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Thank you for making this film available, an impressive feat of engineering and man power, the logistics of such an enterprise are immense. To think that America was leasing war planes to Russia and many are not aware that America bought Alaska from Russia.
In 1965 my father was transferred from Ft. Richardson AK to Ft. Hamilton NY. He had always wanted to drive the ALCAN so he bought a Chevy II staition wagon, bundled us kids up and drove us down this magnificent stretch of road. As a 5 yr old kid I still remember some of the trip even today.
-Wow, Very interesting story. Wish you had a little more to add to it. But i can see you had a real cool time at 5 years old. I too can remember when i was 5.We lived in Norfolk at the time & very dullsville..-Your dad done real well when he bought that Chevy II station wagon(today that would be a SUV). I wish my dad had a good reason to make that long drive on the ALCAN. You were a very lucky little youngster.
@@auggie803 one item I do remember well is that the Chevy II Station Wagon, for that year vintage, had zero insulation so mom took most of our blankets, folded down the middle bench seat, and took those blankets and created insulations ask around that bare metal so is little ones wouldn't get froze to the metal. At that time, especially near Dawson, the temps were well below zero. My father would later to me that the law tasted that if there was a vehicle stalled on the side of the road it was against the law not to stop and render aid.
My dad was Air Force, stationed at Elmendorf, just outside of Anchorage. It had also been a dream of his to drive the Alcan and with SEVEN kids in tow, the youngest still being an infant, he got to live that dream when he was reassigned in 1967. We drove the Alcan, straight across Canada and dropped down to the lower 48 via Michigan. It was an incredible experience. I remember stopping at this little, backwoods store to get some much-needed bread and being told bread would be in any day now. That turned out to be code for "sometime in the next week". lol I remember the hot springs we spent an extra day enjoying too. One of the many great things we experienced on a trip that took us 2 1/2 weeks to complete.Great memories!!
I was born in Dawson Creek. I have one memory of the Alaska Highway. Dad was driving our Chev,hit a rock,ripped a hole in the oilpan and the family had to wait in the car for him to walk miles back to call for a tow truck. In the car,because the black flies and mosquitoes meant the windows had to stay rolled up. In the summer. Even for a very young child,that one stuck.1958 or so. Permafrost in the winter. If visiting or shopping,cars would be left running. A 6 volt ignition is not a good choice at -20 deg F. The glaciation of the area meant the soil was finely ground rock flour mostly mixed with peat moss. Incredibly gluey with water. A tank was recovered in the early 70s from a peat bog. The thing literally sank out of sight. Whoever thought Dawson Creek was a good idea for a tank training ground had rocks in their head. Building that highway was quite an achievement. Dawson Creek was chosen because that was as far North and West as the railway net went. Detroit iron to Dawson Creek,then pure willpower and muscle on.
My grandfather worked on the Al-Can Hwy, he kept the big trucks, machines in tires..Uniroyal Tire - he sent home letters & pics, we still have them & they look just like this film footage. This is awesome, thankyou.
My dad was a civil engineer. He said the two greatest civil engineering marvels of the 20th century are the Mackinac Straits Bridge and the Alaska Highway. Imagine, a bunch of non-engineer youngsters from the south who've never seen snow shipped to the far north to build a road. And they did it in 8 months the flat, by golly! Outstanding!
I'm from Michigan. We cherish the Mighty Mac like an icon ii remember before n this state. It is revered. I grew up in the Upper Penninsula. I remember before the bridge having to take the ferries. It is still a scary bridge to cost for me( do not like heights) but, it is majestic in design & setting!! Also, I was born in Alaska, before statehood. I " came out" at 3 months old for relatives to see. Later we spent a few years there homesteading. We drove that road several times back in the 1950's & early 1960's. Mom told me the first time, in 1951, she drove across a couple rivers with floating steel barrels & planks. You lined your tires up & centered your car. Dad said " you can do it!!". I remember a bull dozer " road " of berms, mud holes, dust, no guard rails, pot holes, rocks, twists & turns!! So many stories. Now, I hear it is all straightened out, paved...a super hyway!!
My dad was a bulldozer operator on this build. Still have letters he wrote to me and a pair of beaded moccasins he bought for me. Amazing to see what they accomplished!!
Our Canadian Air Force family drove from Ontario to Whitehorse in 1965. It was a gravel road then. Everyone had a cracked windshield. What a drive. There's shoulder, a barrier and then a 1,000 drop on the one side, while the other side is a rocky slope with Dahl sheep climbing all over. Breathtaking scenery.
Boy, do I hear you!! Born in Alaska very early 1950's. We homesteaded there. Made several trips by car, back to our home state of Michigan. That was some road in those days!! Big mud holes, twists, turns, no guard rails, dust, rocks..you are correct!! We carried a bar of soap in the car. Dad even let us kids chew bubble gum( he hated chewing/ gum ). Both were used on the gas tank leaks..to plug u ones caused by rocks. Our car engine caught fire 180 miles from Fort St.John,Yukon. Dad had to leave Mom & us 4 kids by the car while he caught a ride with a transport driver into Fort St.John for parts. Another driver from BC helped with repairs when he brought Dad back on a return trip. Mom was worried sick that we might not see him again!! She was afraid of being alone with 4 kids out in the middle of no where! Lots of memories..that's for sure.
My Dad was assigned to this project when he was in the Army. He was part of a small pontoon bridge co. They would deploy their bridges to allow the equipment to cross the rivers, then others would follow and build actual bridges .
Honestly Democrats don't want anything to do with our history &: this video briefly touched base about our China Balloon 💭 spying over Alaska/ Canada then into United States of America! 💥 BADA BING BADA BOOM 💥 I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE 🙌 Nj'sJfJr 👍🏼💪🏼❤️🇺🇸
My Dad was working n a logging camp in Alaska when war was declared. He wanted to enlist but knew if he enlisted in Alaska, that's where he would remain. He made passage to Portland where he enlisted and then sent back to Alaska where he was a heavy equipment operator building roads and runways mostly in the Aleutian Islands for the remainder of his service time. There is a book that details so much of the place and times: "The Thousand Mile War" is a great read that details the many hardships of .building roads and runways where they were never meant to be.
The Thousand Mile War… What an amazing read! One of the major take aways from that book was that life in Alaska during the war was very much the opposite of like in Europe during the same war The wooded areas of Europe were in stark contrast to the tree-less islands of the Aleutians, where a single planted tree made a forest for a general’s dog. During WW2, the book chronicles how fighters escorted the bombers to their targets in Europe… but in Alaska, the bombers used it’s radar to escort the fighters, which would drop the bombs on occupied Alaska lands during the war. Planes flew high above the cities, bombing from the stratosphere of Europe, while the fighter planes dropping bombs off the Aleutians flew just a few feet off the water, so they could see under the clouds covering everything. In the European Theater, Americans died of battle wounds fighting Germans dug in on their continent… while in Alaska, Americans largely died when mistakingly flying their fighters into mountains on their bombing runs of Japanese dug in on American soil… trying to dislodge the only aggressor nation who captured American soil during WW2. Such different theaters, such different Wars, yet the Americans People fought the same war in both hemispheres.
That reminds me of a funny story. I am Australian and our capital, Canberra, is a purpose built city, functional but not much excitement. I was in a bar one afternoon and the discussion turned to what to do on the weekend. Many ideas were tossed about then someone said "Mystery Flight", you get on a plane with an unknown destination, stay in an hotel, then fly home Sunday. This idea was dismissed with yeah we will get a mystery flight to Sydney, we can drive there. Why not drive to Sydney and take a mystery flight from there? This idea was agreed upon as they might go to tropical Queensland. They got on a mystery flight in Sydney and ended up in Canberra. I laughed my guts out when they called me from the hotel.
The last time I saw this film was in grade school in the 60s. I remember most of it still being dirt back in 89. You had to be aware of fast-moving trucks coming from the opposite direction because they would spray you with rocks and cracked windshields were common. I had 3 of 4 headlights broken by one. Long stretches of the new construction paved sections ran parallel in various locations. The old machines were pretty cool in this film.
The Al-Can hwy did have a reputation, and many stories- all true. I was born in Alaska- before its was a state-and my precious - Grandaddy was a long haul trucker. He used to be,and his family were/are farmers-of several thing's, one thing I really remembered was - my grandaddy and the unconditional love,when he"d roll up to our house. Me in a bubble suit (anyone remember ?) I"m a soon to be a 65 yrs old female-bubble suit? haha - trying to condense a very Big story in my very young life - So here goes- I've been playing in the in the light,silty dirt/sand of Matanuska Valley all day, of course stopping my all too important endeavors and - my day's work for goodness sake. Did I say that , my mom was loudly saying - Daddy No ,no , no - been peeing in the dirt. I got lifted,under my right underarm - and placed on the rider's seat- then out of our street - then on his lap. To first get and give kisses and then you guesssed it - pulling the cord to make that whistle blow. My uncle also drove,long haul (- oh i forgot to say Grandaddy's trailer with watermelons ). I was and could go on -family trips etc. So the Alaskan Highway or the AL-Can , many stories I can think of and it really was a pretty big deal.
