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Alaska Highway construction photograph collection, 1942-1943

Overview of the Collection

Title
Alaska Highway construction photograph collection
Dates
1942-1943 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 album with 183 black and white photographic prints (1 box)
Collection Number
PH0651
Summary
Photograph album documenting the construction of the Alaska Highway from 1942 to 1943
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Selected images can be viewed on the Libraries' Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials curator required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Historical Background

On February 11, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized construction of the Alaska Highway as a land transport route in the event that the Japanese seized shipping lines in the Pacific. On March 8, 1942, construction of the Alaska Highway officially began. Trailblazing was primarily completed by the U.S. Army, while civilian contractors (via the Public Roads Administration or PRA) followed them to widen and straighten the road.

On September 24, 1942, highway crews from the north and south met at Contact Creek, and the highway was officially dedicated in November 1942. Through most of 1943, the PRA developed the pioneer road into a standard highway; workers rebuilt bridges, shored up roads, and cut 200 miles from the highway's total length in the process. In October 1943, the PRA released the final contractors and sent workers home.

Still traveled today, the Alaska Highway measures 1,520 miles in length; 298 of its miles are in the United States, and 1,190 are in Canada.

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Content Description

The collection consists of an album containing images of workers (civilian contractors), roads, bridges, camps, and wildlife made during the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942-1943. All photographs are assumed to depict sites in British Columbia, Canada. The worker identified as "Harold" in various images appears to be the person who wrote captions on the reverse of the photographs.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact the repository for details.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Source: Fairlook Antiques, 2003.

Processing Note

Processed by Noella Natalino and John Larson, 2004.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 


2005 (Last modified: 1/31/2020)

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