Otto W. Geist (1888-1963) was an archaeologist, naturalist, and explorer who worked primarily in the Circumpolar North. He worked for the University of Alaska for most of his adult life and both Museum buildings of the University of Alaska Fairbanks were originally named for Geist. Geist came to Alaska in the early 1920s, he started collecting artifacts in 1925 and was collecting for the University by 1926. During WWII Geist helped organize the Alaska Territorial Guard. This particular collection is from a collecting trip (1927) for the Agricultural College & School of Mines, University of Alaska Fairbanks, in collaboration with Henry Collins of the National Museum of Natural History.