-Thanks for telling us your adventure there in Alaska. I can easily see how you got ya car windows & head lights cracked. I would have thought it was just water and got my car windows cracked just like you did. It must have been really something to see all this and to see it again right in the very same general area. Take Care & Stay Safe. 🚙🛻
I worked out of Fort St John in 1967 t0 70 hauling oil well cement to rigs north as far a Ft Nelson. Was all off road stuff off the Alcan down paths bulldozers just had made. Some places dozers were stationed to tow or push us through bogs or hills our trucks couldn't do it. North of Ft St John, the Alcan was gravel. Our trucks were all low reving diesels and at 40 or 50 below 0 we damn near froze. They even put extra heater cores and motors in my truck, it helped a bit.But it was one of my fondest memories. It was gods country up there. The wildlife and scenery you got to see was just amazing. That was 50 years ago and I still remember alot of it.
My father was the project director of Canol, the pipeline that ran alongside the Highway. He jokingly called Alcan his service road. These were real men
Also come to think of it I’ve driven the length of both the north and south sections of the Canol road (the north and south Canol meet at a remote village called Ross River) which still exists to this day as little more than a barely maintained dirt road. Once the ‘gets up to the NWT border it peters out to become basically a hiking trail, compared to when it was constructed and it went all the way to Norman Wells, NWT. Many of the old US vehicles and equipment from the 40’s were left behind and are still up there gathered together in groups protected under the Yukons Heritage sites act. The south Canol is the better of the two today, whereas the north Canol is a narrow, basically unmaintained almost 4x4 only route with no services on it. The fact that your father was a project director on the Canol is amazing to me.
My two uncles worked on the highway.Lots of mosquitos in summer and grizzly bears that would tear you to shreds in no time. Also, prostitutes would set up camps nearby and on payday the fellas would go visit them.Lots of guy got crabs and the clap from those ladies
We were stationed at Elmendorf for 5 years and when my dad was reassigned, rather than fly back to the lower 48, we drove and spent a lot of that time on this very road. I was a child with 6 younger siblings. It was an experience! lol Wouldn't trade it for the world though. I have some great memories of that trip. I really enjoyed seeing how this road came to be.
My step dad was in the air force and he was stationed at Elmendorf in Anchorage in 1980 and we drove the Alcan up to Anchorage and it was a narrow dirt road that was graded to maintain it, when it rained you got in behind a semi and followed in its tracks. It really was a once in a lifetime thing. When we we left we took the ferry to Seattle that also was a once in a lifetime experience. My step dad was stationed back at Elmendorf in 1982 and we took the Alcan up to Alaska again. when we moved from 1985 because my step dad had a permanent change of station I elected to fly back to the lower 48 and spent the summer with my grandparents, I was over the whole driving the Alcan experience 2× was enough for me.
In a similar film I noted an interesting observation. I hiked the Chilkoot trail back in the 80s, when you visit Skagway or Whitehorse there was no mention of highway construction. All reference to construction or relics was to the gold rush.
America bought Alaska from Russia in the mid 1800's for 7.2 million dollars, or put another way the land cost less than "two cents" an acre. The closest Russian village to an Alaskan village is less than 5 miles apart. Go to your map program and look up Little Diomede Alaska and Big Diomede Russia, to see for yourself. Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas. From a security standpoint, Alaska was priceless!
My dad’s first “gig” in the Army was working on the construction of this road! The skills learned would later be transferred to the European theatre building temporary bridges to replace demolished ones as the Allies made their way inexorably towards Germany!
Heck of a ride. As a kid back in the late 50’s my father drove us 4 kids and mom down the ALCAN to return from his Air Force post at Elmendorf AFB. Interesting ride for a kid.
In the late 60s, my parents took four of us kids on a month long trek up this highway to Alaska and back. Chevy sedan pulling a small travel trailer. All except a very short stretch was gravel.
I first drove this road in 1962 when it was still called the Alcan highway. It was all gravel then, but i believe it is now all paved. Quite an accomplishment in such a short time.
Drove it aug 74. Fairbanks to N.Dakota..long beautiful streaches of hard packed mud and dirt severl long runs of asphaltem hard packed and many miles of 30 -40 mph driving washboard ca, tire and suspension killing miles. Miles of burned out forests...and miles where if you walked 50 feet off the road you could get lost in the density of huge trees and hard growth permafrost mosses and scrub trees... 100's of years thick and matted. So silent as to be deafing and you could hear your own heart beat. Absolutely solitude if thats what you want to experence. Not sure whats there some 50 years later...but its so big and long and beautful i have wamted to drive it going north this time...it would be be 5 or 7 days depending on the pace you choose.
The frost heaving is so bad in some areas that paving is a mistake. (Had to drive 20 mph) Gravel roads can be constantly graded; pavement must be broken up and relaid.
@@sanniepstein4835 You are so right about what you say regarding paving making frost heaved sections harder to maintain. When the highway was reconstructed starting in the early 80’s the US Congress voted to pay for the reconstruction cost from the Alaska border to Haines Junction,YT and then on to Haines, AK as that portion mostly benefits Alaska. To my understanding the terms of the reconstruction agreement signed between the two countries stipulate that the road surface must be sealed. (BST or Pavement) No one realized at the time that portions of the beautiful new highway were going to become the frost heaved mess they are today. It is an annual exercise in frustration trying to repair and keep those sections drivable.
First time on it was in 1977. Bumber stickers were "I drove the Alaska Hwy, Yes dammit, both ways" Today other than the Southern side of Muncho lake, its like a 2 lane freeway.
I drove the Alcan in 1970 & as I was checking on some tires in Dawson Creek, I met up with a Japanese kid who was hitching a ride from Arizona to Alaska & I ended up giving him a ride all the way to Anchorage. He couldn't speak English, but we sure did manage to communicate. I believe he was about 19 or 20 at that time & I remember his name was Masamu Yamamoto (Masa for short) We lost contact somehow. We shot rabbits along the way in the N.W. Territories & made a fire along the road & cooked them up. A Very interesting trip indeed!!!! I would sure like to meet up with Masa again. We would have a conversation to write a book about.
I worked for the Yukon Territorial Government for just over 5 years in the mid-1980's. By that time, the portion of the Alaska Highway had long been taken over; first by the Canadian Department of Defence and then by Public Works Canada. (The Provincial Government of British Columbia did not want it north of Wonowon - MP 101.). The maintenance work on the Yukon portion of the Alaska Highway # 1 plus the BC and Yukon portions of the Haines Highway # 3 had been contracted out to YTG, and my job description as Program Engineer III included giving engineering advice to the Highway Maintenance section, like several bridge painting, gravel crushing and culvert replacement projects. Chip sealing (Bituminous Surface Treatment) was completed during that time, eliminating Calcium Chlorite dust abatement, I have fond memories of this portion of work, described in Part 3 of "My Professional Career". I saw this movie during those days, and much had already been changed; even more by 2022, of course.
My father worked at the Swift River maintenance camp from the mid 70’s to early 80’s so that where I lived as a young kid, back when it had modular homes and families still lived there. I easily remember the old narrow gravel highway before it was chipped and then reconstructed into what it is today. The new road shaved the 5 hour long drive of yesteryear from Swift River to Whitehorse into the 3ish hour drive it is today.
In the mid 1980's my wife and I drove the Alaska Highway up and back. We wanted to experience it while it was still much the same as it is shown in this documentary. It was still mostly gravel and by driving it in the late summer/early Fall we avoided most other tourists as well as the summer mosquitos. Although it was still mostly gravel I outfitted an older station wagon with gravel guards, heavy duty tires and new shocks and we had no trouble. We used the "Milepost" booklet as our guide to gas, lodging and camp sites. It was a true Yukon and Alaskan wilderness experience and due to the time of the year we often drove for hours without seeing another vehicle. The scenery and wildlife was fantastic. We also drove around Alaska which was really worthwhile too. We headed back south and left Alaska around the beginning of October. The nights were getting down to freezing but the days were still mild. The trip had been on my bucket list and I wasn't disappointed. I recommend it to anyone who has wanted to do it and hasn't gotten around to it yet.
We drove up in January of 1977 to Delta Junction AK (Fort Greely), entering Canada at Sweetgrass, Montana. Once we got over to the ALCAN, even though it was gravel the compacted snow made it very smooth. I had protective screens over the headlight and due to the cold a cover over the radiator so had no problems with meeting other vehicles. Windshield stayed intact! Often drove 65-70 mph. Came out in summer four years later when they started paving and it was slow and a pain. I've heard it is now all paved so much be a much better drive. But it can't be beat for scenery (anytime but Winter!). After living four years in the interior of Alaska, my admiration for these men is huge, and especially how quickly it was done.
We had neighbors who actually worked on it for the Army, they told me many stories about it. He was an Army engineer. They accomplished many amazing things for that time period.
Dad was in the Airforce down the Alcan Highway late 1969 my dad, mom and 4 children headed out from Alaska all the way to Orlando, Fl. My dad was the only license driver at the time. I do remember some of the trip. I know it was long that's for sure.
