The Exxon Valdez Oil Catastrophe #541: Brock Evans Papers

Published November 4, 2025 at 6:00 AM MST

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Publicity postcard from the Alaska Conservation Foundation depicting the damage done to Prince William Sound by the Exxon Valdez oil spill, 1989. Box 61, Brock Evans papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Map showing the distribution of oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez, 1989. Box 62, Brock Evans papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Flyer from a National Day of Mourning for Prince William Sound, May 7, 1989. Box 61, Brock Evans papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Statement of W.D. Stevens, President of Exxon Company, before the Subcommittee on Environmental Protection of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works of the United States Senate, April 19, 1989. Box 61, Brock Evans papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

It was just after midnight on March 24, 1989, that the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker, ran aground on a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. The hull of the ship was breached and nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled into Alaskan waters. Before long there was a 3,000-square mile oil slick in Prince William Sound.

At the time, it was the largest oil spill in U.S. history. The oily waters killed wildlife, including seals and sea lions. Photographs and videos of otters and sea birds drenched with oil made the national news. Dead whales washed ashore.

Clean-up efforts after the spill were complicated by the remote nature of Prince William Sound and the size of the oil slick. Unfavorable weather further complicated matters. Existing contingency plans for dealing with a spill proved to be inadequate. Environmentalists called for a boycott of Exxon.

See the Brock Evans papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more about the catastrophic Exxon Valdez oil spill.