Miners and prospectors heading to the gold fields of Interior Alaska traveled on the Valdez to Fairbanks Trail, now called the Richardson Highway. All were welcome at Rika's Roadhouse on their 380-mile trip from Valdez to Fairbanks.
Rough and . . . — — Map (db m255818) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m255747) HM
The original ARC garage, which
this building resembles, housed
graders and other road
machinery in winter and
functioned as a maintenance
shop in summer. — — Map (db m255745) HM
During the long cold winters,
this barn provided protection
for Rika's Holstein cows,
oxen, sheep, goats, and
chickens. Rika borrowed the
unusual design from her
homeland of Sweden. — — Map (db m255736) HM
COMMUNICATION
In 1900, it took a year for the Army to send a message from Interior Alaska to Washington D.C. and receive an answer. To speed communications, the U.S. Signal Corp[s], a branch of the Army, built the Washington to . . . — — Map (db m255857) HM
Rika's homestead, which included this barn and outbuilding, was fundamental to the operation of the roadhouse.
In the Barn
The barn was home to cattle, sheep, goats and horses. Rika raised cattle for milk and meat. Calving was carefully . . . — — Map (db m255725) HM
Alaska Road Commission
ferryman Louis Grimsmore built
this cabin in 1929.
Louis also worked with Rika
Wallen and John Hajdukovich. — — Map (db m255835) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m49598) HM
This sod-roofed cabin is a
reconstruction of the outbuilding
that once stood here. It serves
today as a museum displaying
selections from the Delta
Historical Society's collection. — — Map (db m255741) HM
John Hajdukovich had a significant impact on the people and land of the Upper Tanana River Valley. A true sourdough and frontiersman, John lived and worked in this area for almost sixty years.
Golden Dreams
John Hajdukovich left . . . — — Map (db m255793) HM
Standing for over a century, the Telegraph Building is the oldest in the Delta area and all that remains of the original
McCarty Telegraph Station.
Communication Building
Local builder C. Schultz hand-hewed the logs "on three sides as . . . — — Map (db m255778) HM
John Hajdukovich had the original
building constructed sometime
around 1913. Improvements to the
Valdez to Fairbanks Trail brought
more travelers to the roadhouse
and by 1926 Rika Wallen had
added the east-west wing.
. . . — — Map (db m255804) HM
Welcome to one of the original
McCarty Station buildings.
Constructed in 1907, it contained the
telegraph office and housed
personnel needed to operate and
maintain the Washington to Alaska
Military Cable and Telegraph System . . . — — Map (db m255789) HM
Rebel truckers took the law into their own hands when a ferry toll was imposed.
Weigh and Pay
The federally-built Alaska Railroad was losing money, in part because it was cheaper to truck freight to Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway. . . . — — Map (db m255808) HM
WAMCATS provided communication between the military posts in Alaska and headquarters at Washington, D.C. The soldiers who built, manned and maintained the line persevered through adversity.
Link in the Chain
The Signal Corps constructed . . . — — Map (db m255757) HM
The windmill powered the
pump for the well and later
generated electricity to charge
vehicle batteries. [? - possibly "Carl"] Tweiten
built the original windmill for
Rika in 1932. — — Map (db m255801) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 4 at milepost 266), 0.1 miles north of 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north.
Sullivan's was in a wooded dip among the low hills We were getting into the foothills of the Range now. The roadhouse was low and sprawling, so comfortable looking, larger than the others so far, with a wing extending out the back. Pa Sullivan . . . — — Map (db m255636) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 4 at milepost 266) at the Alaska Highway (State Highway 2), on the right when traveling north on Richardson Highway.
Agricultural Development in Delta began with homesteading in the Delta-Clearwater area in
the early 1950's. Farm sizes varied from 160-320 acres.
In April of 1978 the State of Alaska sold approximately 15,000 acres of agricultural land in the . . . — — Map (db m255720) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 4 at milepost 266) at the Alaska Highway (State Highway 2), on the right when traveling north on Richardson Highway.
The History of the Purple Heart
In 1783 during the American Revolution General George Washington first awarded a decoration of embroidered purple fabric in the shape of a heart called the Badge of Military Merit. The decoration was awarded . . . — — Map (db m255663) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 4 at milepost 266), 0.1 miles north of 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north.
This wood stove is an excellent example of Alaskan ingenuity. The collared opening and door are brake drums from an old automobile. Although it does not come from the same time period as the roadhouse, it does demonstrate the inventive re use . . . — — Map (db m255646) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 4 at milepost 266), 0.1 miles north of 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north.
John Sullivan built his roadhouse out of unpeeled white spruce logs. It was originally chinked with moss and had a pole decked, sod roof covered with galvanized corrugated steel panels. The logs were crudely notched and pegged together. The . . . — — Map (db m255635) HM
On Alaska Highway (at milepost 1,422) at Richardson Highway, on the left when traveling north on Alaska Highway.