Our family of six drove the Alcan in 62. I remember it as more dirt than gravel. We had to tape the doors shut on the 56 Chevy to keep the dust out. Dust was a blessing as the road was only 1 1/2 lanes wide and when you saw the dust cloud two miles out you knew a truck was coming and it was time to find a shoulder. Too many stories to tell.
Yes, when you saw a truck coming you pulled over and slowed down or almost stopped. Worst was in winter or conditions when dust was suppressed and you met an unexpected oncoming vehicle or semi coming around a corner. Many people took to the ditch or had collisions causing injury or death from that situation over the years. I remember in particular once as a rear seat passenger meeting a oncoming semi that threw a rock from the road surface so large that when it hit our windshield it sprayed glass all over inside our vehicle but thankfully didn’t come through the windshield.
@@herbertbrown119 ‘62 was before my time so I can’t speak for then but by the early 70’s calcium chloride was applied once per year, at least on the Yukon portion. It kept the dust down for a while after application but made the road greasy when it rained.
Reminds me of building powerline from rainbow lake to ft Nelson as a mechanic for Bob keen. We had hydraulics in the 90s. Then lived fixing oilfield,logging,pipeline equipment in ft st john. The men were our pioneers to open life to this area. Great work and informing video.
Just like the veterans of WWII those that built the Highway didn't seem to talk about it. Since my father was too young for WWI and too old with a family during WWII he chose to contribute building the highway. I didn't know about his working on the highway until the late 1970's. So ... my wife & I planned to take 2 years off work and travel western US & Canada starting the summer of 1978. Our plan was to take my father up along the highway. He would base camp and fish to his hearts content while we backpacked. Sad to say .... he died 2 January of 1978. He never got to see his works of construction, but we were mesmerized every inch of he way.
To live in spirit in the Great North is a blessing....even though you lost your beloved patriarch...Thoreau, Muir, and men of nature like my Granpappy would say he moved onward with " good medicine." Aloha pumehana!
Grandfather was a cat skinner in the Army working on that highway and he would rarely talk about it. His dozers fell through ice numerous times and he would not even get near one in his later years ! Curtis Gray was a hard old man who didn't really like kids!
A few years ago my brother and I drove from Fairbanks to Nashville. At 66 I enjoyed the trip, was in July and scenery was beautiful as was the wildlife encountered. But, from the AK-Yukon border to Whitehorse there were many stretches that were very rough, to say the least. The trip was not on my bucket list, but so glad I got to make it!
That stretch of highway you mention, with the worst being from the international border to the Destruction Bay Area is notoriously bad. The permafrost in the ground continuously melts and the road sinks into the muskeg and partly disintegrates on an almost annual basis.
One problem not specifically mentioned was the mosquitos. The workers must have literally coated themselves with repellant during the summer months. And right up to the 1970s a routine question that was asked when trading in a car, was whether or not it was driven on the Alaska Highway. Obviously an affirmative answer would mean your settlement cost would be less due to anticipated wear and tear on the vehicle.
Yes, as a veteran of several trips across this hyway during the 1950's- early 1960's, I can vouch for the skeeters!! Clouds,swarms,clouds of them buzzing, inhalation little buggers!!
My dad was stationed with the signal Corp during the early days of WW2. He talked about the dangers of these roads as the winter moved to spring. The roads were often sanded or graveled to manage the slippage. As spring came, the highly compressed road would take many more weeks to thaw… you would have a road several feet raised over the terrain. Yes truck would fall off the roads. He also said that the sentries could only be out 15-20 minutes at a time, their rifles would freeze up. Teams would rotate all day and night long.
These dump trucks are awesome. I’ve seen many videos of these being remade into modern chassis with the original cabs. This is too cool to see them working back when they were built.
There was a great concern the Japanese would build air bases on Attu from which to bomb the mainland. Soldiers were sent there to repel the Japanese in a rush job. Many did not have cold weather clothing, they suffered horribly. My father-in-law was one of them. His feet got so cold they bothered him the rest of his life. This road was vastly important to make certain troops could be supplied and ready to continue repelling the invading Japanese. It truly was a miraculous accomplishment. I'm sure the men building this road also suffered with the cold. Many thanks are owed to all those who contributed to the building of this road.
At the time we lived at the start of the Alcan Highway not too far from Dawson Creek. My Dad briefly worked on the Alcan. A number of girls from our hometown married American workers. The Americans were paid so much more than were the Canadians. Liquor was rationed and residents were only allowed 26 or 40 ounces of hard liquor each month. My Dad recalled selling his rationed bottle to an American for $40 which was considered a lot of money back then.
At 5•40....🤔 I was pleased to hear that there were 'coloured'◼ as well as 'white'◻ 😯 troops, (working on the road...and that) both did their FULL share!!!
Well have to throw that in to keep the majority of the population from thinking the colored might be slacking off. Part of the negative feed back loop of discrimination. Being known to work hard got even more work so slaves and later black workers in the hideous labor conditions of the time slacked off. Plus working hard and getting promoted could get race riot to put them N word in their place. Part of the cultural damage to African Americans similar to colonial countries behaviors to survive make you look bad to outsiders and when it's time to dump those habits for helping yourself and society it hard to get people to change.
@@RedRocket4000 Were they allowed to share the same mess halls, to eat and drink? What about bathroom facilities. Many black and white were accidentally killed.... Were they buried side by side, or in different sections of the cemetery? How about transport??? So many questions!
@@loughman2629 They were mostly segregated. They would have had separate quarters and mess's apart from white troops. Alaska was segregated in the 1940's. They had Jim Crow practices like in some other parts of the US where Indigenous Natives were separated from Whites. Alaska ended those practices in 1945. The U.S Military ended racial segregation in 1948.
I understand that most of the trucks used in the initial construction had no cabin heaters. The drivers were freezing. Some purposely ran the trucks off the road so they could get back to base and be warm until the towing crew freed it. Also, I had a History and Geography teacher who with her husband drove that road in the early 1950's. They took a lot of pictures. Showed their car with plywood covering the windshield, just a small hole to see out. That was to keep the glass from breaking when other vehicles kicked up stones. Sure made our lessons interesting!
Probably a rumor as freezing in the truck till they got towed out would have been unbearable and maybe the tow gets stuck and you're not out till next day if you're alive. If anyone trashed a truck to get war it was a short walk to the base.
It’s definitely on my bucket list but as a Brit I don’t have high hopes. The Lincoln highway is on there too such as is left of it but with the world hell bent on discarding all that this glorious “can do” wartime generation won for us I suspect that it will never come to pass. How we do dishonour their memory. Oh to have been amongst their number.
Yes I'm a daughter of the one of the men who delayed wire for the government hundreds of miles. And I find this video extremely fascinated I heard stories but I never imagined how big the scope of the project was.
My parents met on the Alaska highway in the late 50’s when my mother was travelling to Alaska and was introduced to my father at the highway lodge he and his brother owned on the lakeside site of what had once been a U.S. army road construction camp. By 1960 they had married so when it comes down to it if it wasn’t for the Alaska Highway I wouldn’t even be here today. Being raised alongside the highway and relying on it for transportation before later working on maintaining it the highway has been a big part of my life.
My Grandpa worked on building the Alcan Highway. I have a hard back book that has a lot of photos and has everyones name listed in the back of the book.
At 30 march 1867 a treaty was sign between Eduard de Stoecki, russian ambasador in USA, and Seward and at 9 april he got the approval from the Senat whit 37 votes pro and 2 negatives for the acquisition of Alaska. In June 1868, after the Johnson impeachement, Stoecki and Seward obtained at 14 July they obtained a favorable vote whit 113 pro and 48 negatives. The ceremony transfer of Alaska, was held at Sitka in 18 October 1867, in that time the day of 7 October 1867 (Iulian Calendar) was followed by the day of 18 October 1867 (Gregorian Calendar).
Wife and I drove down from Anchorage in 1968/August, after my 2 year AF tour at 6981st Security Service. 1967 Pontiac LeMans with a unit friend in backseat and 4 tires on top carrier. Only a 21 yr old does that with "little" fear. Drove straight through with no issues.
My father also worked on the Alaska Highway, but like an idiot, I didn't get around to asking him what he did...but I'm thinking it was probably heavy equipment. I don't know how many times I've been over the Alcan, but the last time was in 2011 when I rode my Harley down to Virginia. Smooth ride all the way!!
I was on the hi-way when it was being built .There was 3000 black people working on the hi way ,I don't see one in this show. They had never seen snow before and nearly froze to death .There was one worker killed every day .The cats never had a canopy .the trees would fall on them .A lot went over the bank with the army trucks on some very bad hills .A lot drowned in Muncho lake.Today you can drive from Dawson Creek to White horse in one day .The Cannol pipeline was completed way after the war .We hauled alkalite by truck to Norman Wells in 1948 ,to mix with the oil, to use in airplanes
THE ALASKA HIGHWAY ... poem c. 1949 ... author unknown ... Winding in and winding out It fills my mind with serious doubt Whether the men who built this route Were going to Hell, or coming out. My family lived on an army base right by the Alaska Highway at Takhini Hot Springs just outside Whitehorse in the early 1950s ... my father was in the Canadian Army and my uncle was a guide for the American engineers and surveyors in 1942 ... that being Ralph Boliver then living in Carcross but originally from Nova Scotia ... the poem was a popular souvenir item [already being made in Japan] and I still have a copy from then ... (:)) ... Ps ... the colored copyright tag a the bottom right corner is very distracting ... at the very least it could be in black and white or shades of grey ...
