Valdez in Chugach Census Area, Alaska — Northwest (North America)

Gold Rush Pioneer Trail: The Richardson Highway, Oldest Highway in Alaska

1. Gold Rush Pioneer Trail: The Richardson Highway, Oldest Highway in Alaska Marker

Inscription. Miners in 1897 built the Valdez-Eagle Trail. In Klondike Gold Rush, it was used for telegraph lines to Fairbanks. 1910 upgrade, called the Valdez-Fairbanks Wagon Road, under Gen. Wiles P. Richardson, improved for wagon use in the Keystone Canyon area. Home for moose, black and brown bears, and transitional rain forests. The trail, renamed for Richardson, is a tribute to the pioneer spirit that built Alaska and opened a wilderness.

Erected 2002 by National Society of the Daughters of the American Colonists, Project of the 2000-3 administration, Mary Ann G. Hepler, National President.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Exploration • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Colonists series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1897.

Location. 61° 6.665′ N, 145° 49.049′ W. Marker is in Valdez in Chugach Census Area, Alaska. It can be reached from Richardson Highway (Alaska Route 4). It is in Keystone Canyon, at an entrance to a small goat trail, the marker is about 20 feet down the trail. Note: There is another entrance to the trail at Bridal Veil Falls. Follow the path about 7 miles to the marker. THE MAP COORDINATES ARE BEST-GUESS. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Valdez AK 99686, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southcentral Alaska.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Horse and Sled Trail

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(approx. 3.1 miles away); Old Railroad Tunnel (approx. 3.1 miles away); Goat Trail (approx. 3.9 miles away).

More about this marker. Dedicated on 8 September 2002.

2. Gold Rush Pioneer Trail: The Richardson Highway, Oldest Highway in Alaska Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 16, 2024, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. This page has been viewed 217 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 16, 2024, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. correct map coordinates • better photos • Can you help?