Report of the Board of Road Commissioners for Alaska [with] Map of Alaska Showing Roads and Trails

This fascinating booklet highlights how remote and inaccessible most of the Alaska Territory was until the second half of the 20th century. Published by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C., the volume contains the 1914 Report of the Board of Road Commissions for Alaska, more commonly known as the Alaska Road Commission, authored by Colonel Wilds Richardson of the U.S. Army (the ARC was part of the War Department). Several submissions by subordinates, organized by region, provide a mere glimpse at the herculean efforts required to maintain and upgrade transportation and communication lines across the harsh and unforgiving terrain of Alaska. Costs were high – exceeding $325,000 during the time period described – “but little additional mileage of road and trail was added during the year…nearly the entire fund available being required for the repair and maintenance of existing roads” (pg. 5). Financial figures, brief descriptions of work, several black and white photographs, and a fold-out map are included. The last is titled Map of Alaska Showing Roads and Trails and it presents a rather self-explanatory overview of the current infrastructure, mostly the work of the Army Corps of Engineers. A sparse network of wireless stations and telegraph lines offers two broad arcs of communicability. The road system is hardly any better – pack trails, sled routes, and wagon roads are the only options available. The primary route connecting Fairbanks to Valdez was completed in 1910 and named the Richardson Highway after the author of the report. The year prior to publication, the first automobile successfully completed the journey after a four-day trip!