I think of today's road crews and they would still be at it. Also was impressed by all the lumber that was used. Often heard the highway talked about in my youth but this is the first real look at how it was built.
I remember my dad telling me that if a dozer broke down on the road rather than waste time dragging it out of the way and fixing it they just pushed it into the muck to become part of the foundation.
No mention of my home town - Fort St. John BC. It was the HQ for construction of the southern half of the Highway. The army left 2 large Quonset huts. One became the town hall and library, the other became the local theatre - the Carlsonia. It was probably a theatre for the army to entertain the troops. I remember the bridge - it was beautiful and awesome. In the late 50's Pacific Petroleum built a refinery at Taylor Flats on the north end of the bridge. They put their immense dirty water discharge upstream of the bridge footing and right beside it. They washed away enough soil in a few years that the footing became unstable, moved, and the bridge collapsed. Pacific Petroleum DID NOT PAY A CENT!!! The "reason" for the collapse was never publicly acknowledged OR even discussed. BC taxpayers built the new bridge. The new bridge was as ugly as the original was beautiful!!! Strangely enough, my Dad who was a Peace River pioneer started in 1928, met my Mom in what is now Thunder Bay in 1943 and they married. Meanwhile, my Mom's brother was a Canadian Army liaison with the Americans and was stationed in guess where - Fort St John.
I worked for several years in Fort Nelson. The memories of my time there i cherish forever. I drove the Alaska Canada road in all weather and also winter roads way back in the oil patch which crisscrossed all across the north and up into the northwest territory. Extremely cold in the winter and little sun and the long warm sunny days . No see imes and black flys . Many thanks to Harry Clarke and his boys of northwest plumbing and heating and a good friends Dennis and Pat Skinner😂. To return for a visit is on my bucket list. But sadly since it is 40 years ago so they might not be living. But my memories will never die . I wonder how many changes there since.
A truly staggering incredible feat of engineering of resources and men all whilst the second world war was raging. Back when America led the world in amazing vast infrastructure projects .
I rode the Army shuttle bus from Ft. Greely to Fairbanks, numerous times during '73/'74. This film talks about phone lines, but the White Alice over the horizon system was in use at that time Ft. Greely had been one of those Lend-Lease transfer sites and wa attached to one of the Army Air Corp bases in Fairbanks. I saw lot tings marked Ladd AAC while serving at Ft. Greely. We had a small radio & TV station. I was the Engineer.
My Dad: Lt Sam Ackerman, US Army Corp Engineers, 1942, 1st Battalion, 95th Engineer Regiment, ALCAN Highway Pioneer Road, Yukon Territory, “One of the Official Engineering Marvels of the Word”.
Was making round trip to Fairbank and back to California few times over the years, never imagined there are so many black folks contributed the amazing highway building
Great video! I imagine those that weren't a good match for the battlefield were sent here, and many of those civilians that didn't get drafted ended up here. Must have been very interesting logistically since those huge machines would have required lots of metal and fuel that I'm sure was needed for tanks and planes as well. Unfortunately today's generation wouldn't have been able to get more than a few feet before they decided it was too hard.
For the US there was always enough fuel just not enough ways to get it where it was going. The one guy mentioning father stating the road was a service road for the pipeline not totally off. US did have gas rationing but getting fuel to the front was always the concern every front I know of not shortages back home. When the road was started they did not realize we could win even yet by the end they may have thought we don't actually have to finish it. But getting vehicles and supply especially as they mentioned gas to Alaska a key goal.
That last sentence seems needlessly antagonistic… what has our generation done to you? Also, what’s it to you? Our generation has to live with the consequences of yours’ mistakes, whereas your generation will likely die in blissful ignorance.
@@bensix5670 ..ALASKA HWY...YA, comment was correct. You only have your self & generation for comparison. We have several to compare yours against. There is No comparison.
Great video, on a great road, I rode the highway in 2018, the Alaskan Highway was the last section of my ride from Weed, CA, to Watson Lake in the Yukon.
During this time my Father was a Capt. with the 109th Jungle Cats Combat Engineers stationed in Panama doing the same kind of improvements before being sent to Germany, He was promoted to Major and XO builiding bridges across the many German rivers to move troops, equipment and materials.
3 of my aunts worked in support businesses in Dawson Creek, BC, one owned a chicken restaurant with her husband, Lonnie and Myrtle Tricker, one married an army guy from NJ, and still lives in NJ, 97 years old and one was a waitress, never married.
-WOW,97 & still flipping burgers. She's must be in super great health. I,ll bet with excellent health like that she will make the one hundred age mark. And please tell her to retire because she surely deserves it. Plus this will be big time news in your area & probably many other City's & State's as well. My mom made it to 97 & that was the real end.She was also bedridden and in very bad health. So you & you're family have some real great things to look forward to and most of all the 100th Birthday party of ya aunt. Seems good health runs in your family. Stay safe,healthy & just have fun.🎂🍧.
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Now days it takes the entire length of WW11 just to get permitting and construction of a bridge across a creek. Those boys in the 40s did 1500 miles in a year and a half with 50 lb chainsaws and 50hp straight six industrial gas engines.
My father was in the army at this time he lived in a camp he ran wire for hundreds of miles for the army. He had a picture of him with the camps pet grizzly bear they had to raise the stories my father would tell about this time in the of his life were amazing.
It cracks me up how from the opening line, about "the Japs...", referring of course to the Japanese nation, this script would be considered racist and horribly non-pc. I think we should lighten up. Japan, and her people are now our great friends & Allies. But it does give a feel for the tension & propaganda that accompanies wartime.
America bought Alaska from Russia in the mid 1800's for 7.2 million dollars. That was a cost of less than two cents an acre. From a national security standpoint...Alaska was priceless.
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Currently reading a lot of Jack London short stories right now and many are in Alaska and all the problems the climate offers to humans.
Had the Japanese invaded, they would have found a brand new road for them to get to the lower 48.
Thank you for making this film available, an impressive feat of engineering and man power, the logistics of such an enterprise are immense. To think that America was leasing war planes to Russia and many are not aware that America bought Alaska from Russia.
@@bojens865 Yep! Then those evil bastards would have met the armed American citizens!
@@jamesmooney5348 And we'd know if interning the West Coast Japaness was a good idea or not.
In 1965 my father was transferred from Ft. Richardson AK to Ft. Hamilton NY. He had always wanted to drive the ALCAN so he bought a Chevy II staition wagon, bundled us kids up and drove us down this magnificent stretch of road. As a 5 yr old kid I still remember some of the trip even today.
-Wow, Very interesting story. Wish you had a little more to add to it. But i can see you had a real cool time at 5 years old. I too can remember when i was 5.We lived in Norfolk at the time & very dullsville..-Your dad done real well when he bought that Chevy II station wagon(today that would be a SUV). I wish my dad had a good reason to make that long drive on the ALCAN. You were a very lucky little youngster.
@@auggie803 one item I do remember well is that the Chevy II Station Wagon, for that year vintage, had zero insulation so mom took most of our blankets, folded down the middle bench seat, and took those blankets and created insulations ask around that bare metal so is little ones wouldn't get froze to the metal. At that time, especially near Dawson, the temps were well below zero.
My father would later to me that the law tasted that if there was a vehicle stalled on the side of the road it was against the law not to stop and render aid.
My dad was Air Force, stationed at Elmendorf, just outside of Anchorage. It had also been a dream of his to drive the Alcan and with SEVEN kids in tow, the youngest still being an infant, he got to live that dream when he was reassigned in 1967. We drove the Alcan, straight across Canada and dropped down to the lower 48 via Michigan.
It was an incredible experience. I remember stopping at this little, backwoods store to get some much-needed bread and being told bread would be in any day now. That turned out to be code for "sometime in the next week". lol
I remember the hot springs we spent an extra day enjoying too. One of the many great things we experienced on a trip that took us 2 1/2 weeks to complete.Great memories!!
I was born in Dawson Creek. I have one memory of the Alaska Highway. Dad was driving our Chev,hit a rock,ripped a hole in the oilpan and the family had to wait in the car for him to walk miles back to call for a tow truck. In the car,because the black flies and mosquitoes meant the windows had to stay rolled up. In the summer. Even for a very young child,that one stuck.1958 or so.
Permafrost in the winter. If visiting or shopping,cars would be left running. A 6 volt ignition is not a good choice at -20 deg F.
The glaciation of the area meant the soil was finely ground rock flour mostly mixed with peat moss. Incredibly gluey with water.
A tank was recovered in the early 70s from a peat bog. The thing literally sank out of sight. Whoever thought Dawson Creek was a good idea for a tank training ground had rocks in their head.
Building that highway was quite an achievement.
