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
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
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
