alton Blakeslee Collection of Artifacts from Little America (Antarctica) includes artifacts from the United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1940-1941) and Operation Highjump (1946-1947). Blakeslee's fur hood and dog tags are dated 1946-1947, while the other artifacts in this collection were left at the Little America III site by the crew of the United States Antarctic Service Expedition, and were found by Blakeslee while he was working with Byrd during Operation Highjump. The items had been covered up over time after being buried in snow.

The 35mm Color Slides Photographed by Richard Carl Timm While Serving as Photographic Officer on the USS Mount Olympus During Operation Highjump is comprised of 29 slides, and includes images of crew members on board the USS Mount Olympus, crew members on land in Antarctica, and landscape images of the sea, ice, and snow in and around Antarctica. The majority of the photographs are taken from vantage points on board the USS Mount Olympus, a small number are taken while standing on land. Materials date 1946 December-1947 February.

“My Life and Good Times” Manuscript by Olin Stancliff is a photocopy of “My Life and Good Times,” an autobiography written by Olin Stancliff between 1981 and 1982. “My Life and Good Times” begins with Stancliff writing about his early life and interests; he then recounts his childhood friendship with Paul Siple, a member of Byrd Antarctic Expedition I (1928-1929), and Siple’s recruitment of Stancliff for Byrd Antarctic Expedition II (1933-1935). Stancliff wrote in his autobiography about the journey to Antarctica on the USS Bear, his job as a dog sled driver, and daily life and social events in Little America II. Magazine articles about the expedition and photographs of Stancliff and Siple are also included in the autobiography.

“Come North With Me” Transcription and “Bernt Balchen, Colonel, United States Air Force, Retired: A Special Report on the Unique Career of a Great American Patriot” is a transcription and report about Bernt Balchen’s early life, military career, and his work with Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s North Pole and South Pole flights. The materials were brought together by Bernt Balchen's wife, Bess Urbahn. The transcription was a rough draft of Balchen’s autobiography, “Come North With Me” and it was created by Balchen and Urbahn, circa 1957. Balchen used a Stenorette machine to dictate his autobiography and Urbahn would transcribe what Balchen said. In the transcription, Balchen recounts meeting his childhood hero, Roald Amundsen, and working with Admiral Richard E. Byrd on his North Pole and South Pole flights. “Bernt Balchen, Colonel, United States Air Force, Retired: A Special Report on the Unique Career of a Great American Patriot” is a report written by Evelyn Moore Isakson in 1972, and it details Balchen’s work with Byrd, his military service, and the circumstances leading to his retirement in 1956. The report was initially written to appeal to the United States government to award Balchen the Medal of Honor and elevate Balchen to a higher military rank.