Dawson Creek was chosen because that was as far North and West as the railway net went. Detroit iron to Dawson Creek,then pure willpower and muscle on.
Kewl family trip, even if you only have glimpses of memory from it.
My grandfather worked on the Al-Can Hwy, he kept the big trucks, machines in tires..Uniroyal Tire - he sent home letters & pics, we still have them & they look just like this film footage. This is awesome, thankyou.
My dad was a civil engineer. He said the two greatest civil engineering marvels of the 20th century are the Mackinac Straits Bridge and the Alaska Highway. Imagine, a bunch of non-engineer youngsters from the south who've never seen snow shipped to the far north to build a road. And they did it in 8 months the flat, by golly! Outstanding!
I'm from Michigan. We cherish the Mighty Mac like an icon ii remember before n this state. It is revered. I grew up in the Upper Penninsula. I remember before the bridge having to take the ferries. It is still a scary bridge to cost for me( do not like heights) but, it is majestic in design & setting!! Also, I was born in Alaska, before statehood. I " came out" at 3 months old for relatives to see. Later we spent a few years there homesteading. We drove that road several times back in the 1950's & early 1960's. Mom told me the first time, in 1951, she drove across a couple rivers with floating steel barrels & planks. You lined your tires up & centered your car. Dad said " you can do it!!". I remember a bull dozer " road " of berms, mud holes, dust, no guard rails, pot holes, rocks, twists & turns!! So many stories. Now, I hear it is all straightened out, paved...a super hyway!!
I learned to cross country ski. Then downhill too. Ice skating and snowball throwing..😁👍❄️❄️❄️
My father was an army engineer on this road in 1942. Exciting for me to see what he was doing for the first time.
He might have worked with my friend Gordon.
My great grandfather was there too. Sam Houston. Army Corp of engineers. Sea Bees
My Father was there also either 32 or 35th engineering battalion. I would have to check that.
My dad was a bulldozer operator on this build. Still have letters he wrote to me and a pair of beaded moccasins he bought for me. Amazing to see what they accomplished!!
Our Canadian Air Force family drove from Ontario to Whitehorse in 1965. It was a gravel road then. Everyone had a cracked windshield. What a drive. There's shoulder, a barrier and then a 1,000 drop on the one side, while the other side is a rocky slope with Dahl sheep climbing all over. Breathtaking scenery.
Boy, do I hear you!! Born in Alaska very early 1950's. We homesteaded there. Made several trips by car, back to our home state of Michigan. That was some road in those days!! Big mud holes, twists, turns, no guard rails, dust, rocks..you are correct!! We carried a bar of soap in the car. Dad even let us kids chew bubble gum( he hated chewing/ gum ). Both were used on the gas tank leaks..to plug u ones caused by rocks. Our car engine caught fire 180 miles from Fort St.John,Yukon. Dad had to leave Mom & us 4 kids by the car while he caught a ride with a transport driver into Fort St.John for parts. Another driver from BC helped with repairs when he brought Dad back on a return trip. Mom was worried sick that we might not see him again!! She was afraid of being alone with 4 kids out in the middle of no where! Lots of memories..that's for sure.
My Dad was assigned to this project when he was in the Army. He was part of a small pontoon bridge co. They would deploy their bridges to allow the equipment to cross the rivers, then others would follow and build actual bridges .
My Gramps was a Seabee, then maybe an engineer about here, or both back and forth.
The sad part is most of these good men have past, Rest in Peace fellas, you did a great ,and important job.🙏🇨🇦❤️🚚
passed
They're still working on immortals..
Honestly Democrats don't want anything to do with our history &: this video briefly touched base about our China Balloon 💭 spying over Alaska/ Canada then into United States of America!
💥 BADA BING BADA BOOM 💥
I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE 🙌
Nj'sJfJr 👍🏼💪🏼❤️🇺🇸
And we will continue!!!!!!!
@@percyfaith11 stfu up and go back to your public school, or maybe don’t be rude. His story was MORE than your ‘grading’ bs. FOH pathetic.
My Dad was working n a logging camp in Alaska when war was declared. He wanted to enlist but knew if he enlisted in Alaska, that's where he would remain. He made passage to Portland where he enlisted and then sent back to Alaska where he was a heavy equipment operator building roads and runways mostly in the Aleutian Islands for the remainder of his service time. There is a book that details so much of the place and times:
"The Thousand Mile War" is a great read that details the many hardships of .building roads and runways where they were never meant to be.
The Thousand Mile War…
What an amazing read!
One of the major take aways from that book was that life in Alaska during the war was very much the opposite of like in Europe during the same war
The wooded areas of Europe were in stark contrast to the tree-less islands of the Aleutians, where a single planted tree made a forest for a general’s dog.
During WW2, the book chronicles how fighters escorted the bombers to their targets in Europe… but in Alaska, the bombers used it’s radar to escort the fighters, which would drop the bombs on occupied Alaska lands during the war.
Planes flew high above the cities, bombing from the stratosphere of Europe, while the fighter planes dropping bombs off the Aleutians flew just a few feet off the water, so they could see under the clouds covering everything.
In the European Theater, Americans died of battle wounds fighting Germans dug in on their continent… while in Alaska, Americans largely died when mistakingly flying their fighters into mountains on their bombing runs of Japanese dug in on American soil… trying to dislodge the only aggressor nation who captured American soil during WW2.
Such different theaters, such different Wars, yet the Americans People fought the same war in both hemispheres.
Thank you for sharing this information. I’ll check it out!
That reminds me of a funny story. I am Australian and our capital, Canberra, is a purpose built city, functional but not much excitement. I was in a bar one afternoon and the discussion turned to what to do on the weekend. Many ideas were tossed about then someone said "Mystery Flight", you get on a plane with an unknown destination, stay in an hotel, then fly home Sunday.
This idea was dismissed with yeah we will get a mystery flight to Sydney, we can drive there. Why not drive to Sydney and take a mystery flight from there? This idea was agreed upon as they might go to tropical Queensland. They got on a mystery flight in Sydney and ended up in Canberra. I laughed my guts out when they called me from the hotel.
I drove this road . It's amazing ! It's really amazing when you know the history behind it .
Back in 1977 it was still considered one of the most dangerous roads in the world. I drove up and down it. Awesome.
The last time I saw this film was in grade school in the 60s. I remember most of it still being dirt back in 89. You had to be aware of fast-moving trucks coming from the opposite direction because they would spray you with rocks and cracked windshields were common. I had 3 of 4 headlights broken by one. Long stretches of the new construction paved sections ran parallel in various locations. The old machines were pretty cool in this film.
Gavel was decent road in 42 so something to brag about. US Army did mission to cross US in 30's and it was a very hard trip the roads were so poor.
The Al-Can hwy did have a reputation, and many stories- all true. I was born in Alaska- before its was a state-and my precious - Grandaddy was a long haul trucker. He used to be,and his family were/are farmers-of several thing's, one thing I really remembered was - my grandaddy and the unconditional love,when he"d roll up to our house. Me in a bubble suit (anyone remember ?) I"m a soon to be a 65 yrs old female-bubble suit? haha - trying to condense a very Big story in my very young life - So here goes- I've been playing in the in the light,silty dirt/sand of Matanuska Valley all day, of course stopping my all too important endeavors and - my day's work for goodness sake. Did I say that , my mom was loudly saying - Daddy No ,no , no - been peeing in the dirt. I got lifted,under my right underarm - and placed on the rider's seat- then out of our street - then on his lap. To first get and give kisses and then you guesssed it - pulling the cord to make that whistle blow. My uncle also drove,long haul (- oh i forgot to say Grandaddy's trailer with watermelons ). I was and could go on -family trips etc. So the Alaskan Highway or the AL-Can , many stories I can think of and it really was a pretty big deal.
-Thanks for telling us your adventure there in Alaska. I can easily see how you got ya car windows & head lights cracked. I would have thought it was just water and got my car windows cracked just like you did. It must have been really something to see all this and to see it again right in the very same general area. Take Care & Stay Safe. 🚙🛻
I worked out of Fort St John in 1967 t0 70 hauling oil well cement to rigs north as far a Ft Nelson. Was all off road stuff off the Alcan down paths bulldozers just had made. Some places dozers were stationed to tow or push us through bogs or hills our trucks couldn't do it. North of Ft St John, the Alcan was gravel. Our trucks were all low reving diesels and at 40 or 50 below 0 we damn near froze. They even put extra heater cores and motors in my truck, it helped a bit.But it was one of my fondest memories. It was gods country up there. The wildlife and scenery you got to see was just amazing. That was 50 years ago and I still remember alot of it.
My father was the project director of Canol, the pipeline that ran alongside the Highway. He jokingly called Alcan his service road. These were real men
I used to work in a shop that is still in use today 80 years later that was originally constructed for the Canol pipeline project.
