Slana, Alaska lay 190 miles up the Richardson Highway from where the soldiers of the 97th jammed into their tent cities near Valdez. Assigned to start building road at Slana, they first had to get there. The trucks that would haul the soldiers to Slana began to make their way through Seattle, onto a motley collection of vessels and up the inside passage to Valdez. But the trucks jammed up at the tent cities right alongside the soldiers because of the biggest problem of all.
Just six miles out from the 13-mile camp, at the old Wortmann’s Roadhouse, the Richardson Highway climbs 3,000 feet through Keystone Canyon to Thompson Pass. Snow still filled the pass and kept it closed. A hundred sixty soldiers moved up to Wortman’s to help with the frantic effort to clear the pass.
When the Pass opened on May 20, the soldiers of Company D piled into the back of trucks and headed out immediately. They rocked and bounced on their wooden benches as the trucks moved slowly up Keystone Canyon, seeing the treacherous canyon and the remaining mountains of snow at the Pass through the arched opening in the back of a canvas truck cover.
Beyond the Pass the trucks forded streams, slewed through slick mud, and rumbled 190 miles, averaging barely thirteen miles an hour. Getting accustomed to the rough ride, some of the soldiers occasionally dozed off—briefly. They talked—about home, about Alaska, about what lay ahead of them…
The Alaska sun still shined high in the sky when the trucks stopped in the evening. It would take the soldiers a lot more time to get used to days without nights. They climbed stiffly down from the trucks, milled around a bit, stretching to shake out the stiffness of the ride. Bellowing sergeants prodded them to unloading equipment, to pitching tents…
Love the pictures Dennis!
Thank you so much.