Today, AC Value Centers are ubiquitous in rural parts of the state, selling everything from groceries to sporting gear to bedding. But a hundred years ago, the Alaska Commercial Company was a force that played a major role in the early development of Alaska. There are plenty of detailed records about their early operations in Kodiak and Cook Inlet, but information about their Aleutian outposts has been scarce, up until now.

KUCB’s Alexandra Gutierrez talks with Pennelope Goforth about a trove of primary source material from Unalaska Island that she recently discovered.