Also come to think of it I’ve driven the length of both the north and south sections of the Canol road (the north and south Canol meet at a remote village called Ross River) which still exists to this day as little more than a barely maintained dirt road. Once the ‘gets up to the NWT border it peters out to become basically a hiking trail, compared to when it was constructed and it went all the way to Norman Wells, NWT. Many of the old US vehicles and equipment from the 40’s were left behind and are still up there gathered together in groups protected under the Yukons Heritage sites act. The south Canol is the better of the two today, whereas the north Canol is a narrow, basically unmaintained almost 4x4 only route with no services on it. The fact that your father was a project director on the Canol is amazing to me.
My two uncles worked on the highway.Lots of mosquitos in summer and grizzly bears that would tear you to shreds in no time. Also, prostitutes would set up camps nearby and on payday the fellas would go visit them.Lots of guy got crabs and the clap from those ladies
This is why we refer to them as the greatest generation. Respect and love from New Zealand.
We were stationed at Elmendorf for 5 years and when my dad was reassigned, rather than fly back to the lower 48, we drove and spent a lot of that time on this very road. I was a child with 6 younger siblings. It was an experience! lol
Wouldn't trade it for the world though. I have some great memories of that trip.
I really enjoyed seeing how this road came to be.
My dad was an Engineer on the Hwy until its completion in 1943.
My step dad was in the air force and he was stationed at Elmendorf in Anchorage in 1980 and we drove the Alcan up to Anchorage and it was a narrow dirt road that was graded to maintain it, when it rained you got in behind a semi and followed in its tracks. It really was a once in a lifetime thing. When we we left we took the ferry to Seattle that also was a once in a lifetime experience. My step dad was stationed back at Elmendorf in 1982 and we took the Alcan up to Alaska again. when we moved from 1985 because my step dad had a permanent change of station I elected to fly back to the lower 48 and spent the summer with my grandparents, I was over the whole driving the Alcan experience 2× was enough for me.
In a similar film I noted an interesting observation. I hiked the Chilkoot trail back in the 80s, when you visit Skagway or Whitehorse there was no mention of highway construction. All reference to construction or relics was to the gold rush.
America bought Alaska from Russia in the mid 1800's for 7.2 million dollars, or put another way the land cost less than "two cents" an acre. The closest Russian village to an Alaskan village is less than 5 miles apart. Go to your map program and look up Little Diomede Alaska and Big Diomede Russia, to see for yourself. Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas. From a security standpoint, Alaska was priceless!
So why did the gov't wait till 1959 to make it a state?
My dad’s first “gig” in the Army was working on the construction of this road! The skills learned would later be transferred to the European theatre building temporary bridges to replace demolished ones as the Allies made their way inexorably towards Germany!
I heard early on you had to bring a bunch of spare tires and tools.
Heck of a ride. As a kid back in the late 50’s my father drove us 4 kids and mom down the ALCAN to return from his Air Force post at Elmendorf AFB. Interesting ride for a kid.
I'm almost 60 years old and since I was a kid they are still working on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn
In the late 60s, my parents took four of us kids on a month long trek up this highway to Alaska and back. Chevy sedan pulling a small travel trailer. All except a very short stretch was gravel.
I first drove this road in 1962 when it was still called the Alcan highway. It was all gravel then, but i believe it is now all paved. Quite an accomplishment in such a short time.
Drove it aug 74. Fairbanks to N.Dakota..long beautiful streaches of hard packed mud and dirt severl long runs of asphaltem hard packed and many miles of 30 -40 mph driving washboard ca, tire and suspension killing miles.
Miles of burned out forests...and miles where if you walked 50 feet off the road you could get lost in the density of huge trees and hard growth permafrost mosses and scrub trees... 100's of years thick and matted. So silent as to be deafing and you could hear your own heart beat.
Absolutely solitude if thats what you want to experence. Not sure whats there some 50 years later...but its so big and long and beautful i have wamted to drive it going north this time...it would be be 5 or 7 days depending on the pace you choose.
The frost heaving is so bad in some areas that paving is a mistake. (Had to drive 20 mph) Gravel roads can be constantly graded; pavement must be broken up and relaid.
@@sanniepstein4835 You are so right about what you say regarding paving making frost heaved sections harder to maintain. When the highway was reconstructed starting in the early 80’s the US Congress voted to pay for the reconstruction cost from the Alaska border to Haines Junction,YT and then on to Haines, AK as that portion mostly benefits Alaska. To my understanding the terms of the reconstruction agreement signed between the two countries stipulate that the road surface must be sealed. (BST or Pavement) No one realized at the time that portions of the beautiful new highway were going to become the frost heaved mess they are today. It is an annual exercise in frustration trying to repair and keep those sections drivable.
I live on the Alaska highway I can assure you 2023 it's all paved.
First time on it was in 1977. Bumber stickers were "I drove the Alaska Hwy, Yes dammit, both ways" Today other than the Southern side of Muncho lake, its like a 2 lane freeway.
I hitchhiked from Dawson Creek to the Alaska border in 1967. It was paved for about 40 to 50 miles just north of Fort St. John.
I drove the Alcan in 1970 & as I was checking on some tires in Dawson Creek, I met up with a Japanese kid who was hitching a ride from Arizona to Alaska & I ended up giving him a ride all the way to Anchorage. He couldn't speak English, but we sure did manage to communicate. I believe he was about 19 or 20 at that time & I remember his name was Masamu Yamamoto (Masa for short) We lost contact somehow. We shot rabbits along the way in the N.W. Territories & made a fire along the road & cooked them up. A Very interesting trip indeed!!!! I would sure like to meet up with Masa again. We would have a conversation to write a book about.
I worked for the Yukon Territorial Government for just over 5 years in the mid-1980's. By that time, the portion of the Alaska Highway had long been taken over; first by the Canadian Department of Defence and then by Public Works Canada. (The Provincial Government of British Columbia did not want it north of Wonowon - MP 101.). The maintenance work on the Yukon portion of the Alaska Highway # 1 plus the BC and Yukon portions of the Haines Highway # 3 had been contracted out to YTG, and my job description as Program Engineer III included giving engineering advice to the Highway Maintenance section, like several bridge painting, gravel crushing and culvert replacement projects. Chip sealing (Bituminous Surface Treatment) was completed during that time, eliminating Calcium Chlorite dust abatement, I have fond memories of this portion of work, described in Part 3 of "My Professional Career". I saw this movie during those days, and much had already been changed; even more by 2022, of course.
My father worked at the Swift River maintenance camp from the mid 70’s to early 80’s so that where I lived as a young kid, back when it had modular homes and families still lived there. I easily remember the old narrow gravel highway before it was chipped and then reconstructed into what it is today. The new road shaved the 5 hour long drive of yesteryear from Swift River to Whitehorse into the 3ish hour drive it is today.
In the mid 1980's my wife and I drove the Alaska Highway up and back. We wanted to experience it while it was still much the same as it is shown in this documentary. It was still mostly gravel and by driving it in the late summer/early Fall we avoided most other tourists as well as the summer mosquitos. Although it was still mostly gravel I outfitted an older station wagon with gravel guards, heavy duty tires and new shocks and we had no trouble. We used the "Milepost" booklet as our guide to gas, lodging and camp sites. It was a true Yukon and Alaskan wilderness experience and due to the time of the year we often drove for hours without seeing another vehicle. The scenery and wildlife was fantastic. We also drove around Alaska which was really worthwhile too. We headed back south and left Alaska around the beginning of October. The nights were getting down to freezing but the days were still mild. The trip had been on my bucket list and I wasn't disappointed. I recommend it to anyone who has wanted to do it and hasn't gotten around to it yet.
We drove up in January of 1977 to Delta Junction AK (Fort Greely), entering Canada at Sweetgrass, Montana. Once we got over to the ALCAN, even though it was gravel the compacted snow made it very smooth. I had protective screens over the headlight and due to the cold a cover over the radiator so had no problems with meeting other vehicles. Windshield stayed intact! Often drove 65-70 mph. Came out in summer four years later when they started paving and it was slow and a pain. I've heard it is now all paved so much be a much better drive. But it can't be beat for scenery (anytime but Winter!). After living four years in the interior of Alaska, my admiration for these men is huge, and especially how quickly it was done.
I've lived in Dawson creek for most of my life . Truly some of the most beautiful country and climate in North America.
I knew a surveyor who worked on this highway during WWII. He had some pretty wild stories.
We had neighbors who actually worked on it for the Army, they told me many stories about it. He was an Army engineer. They accomplished many amazing things for that time period.
Dad was in the Airforce down the Alcan Highway late 1969 my dad, mom and 4 children headed out from Alaska all the way to Orlando, Fl. My dad was the only license driver at the time. I do remember some of the trip. I know it was long that's for sure.
The Alaska Highway is an amazing, if often overlooked, engineering marvel!
My wife & I drove the road in Nov. of 1970 it was snow packed & smooth from Nebraska to Faibanks
I forgot to say the car we drove was a 1970SS 396 4-speed
Our family of six drove the Alcan in 62. I remember it as more dirt than gravel. We had to tape the doors shut on the 56 Chevy to keep the dust out. Dust was a blessing as the road was only 1 1/2 lanes wide and when you saw the dust cloud two miles out you knew a truck was coming and it was time to find a shoulder. Too many stories to tell.
