Big Delta in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Alaska Road Commission
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 16, 2024
1. Alaska Road Commission Marker
Building Alaska's highways was, and is, no easy feat. The Alaska Road Commission (ARC) was one of the first groups to battle Alaska's tough working conditions.
Trail to Road
ARC crews blazed a 10-foot-wide dog team and pack horse trail from Valdez to Fairbanks in 1905, crossing the Tanana River here. Four years later, the ARC improved the Valdez to Fairbanks Trail for use as a summer wagon road and installed a ferry. Each year, the ARC gradually improved the road by building new bridges, grading rough spots, and laying corduroy (logs) through swamps.
Road to Highway
During World War I, the road fell into disrepair. Work resumed after the war and by 1922 the road was improved to a permanent summer road, shifting the mode of travel from dog and horse teams to the automobile. By 1927, the road had achieved highway status and was called the Richardson Highway.
Life on the Road
The ARC had been using this site since 1914 when they built the 18 by 28-foot cabin (located to your left) for storing supplies. In 1935, the ARC acquired the McCarty Military Reserve from the Federal Government to use as a base camp. Eighty
this page online
[Background photo caption reads] [?] on the Richardson Highway.
[Photo captions, counterclockwise from top left, read]
The ARC was formed in 1905 under the direction of Major Wilds P. Richardson.
In September 1906, E. S. Orr arrived from Seattle to take over as mail carrier. He brought twelve horses and six finely upholstered stages, which could carry up to fourteen passengers.
In 1913 Bobby Sheldon drove the first automobile over the Valdez to Fairbanks Road.
Caterpillar tractor pulling a man on grader
In spring 1917 the ARC crew hand digs this section of the Valdez to Fairbanks Trail. The crew is digging through at least 25 feet of snow!
In the winter of 1942-1943 the men who built the bridge over the Tanana River camped here in temperatures as cold as 50 degrees below zero. ARC Barracks at Big Delta.
The ARC faced some of the same maintenance problems on the Richardson Highway that the State Department of Transportation encounters today. Sections of the highway are built over
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 16, 2024
2. Alaska Road Commission Marker
Erected by Alaska State Parks and Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1914.
Location. 64° 9.272′ N, 145° 50.424′ W. Marker is in Big Delta in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska. It can be reached from Service Road. Marker and building are on the Big Delta State Historical Park grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 274.5 Richardson Highway (State Hwy 2), Delta Junction AK 99737, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Athabascan Region and in Interior Alaska. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Alaska Road Commission Garage (here, next to this marker); Spring House (within shouting distance of this marker); Homestead Outbuilding (within shouting distance of this marker); Barn (within shouting distance of this marker); Domesticating the Wilderness (within shouting distance of this marker); Windmill (within shouting distance of this marker); Jack of all Trades (within shouting distance of this marker); WAMCATS (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Big Delta.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Big Delta State Historical Park. (Submitted on September 2, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Alaska Road Commission Historical Narrative (Naske, 1983) - a huge .pdf file. (Submitted on September 2, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 2, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 211 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 2, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