This highway was constructed during World War II as a military supply route for interior Alaska Military and Airfields in 1942. 7 Army regiments and 42 Contractors and Public Roads Administrators working from Delta Junction South and Dawson Creek . . . — — Map (db m59840) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 4 at milepost 266), 0.1 miles north of 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north.
Gardening was an important summer activity at the Sullivan Roadhouse. The main crop was potatoes.
This was typical for many roadhouses along the trail. A large potato patch was located behind the house and provided enough potatoes to last . . . — — Map (db m255638) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 4 at milepost 266), 0.1 miles north of 2nd Street.
The Sullivan Roadhouse was originally located 18 miles southwest of the city of Delta Junction, at the midpoint of the Donnelly Washburn Winter Cut [O]ff. The cut off shortened the trip by 35 miles, more than a day's travel at that time.
The . . . — — Map (db m255659) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 4 at milepost 266) at the Alaska Highway (State Highway 2), on the right when traveling north on Richardson Highway.
1 - Canol
U.S. Army 1943-1947 3 inch
Crude Oil: Norman Wells to Whitehorse
Gasoline & Diesel: To Fairbanks
2 - Haines-Fairbanks
U.S. Army 1955-1971 8 inch
Petroleum Products: Haines to Fairbanks
626 miles . . . — — Map (db m255694) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 4 at milepost 266), 0.1 miles north of 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north.
Today, the Sullivan Roadhouse appears much as it did during the early 1900's. The Roadhouse was carefully marked before it was dismantled and relocated to Delta Junction in the summer of 1996.
During the reassembly, the bottom three tiers of . . . — — Map (db m255640) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 4 at milepost 266), 0.1 miles north of 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north.
The Sullivan Roadhouse was originally comprised of a main lodge and several out buildings. It was a main stop for the passenger and freight lines. A large barn and blacksmith shop were essential for maintaining horses and sleds. The Sullivan was . . . — — Map (db m255643) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 4 at milepost 266), 0.1 miles north of 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north.
The Valdez-Fairbanks Trail was ten feet wide and
crossed 386 miles of steep mountain passes, rivers
and muskeg.
[Trail map highlighting Sullivan Roadhouse location] — — Map (db m255653) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 4 at milepost 266) at the Alaska Highway (State Route 2), on the right when traveling north on Richardson Highway.
Devices called "pigs" are routinely used in pipelines around the world. The first pigs, used to clean the inside walls of early small-diameter lines, were short and squat, suggesting the shape of the common barnyard animal. The name was applied . . . — — Map (db m255703) HM
On the Alaska Highway (State Highway 2) west of the Gerstle River (9-span) Bridge, on the left when traveling west.
The primary goal of habitat enhancement is to return an area to an earlier successional
stage, using methods such as tilling, mowing, rollerchopping, and prescribed fire.
① Maintaining bison habitat
Maintaining fields for . . . — — Map (db m255610) HM
On the Alaska Highway (State Highway 2) west of the Gerstle River (9-span) Bridge, on the left when traveling west.
Delta Junction Bison Range
Bison were released along the Delta River in 1928, and the herd increased from 28 animals to 400 by 1947. Bison hunting began in 1951. The 90,000 acre Delta Junction Bison Range (DJBR) was established in 1979, . . . — — Map (db m255605) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 2 at milepost 293.9), 0.2 miles west of Ruby Road, on the left when traveling west.
Placer mining during the Gold Rush included finding gold bearing gravels, digging them out
of the ground, and separating the heavier gold from the gravel. It was hard, back-breaking
work.
Finding a Pay Streak
Placer gold can be dust, . . . — — Map (db m255863) HM
On Richardson Highway (State Highway 2 at milepost 293.9), 0.2 miles west of Ruby Road, on the left when traveling west.
After the Klondike rush, prospectors searched many other places for gold. They made rich
discoveries near Fairbanks and many smaller discoveries in the upper Tanana Valley. The Tenderfoot discovery near here in 1905 led to a small stampede. . . . — — Map (db m255883) HM
Over the Moon
A bird's-eye view reveals this peaceful oxbow lake was once part of the mighty Tanana River. Fed by a healthy supply of glacial melt from the Alaska Range, the Tanana River's heavy silt load is ideal for the formation of a . . . — — Map (db m255592) HM
On Alaska Highway (Alaska Route 2 at milepost 1,314) at 2nd Street, on the left when traveling east on Alaska Highway.
The History of the Purple Heart
In 1783 during the American Revolution General George Washington first awarded a decoration of embroidered purple fabric in the shape of a heart called the Badge of Military Merit. The decoration was awarded . . . — — Map (db m255533) HM WM
On Taylor Highway (Alaska Route 6) at Alaska Highway ( Highway 2) on Taylor Highway.
The Taylor Highway leads through some of the earliest and richest gold mining country in Alaska to the City of Eagle on the Yukon River. Gold was discovered by Franklin in 1886 and the old town of Forty Mile was located on the Yukon River at the . . . — — Map (db m49596) HM
