Travel the Old Alaska Highway

A remarkable road trip adventure.

Did You know?

The Alaska Canadian Highway (ALCAN), also known as the Alaska Highway, was first proposed as a way to connect the United States to Alaska in the 1920s.

But the project officially began on March 9, 1942.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the road in cooperation with the Canadian government. 10,000 workers were used.

Road Crews at Work

There were miles and miles of forest to clear. There were creeks and rivers to cross. And there were mountains to climb.

All of the above, and the need to add twists and turns to the road to protect military convoys from attack by enemy planes.

Yes, all the above resulted in a road that seemed to have been laid out by a drunken snake.

Even Heavy Equipment had a Hard Time

Carving a highway out of the Canadian wilderness was no small task.

You can Share this Edition

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They Even Used Canadian Grey Hound Buses

Photo from Explore North

Did You Know?

From 1942 until 1944, Canadian Greyhound Coaches provided regular service on the old Alaska Highway between Dawson Creek and Fairbanks, Alaska. This was done while the road was still under construction.

U.S. Military personnel were allowed on the buses, as were civilian employees of the United States Government and workers employed by U.S. agencies or their contractors.

Each bus used two drivers working together.

As you might imagine, both the Greyhound buses and the passengers faced extreme challenges.

BONUS

Read more about Greyhound Bus Service on the ALCAN and discover

Spring Breakup 1946

Did you know that the old Alaska highway wasn't opened to civilian traffic until 1948?

However, two years before that, in 1946, there were two families from Arkansas and one person from Seattle who were given permission from the Canadian government to travel the highway to homestead in Alaska.

Here is their story

The First Civilian Travelers

In 1946, only military traffic was allowed on the Alaska, Canadian (ALCAN) Highway.

But two families from Arkansas somehow persuaded the Canadian Government to let them drive the highway to Alaska, so they could homestead. A man named L.D. Roach also received permission. The two families traveled together. Roach traveled by himself.

While it was called a highway, in reality it was nothing more than a muddy trail in the summer, with wooden bridges. The grades were steep. After a rain, sections of the road could be flooded or impassable.

There were no motels or places to get food or supplies.

Travelers were on their own.

The Colter – Hayes Caravan

Two families traveled together, the Colter family and the Hayes family.

They formed a caravan of sorts with a 1936 Willy's Overland and a 1936 Chevy. The two vehicles towed trailers filled with gas, food, and other supplies.

They prepared their food along the way, made their own repairs and camped out at night.

In those days, because of the war, tires were not made very well and repairing them was difficult.

L.D. Roach

Leaving from Seattle, L.D. Roach made the trip up the Old Alaska Highway in a 1930 Packard Roadster.

His vehicle was the 8th civilian car to drive the highway (although records are incomplete and a few motorists may have driven the road without permission).

At least twice during his trip, Roach's car went off the muddy road.

Others Tried

While others later received permission to travel the highway, most had to be rescued, so the Canadian Government stopped letting civilians drive the road.

Regular Civilian Traffic

In 1948, the old Alaska highway opened to regular civilian traffic.

Would You Drive Here?

For those who traveled the old Alaska Highway back in the day, you may remember the road as it looks in the picture above.

Mike has this memory:

“It was a barely two lane gravel road. In the spring it was a muddy mess, in the summer it was dusty and rain turned the dust to slick mud. Winter on the snow-covered and icy highway was a different challenge.”

BONUS

Read more ALCAN Highway Memories and enjoy

The Alaska Highway Today

It’s been many years since construction officially began on March 9, 1942.

And the muddy trail that greeted the first civilians in 1946 has seen many changes.

It looks like a beautiful Sunday drive.

If you travel the ALCAN today, it’s difficult to imagine those early days in the 1940s and early 1950s.

The last time Mike and Mary of Alaska Stories traveled the road, in May 1995, there were still a few places where you could still see sections of the old gravel road.

As I wrote this edition of Alaska Stories, I remembered the many times I was on the road. First in the 1950s as a boy and the last time in 1991. While the Alaska highway is still an adventure, nothing can compare with the highway’s early days.

Did you travel the ALCAN to Anchorage or other parts of Alaska? Or maybe you traveled the road to the lower 48.

BONUS

Discover the whole history of the ALCAN Highway and enjoy.

Contact Mike and Mary

Did you enjoy traveling the Old Alaska Highway with us?

You can comment by replying to this email, or you can click on the following link to Contact Us and say, “I traveled the Alaska Highway.”

Either way, we look forward to hearing from you.

Until Next Time

Mike and Mary

Alaska Stories

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