Yes, when you saw a truck coming you pulled over and slowed down or almost stopped. Worst was in winter or conditions when dust was suppressed and you met an unexpected oncoming vehicle or semi coming around a corner. Many people took to the ditch or had collisions causing injury or death from that situation over the years. I remember in particular once as a rear seat passenger meeting a oncoming semi that threw a rock from the road surface so large that when it hit our windshield it sprayed glass all over inside our vehicle but thankfully didn’t come through the windshield.
@@squangan We only travelled it that one summer but I sure don’t remember any dust suppression.
@@herbertbrown119 ‘62 was before my time so I can’t speak for then but by the early 70’s calcium chloride was applied once per year, at least on the Yukon portion. It kept the dust down for a while after application but made the road greasy when it rained.
@@squangan Crap. That sounds more dangerous than the dust. Must have been a government decision.
Reminds me of building powerline from rainbow lake to ft Nelson as a mechanic for Bob keen. We had hydraulics in the 90s. Then lived fixing oilfield,logging,pipeline equipment in ft st john. The men were our pioneers to open life to this area. Great work and informing video.
Just like the veterans of WWII those that built the Highway didn't seem to talk about it. Since my father was too young for WWI and too old with a family during WWII he chose to contribute building the highway. I didn't know about his working on the highway until the late 1970's. So ... my wife & I planned to take 2 years off work and travel western US & Canada starting the summer of 1978. Our plan was to take my father up along the highway. He would base camp and fish to his hearts content while we backpacked. Sad to say .... he died 2 January of 1978. He never got to see his works of construction, but we were mesmerized every inch of he way.
To live in spirit in the Great North is a blessing....even though you lost your beloved patriarch...Thoreau, Muir, and men of nature like my Granpappy would say he moved onward with " good medicine." Aloha pumehana!
My grandfather and his brother had their construction company helping… I have his photo album…..
Did they happen to know Patrick Craig or Con Colbrook?
Grandfather was a cat skinner in the Army working on that highway and he would rarely talk about it. His dozers fell through ice numerous times and he would not even get near one in his later years ! Curtis Gray was a hard old man who didn't really like kids!
My Father and his two older brothers worked on the highway during the war as civilian contractor operators. They worked on he section near Whitehorse.
A few years ago my brother and I drove from Fairbanks to Nashville. At 66 I enjoyed the trip, was in July and scenery was beautiful as was the wildlife encountered. But, from the AK-Yukon border to Whitehorse there were many stretches that were very rough, to say the least. The trip was not on my bucket list, but so glad I got to make it!
That stretch of highway you mention, with the worst being from the international border to the Destruction Bay Area is notoriously bad. The permafrost in the ground continuously melts and the road sinks into the muskeg and partly disintegrates on an almost annual basis.
Government Liquor Store,said the sign with it's long line of customers 😁
Couldn't help but smell coffee,bacon and eggs in the beginning.
yes the aroma that brought wildlife lookin for goodys
One problem not specifically mentioned was the mosquitos. The workers must have literally coated themselves with repellant during the summer months.
And right up to the 1970s a routine question that was asked when trading in a car, was whether or not it was driven on the Alaska Highway. Obviously an affirmative answer would mean your settlement cost would be less due to anticipated wear and tear on the vehicle.
Yes, as a veteran of several trips across this hyway during the 1950's- early 1960's, I can vouch for the skeeters!! Clouds,swarms,clouds of them buzzing, inhalation little buggers!!
When money was no object and everyone had a can do attitude. Great video 🇬🇧.
My dad was stationed with the signal Corp during the early days of WW2. He talked about the dangers of these roads as the winter moved to spring. The roads were often sanded or graveled to manage the slippage. As spring came, the highly compressed road would take many more weeks to thaw… you would have a road several feet raised over the terrain. Yes truck would fall off the roads.
He also said that the sentries could only be out 15-20 minutes at a time, their rifles would freeze up. Teams would rotate all day and night long.
These dump trucks are awesome. I’ve seen many videos of these being remade into modern chassis with the original cabs. This is too cool to see them working back when they were built.
There was a great concern the Japanese would build air bases on Attu from which to bomb the mainland. Soldiers were sent there to repel the Japanese in a rush job. Many did not have cold weather clothing, they suffered horribly. My father-in-law was one of them. His feet got so cold they bothered him the rest of his life.
This road was vastly important to make certain troops could be supplied and ready to continue repelling the invading Japanese. It truly was a miraculous accomplishment. I'm sure the men building this road also suffered with the cold. Many thanks are owed to all those who contributed to the building of this road.
At the time we lived at the start of the Alcan Highway not too far from Dawson Creek. My Dad briefly worked on the Alcan. A number of girls from
our hometown married American workers. The Americans were paid so much more than were the Canadians. Liquor was rationed and residents were only
allowed 26 or 40 ounces of hard liquor each month. My Dad recalled selling his rationed bottle to an American for $40 which was considered a lot of money
back then.
My great grandfather actually was in Alaska & helped with the construction of the Alaskan Highway. Love seeing this kinda stuff!
At 5•40....🤔 I was pleased to hear that there were 'coloured'◼ as well as 'white'◻ 😯 troops, (working on the road...and that) both did their FULL share!!!
I don't think there was even any footage of them working, just the one with them waiting in line for food. They were about 1/3rd of the workforce.
Well have to throw that in to keep the majority of the population from thinking the colored might be slacking off. Part of the negative feed back loop of discrimination. Being known to work hard got even more work so slaves and later black workers in the hideous labor conditions of the time slacked off. Plus working hard and getting promoted could get race riot to put them N word in their place.
Part of the cultural damage to African Americans similar to colonial countries behaviors to survive make you look bad to outsiders and when it's time to dump those habits for helping yourself and society it hard to get people to change.
@@RedRocket4000 Were they allowed to share the same mess halls, to eat and drink?
What about bathroom facilities. Many black and white were accidentally killed....
Were they buried side by side, or in different sections of the cemetery? How about transport??? So many questions!
@@loughman2629 They were mostly segregated. They would have had separate quarters and mess's apart from white troops. Alaska was segregated in the 1940's. They had Jim Crow practices like in some other parts of the US where Indigenous Natives were separated from Whites. Alaska ended those practices in 1945. The U.S Military ended racial segregation in 1948.
Yeah I heard that! Was looking to see anyone commented!
I understand that most of the trucks used in the initial construction had no cabin heaters. The drivers were freezing. Some purposely ran the trucks off the road so they could get back to base and be warm until the towing crew freed it. Also, I had a History and Geography teacher who with her husband drove that road in the early 1950's. They took a lot of pictures. Showed their car with plywood covering the windshield, just a small hole to see out. That was to keep the glass from breaking when other vehicles kicked up stones. Sure made our lessons interesting!
Probably a rumor as freezing in the truck till they got towed out would have been unbearable and maybe the tow gets stuck and you're not out till next day if you're alive.
If anyone trashed a truck to get war it was a short walk to the base.
It’s definitely on my bucket list but as a Brit I don’t have high hopes. The Lincoln highway is on there too such as is left of it but with the world hell bent on discarding all that this glorious “can do” wartime generation won for us I suspect that it will never come to pass. How we do dishonour their memory. Oh to have been amongst their number.
Boy, do so many around the world hear you. Just disgusting & slightly terrifying what these mindless wonders are attempting.
Excellent film. Praise to all the men
who worked on that huge project!!
Their sons and daughters may still be alive...A chance ?? some of the men ???
Yes I'm a daughter of the one of the men who delayed wire for the government hundreds of miles. And I find this video extremely fascinated I heard stories but I never imagined how big the scope of the project was.
My dad worked on it as a civilian construction worker. He was a carpenter who worked on the bridges.
Today, it would take 20 years just to get the EPA and Courts to approve construction. 😵💫
My parents met on the Alaska highway in the late 50’s when my mother was travelling to Alaska and was introduced to my father at the highway lodge he and his brother owned on the lakeside site of what had once been a U.S. army road construction camp. By 1960 they had married so when it comes down to it if it wasn’t for the Alaska Highway I wouldn’t even be here today. Being raised alongside the highway and relying on it for transportation before later working on maintaining it the highway has been a big part of my life.
My Grandpa worked on building the Alcan Highway. I have a hard back book that has a lot of photos and has everyones name listed in the back of the book.
In a day when men were men . I enjoy these films . Thank you
A fantastic engineering accomplishment that benefits both northern Canada and Alaska. I'd love to drive it some day.
I want to say I’ve learned a lot from this video and hope to see more videos like this one here. Thanks for sharing this video y’all.
At 30 march 1867 a treaty was sign between Eduard de Stoecki, russian ambasador in USA, and Seward and at 9 april he got the approval from the Senat whit 37 votes pro and 2 negatives for the acquisition of Alaska. In June 1868, after the Johnson impeachement, Stoecki and Seward obtained at 14 July they obtained a favorable vote whit 113 pro and 48 negatives. The ceremony transfer of Alaska, was held at Sitka in 18 October 1867, in that time the day of 7 October 1867 (Iulian Calendar) was followed by the day of 18 October 1867 (Gregorian Calendar).
