Denali National Park and Preserve in Denali Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
A Place in the Wilderness
Hands up, all those going to Curry!
| | Denali National Park and Preserve | |
Photographed by Thomas Smith, August 7, 2025
1. A Place in the Wilderness Marker
These days, you'll have a hard time sighting Curry - a deserted station about 100 miles south of here, in the Talkeetna Mountains, But in 1923, it would have been hard to miss; Curry was where you spend the night - or lingered longer - as you travel north to the park
First established as a railroad construction camp. Curry survived the end of the construction era thanks to its resort hotel, built by the railroad and billed as "a genuine place in the wilderness,' where accommodations are modern, inviting and comfortable and cuisine of highest order." The resort's offering eventually included a swimming pool, tennis courts, a three - hole golf course, a suspension bridge top lookout with a grand view of Mount McKinley. Guest could trails and photograph the mountain scenery. Ride a miniature railcars to local fishing, or hike trails and photograph the mountain scenery.
Speeding Up
Curry's popularity began to decline in 1939, in the face of competition from the newly opened park hotel. It fell further in the 1940s, when the speed of travel changed: the railroad replaced its steam engines with diesel locomotives,
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Slowing Down
Curry didn't give up the ghost straight away. The Army stationed personnel there during World War II, and summer fishing trips and winter ski excursions drew weekend vacationers in the ' 40 and 50s. But in 1957 a fire burned the hotel to the ground, and what little remained of the station was torn down or taken away.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Military • Railroads & Streetcars.
Location. 63° 43.236′ N, 148° 58.012′ W. Marker is in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, in Denali Borough. It is on Headquarters Road north of Doty Lane, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Denali National Park AK 99755, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Alaska Railroad Corridor, in the Athabascan Region, and in Interior Alaska. It is also
Photographed by Thomas Smith, August 7, 2025
2. A Place in the Wilderness Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A Bed in the Park (a few steps from this marker); Stephen Tyng Mather (within shouting distance of this marker); The Challenge of Wilderness (approx. 1.6 miles away); Nature's Wonderland (approx. 1.6 miles away); Park and Railroad: A Shared Story (approx. 1.7 miles away); The Park Hotel (approx. 1.7 miles away); The Road More Traveled (approx. 1.7 miles away); Tunnels Lost to Time (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Denali National Park and Preserve.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 31, 2025, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. This page has been viewed 64 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 31, 2025, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. 2. submitted on September 1, 2025, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
