The Fairbanks Freight would, if senior officers had anything to say about it, make scheduled runs north to Fairbanks from the Dawson Creek railhead through the winter of 1942/43. Convoys making their way over the brand new road that winter traversed a very rough draft of a Highway. Link to another story, “Awards, Celebrations and …
Category Archives: Rough Draft Highway
Greyhound on the Alaska Highway
Greyhound buses actually drove the Alaska Highway in its infancy, while it remained a rough draft of a Highway. Who knew? Link to another story “Rough Draft of a Highway” In a comment on one of my stories, Tom Lymbery wrote, “…12 Canadian Greyhound coaches driven and serviced entirely by Canadians… set up regular service …
Seven Regiments Trashed the New Alaska Highway
Seven regiments powered through the wilds of the North Country in the summer of 1942, gouging the Alaska Highway out of the wilderness. Equipment broke. The regiments chewed through axles, rollers and tracks. One cat broke down, then another, parts from one fixed the other and the cannibalized tractor sat at the side of the …
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Albert Herda’s Idea
Albert Herda had an idea. He knew about the Alaska Highway. In 1946 it approached its fourth birthday. If a trucker, Albert thought, could load his truck with things tough, and expensive, to get in Fairbanks, Alaska and then get his truck to Fairbanks over the new highway he could make a nice profit. Link …
Rough Draft of a Highway
Rough draft or not, the Army proposed to use its new Alaska Highway. Cpl. Gronke and Pvt. Bowie had thrilled reporters and their readers by driving its length in a half-ton weapons carrier. The convoys of 2 ½-ton cargo trucks that followed got far less attention. Awards, Celebrations and Giving a Damn A good thing …