Wife and I drove down from Anchorage in 1968/August, after my 2 year AF tour at 6981st Security Service. 1967 Pontiac LeMans with a unit friend in backseat and 4 tires on top carrier. Only a 21 yr old does that with "little" fear. Drove straight through with no issues.
My father also worked on the Alaska Highway, but like an idiot, I didn't get around to asking him what he did...but I'm thinking it was probably heavy equipment. I don't know how many times I've been over the Alcan, but the last time was in 2011 when I rode my Harley down to Virginia. Smooth ride all the way!!
I was on the hi-way when it was being built .There was 3000 black people working on the hi way ,I don't see one in this show. They had never seen snow before and nearly froze to death .There was one worker killed every day .The cats never had a canopy .the trees would fall on them .A lot went over the bank with the army trucks on some very bad hills .A lot drowned in Muncho lake.Today you can drive from Dawson Creek to White horse in one day .The Cannol pipeline was completed way after the war .We hauled alkalite by truck to Norman Wells in 1948 ,to mix with the oil, to use in airplanes
did you not watch this? there is specific mention of the color troups.
George McK there were some Blacks in the beginning of the film. What an exciting project it must of been. Lucky You!
@@michaeltapper4249 You read a comment that brings in some reality and you respond by accepting the perspective of a literal propaganda film?
Hmm.
If you look at 5:40 you’ll clearly see where they mentioned both. That must have been very hard and cold work.
@@pher4521 And clips of those troops during that mention, actually astonishing for a film made in 1944.
THE ALASKA HIGHWAY ... poem c. 1949 ... author unknown ...
Winding in and winding out
It fills my mind with serious doubt
Whether the men who built this route
Were going to Hell, or coming out.
My family lived on an army base right by the Alaska Highway at Takhini Hot Springs just outside Whitehorse in the early 1950s ... my father was in the Canadian Army and my uncle was a guide for the American engineers and surveyors in 1942 ... that being Ralph Boliver then living in Carcross but originally from Nova Scotia ... the poem was a popular souvenir item [already being made in Japan] and I still have a copy from then ... (:)) ... Ps ... the colored copyright tag a the bottom right corner is very distracting ... at the very least it could be in black and white or shades of grey ...
An amazing feat, not to be matched today in any way.
I think of today's road crews and they would still be at it. Also was impressed by all the lumber that was used. Often heard the highway talked about in my youth but this is the first real look at how it was built.
I remember my dad telling me that if a dozer broke down on the road rather than waste time dragging it out of the way and fixing it they just pushed it into the muck to become part of the foundation.
No mention of my home town - Fort St. John BC. It was the HQ for construction of the southern half of the Highway. The army left 2 large Quonset huts. One became the town hall and library, the other became the local theatre - the Carlsonia. It was probably a theatre for the army to entertain the troops. I remember the bridge - it was beautiful and awesome. In the late 50's Pacific Petroleum built a refinery at Taylor Flats on the north end of the bridge. They put their immense dirty water discharge upstream of the bridge footing and right beside it. They washed away enough soil in a few years that the footing became unstable, moved, and the bridge collapsed. Pacific Petroleum DID NOT PAY A CENT!!! The "reason" for the collapse was never publicly acknowledged OR even discussed. BC taxpayers built the new bridge. The new bridge was as ugly as the original was beautiful!!! Strangely enough, my Dad who was a Peace River pioneer started in 1928, met my Mom in what is now Thunder Bay in 1943 and they married. Meanwhile, my Mom's brother was a Canadian Army liaison with the Americans and was stationed in guess where - Fort St John.
We traveled the trans-alaska hi way in 76. It was still 1000 miles of gravel. I was 15 and is one of my favorite memories.
I worked for several years in Fort Nelson. The memories of my time there i cherish forever. I drove the Alaska Canada road in all weather and also winter roads way back in the oil patch which crisscrossed all across the north and up into the northwest territory. Extremely cold in the winter and little sun and the long warm sunny days . No see imes and black flys . Many thanks to Harry Clarke and his boys of northwest plumbing and heating and a good friends Dennis and Pat Skinner😂. To return for a visit is on my bucket list. But sadly since it is 40 years ago so they might not be living. But my memories will never die . I wonder how many changes there since.
A truly staggering incredible feat of engineering of resources and men all whilst the second world war was raging. Back when America led the world in amazing vast infrastructure projects .
I rode the Army shuttle bus from Ft. Greely to Fairbanks, numerous times during '73/'74. This film talks about phone lines, but the White Alice over the horizon system was in use at that time
Ft. Greely had been one of those Lend-Lease transfer sites and wa attached to one of the Army Air Corp bases in Fairbanks. I saw lot tings marked Ladd AAC while serving at Ft. Greely. We had a small radio & TV station. I was the Engineer.
3rd or 4th time catching. enjoyed every time. in the past i built logging roads. 8 month was an incredible job
I rode my Harley up the Alaska highway, EPIC ride. Some parts are paved in 2017
My Dad: Lt Sam Ackerman, US Army Corp Engineers, 1942, 1st Battalion, 95th Engineer Regiment, ALCAN Highway Pioneer Road, Yukon Territory, “One of the Official Engineering Marvels of the Word”.
One word. Respect.
This was the original “Ice Road Truckers”. 🤣
It's amazing what humans can do if we get out of our own way
awesome movie!
thanx for the upload :D
You are welcome Benjamin. :)
Lots of paved highway were built in 1942. Now takes 20 years
Was making round trip to Fairbank and back to California few times over the years, never imagined there are so many black folks contributed the amazing highway building
Great video! I imagine those that weren't a good match for the battlefield were sent here, and many of those civilians that didn't get drafted ended up here.
Must have been very interesting logistically since those huge machines would have required lots of metal and fuel that I'm sure was needed for tanks and planes as well.
Unfortunately today's generation wouldn't have been able to get more than a few feet before they decided it was too hard.
For the US there was always enough fuel just not enough ways to get it where it was going. The one guy mentioning father stating the road was a service road for the pipeline not totally off. US did have gas rationing but getting fuel to the front was always the concern every front I know of not shortages back home.
When the road was started they did not realize we could win even yet by the end they may have thought we don't actually have to finish it.
But getting vehicles and supply especially as they mentioned gas to Alaska a key goal.
That last sentence seems needlessly antagonistic… what has our generation done to you? Also, what’s it to you? Our generation has to live with the consequences of yours’ mistakes, whereas your generation will likely die in blissful ignorance.
@@bensix5670 ..ALASKA HWY...YA, comment was correct. You only have your self & generation for comparison. We have several to compare yours against. There is No comparison.
"HACKED CUT AND GOUGED THEIR WAY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS." Yeah, sounds about right - good old humans!
Great video, on a great road, I rode the highway in 2018, the Alaskan Highway was the last section of my ride from Weed, CA, to Watson Lake in the Yukon.
Outstanding!
During this time my Father was a Capt. with the 109th Jungle Cats Combat Engineers stationed in Panama doing the same kind of improvements before being sent to Germany, He was promoted to Major and XO builiding bridges across the many German rivers to move troops, equipment and materials.
3 of my aunts worked in support businesses in Dawson Creek, BC, one owned a chicken restaurant with her husband, Lonnie and Myrtle Tricker, one married an army guy from NJ, and still lives in NJ, 97 years old and one was a waitress, never married.
-WOW,97 & still flipping burgers. She's must be in super great health. I,ll bet with excellent health like that she will make the one hundred age mark. And please tell her to retire because she surely deserves it. Plus this will be big time news in your area & probably many other City's & State's as well. My mom made it to 97 & that was the real end.She was also bedridden and in very bad health. So you & you're family have some real great things to look forward to and most of all the 100th Birthday party of ya aunt. Seems good health runs in your family. Stay safe,healthy & just have fun.🎂🍧.
@@auggie803 I said she lives in NJ and 97, where did you read she's still working? Being "funny" is not contributing.
This is how things should be accomplished. Hard work, no red tape. Help the USA.
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Now days it takes the entire length of WW11 just to get permitting and construction of a bridge across a creek. Those boys in the 40s did 1500 miles in a year and a half with 50 lb chainsaws and 50hp straight six industrial gas engines.
Alaska I beleive has more coastline than 49 other states combined.
Now that's a tow truck!!!!!!
My grampa, Lawrence Dupuis was on this project. He talked so highly of the men he worked with.
Most of the highway is in Canada 🇨🇦
My father was in the army at this time he lived in a camp he ran wire for hundreds of miles for the army. He had a picture of him with the camps pet grizzly bear they had to raise the stories my father would tell about this time in the of his life were amazing.
I had a neighbor whose close friend knew a guy whose cousin drove up the AH from Dawson Creek to Fairbanks
Originally known as The Alcan Highway
It cracks me up how from the opening line, about "the Japs...", referring of course to the Japanese nation, this script would be considered racist and horribly non-pc.
I think we should lighten up.
Japan, and her people are now our great friends & Allies.
But it does give a feel for the tension & propaganda that accompanies wartime.
America bought Alaska from Russia in the mid 1800's for 7.2 million dollars. That was a cost of less than two cents an acre. From a national security standpoint...Alaska was priceless.