Big Delta in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska — Northwest (North America)

Gold Rush Crossroads

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 1, 2010

1. Gold Rush Crossroads Marker

[Photo captions; counter-clockwise from the top left]
Steamboat docked at McCarty, UAF Archives, Rita Cottnair Collection 74-130-75; Ferry at McCarty, Alaska State Parks; Rika Wadlen (second from left) at the roadhouse, Alaska State Parks; Signal Corps Station at McCarty, UAF Archives, Rita Cottnair Collection 74-130-75.

Inscription.
The community of Big Delta began during the Gold Rush era as a trading post and roadhouse serving prospectors and travelers.

Known for many years as McCarty, Big Delta was a link in the paths of travel and trade. It was located at the intersection of waterways, trails and telegraph lines.

Opening a Trading Post Prospectors and traders blazed a trail through here in 1903 to the new town of Fairbanks following gold discoveries in the interior. Travelers crossed the Tanana River at this point or traveled downriver by boat. In 1904, as prospectors searched the upper Tanana River for gold, E.T. Barnette and Ben Bennett opened a trading post here. This was as far upriver as stern-wheelers could go. Dan McCarty bought the post in 1905 as small gold stampedes to nearby creeks brought more people to the area.

A Stopping Place As more people traveled between Fairbanks and Valdez, McCarty’s post became an overnight stop. In 1907, the U.S. Army started improving the trail. They installed a ferry two years later for safer crossing of the Tanana River. The road, later named the Richardson Highway, was the primary overland

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route to the interior until 1923 when the Alaska Railroad was completed. The ferry continued to be used until the 1940s when a bridge was built.

McCarty Becomes a Hub By 1906, fourteen people had settled around the trading post. The same year, the Army moved its telegraph line from the north to the south side of the river. Later it built a station at McCarty. John Hajdukovich bought the trading post in 1909. He added the two story log roadhouse known as Rika’s that stands at the site today. In 1913, hundreds of stampeders from Fairbanks passed through McCarty during the stampede to the Chisana gold fields on the upper Tanana River. McCarty continued to be a small center for trade, transportation, and communication until World War II.

Erected by Alaska Gold Rush Centennial.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.

Location. 64° 9.286′ N, 145° 50.527′ W. Marker is in Big Delta in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska. It can be reached from Richardson Highway. Marker is on the Big Delta State Historical

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 16, 2024

2. Gold Rush Crossroads Marker

Park grounds, near the parking lot. 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: Big Delta State Historical Park (a few steps from this marker); Domesticating the Wilderness (within shouting distance of this marker); Barn (within shouting distance of this marker); Homestead Outbuilding (within shouting distance of this marker); Spring House (within shouting distance of this marker); A Place to Rest (within shouting distance of this marker); 30 Ft. Wooden River Boat (within shouting distance of this marker); Roadhouse (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Big Delta.

View from Gold Rush Crossroads Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 16, 2024

3. View from Gold Rush Crossroads Marker

Rika's Roadhouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 16, 2024

4. Rika's Roadhouse

Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 17, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 852 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 17, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 2, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.