From 1911-1938 the Copper River & Northwestern Railway was the lifeline for the Kennecott mines. Nicknamed the “Can't Run & Never Will” by its skeptics, the CR&NW overcame incredible challenges in its construction and operation.
Blasted and . . . — — Map (db m173891) HM
“In constructing high trestles and in laying steel track on beds of ice and snow, storms, high winds, and extreme cold tried the patience and fidelity of the strongest and most faithful.” — Cordova Daily Alaskan April 1, . . . — — Map (db m173892) HM
The Copper River & Northwestern railroad lines (nicknamed the "Can't Run & Never Will") were built in 1908-1911, against nearly impossible odds with subzero temperatures and impenetrable
snow. The two-hundred mile route connected the coastal . . . — — Map (db m255386) HM
Widely used today on the Yukon and Copper Rivers, the fishwheel was introduced in Alaska near the turn of the 20th century. It is thought to have been prominent in the Pacific Northwest, particularly the Columbia River, prior to making its way to . . . — — Map (db m173903) HM
The prospector... knows to an ounce what he needs for a "trip" as he calls an expedition. "Anyone that can't 'pack' ninety pounds would better not come to Alaska," they say, "for this is the least with which he can get along out 'in the . . . — — Map (db m255392) HM
Visible from here are two prominent mountains: Mount Drum and Mount Wrangell. Both are volcanoes, but their silhouettes suggest a difference in their eruption histories. The younger Mount Wrangell is a shield volcano, a broad-dome mountain built . . . — — Map (db m173912) HM
Providing food and lodging for travellers, roadhouses are and have been essential in Alaska's transportation history. As travel to the Interior, beginning in 1900 over trails to Fairbanks and Eagle from Valdez and later from Cordova increased, . . . — — Map (db m294719) HM
The river says something different every day.
Under Summer's long sun, it rocks
and rolls. Glaciers melt, waters
rise. In upland rivers you can hear big
stones rolling down. First salmon and
then more people come. The . . . — — Map (db m255511) HM
Soldiers constructed the first telegraph in Alaska, known as the Washington-Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System. Built to assist communication between U. S. Army posts, WAMCATS carried civilian messages during the Gold Rush era. . . . — — Map (db m255502) HM
The Alaska Road Commission served a multitude of purposes
including Road Work for over 50 years - starting in 1905.
Its work involved Ferries, Harbors, Canals, Flood Control,
Navigational Aids, Trails, Radio, Wireless and Telephone . . . — — Map (db m255513) HM
In 1943, without any warning to the villagers, the Alaska Road
Commission (ARC) crews began construction of a new bridge across
the Gulkana River. The approach from the west side of the river divided
the village in two and passed within a few . . . — — Map (db m255421) HM
We thank four Elders for working tirelessly and passionately for the return of our tribal lands. Some of the Elders who helped to close a very painful chapter in the lives of our people passed on before witnessing the final resolution. Elders . . . — — Map (db m255495) HM
On a clear day straight down the road
to the east you can see the Wrangell
Mts. They are [from left to right] Mt.
Sanford 16,237 ft; Mt Drum 12,010 ft.; Mt.
Wrangell 14,163 ft; Mt Blackburn 16,390
ft. Mt Wrangell is the largest . . . — — Map (db m255350) HM
The old Gulkana village was a thriving, established community. But in the 20th century,
government construction projects forced villagers to move, dividing the village from its ancestral
cemetery. The Gulkana Village Council eventually lost . . . — — Map (db m255417) HM
If you put a small leaf boat in this creek, where would it journey?
Set adrift on Mendeltna's
quiet creek, a leaf boat
floats under the highway bridge, bumps the nose of a curious
grayling, then catches the creek's current . . . — — Map (db m255331) HM
Lieutenant Henry T. Allen led one of America's epic journeys of exploration in 1885. In five months, his expedition crossed 1,500 miles of largely unexplored territory including this valley. The information Allen collected about interior Alaska . . . — — Map (db m255523) HM
Our long national experience in pushing our highways ahead of the controlling wave of settlement ought to convince us that the broadest liberality towards roads in Alaska will be sure to bring
manifold returns.
President Warren . . . — — Map (db m255380) HM
The first people of interior Alaska arrived hundreds of generations ago…They moved slowly across the low-lying land known as Beringia, or the Bering Land Bridge.
Jean S. Agner, Professor of Anthropology, University of Alaska, . . . — — Map (db m255394) HM
