North to Alaska

by Kenneth S. Coates

In December 1941 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and seemed to be poised for their most audacious attack yet - the invasion of North America via its least populated region, the Far Northwest. No one doubted that this threat was real, certainly not the U.S. military command. In an act of speedy co-operation, unmatched before or since, the governments of Canada and the U.S.A. agreed to the military's request to build a road, post-haste, across the vast wilderness of the North, so that troops and armaments could be moved rapidly from the continent's heartland to its vulnerable edge in Alaska.
Ten thousand soldiers under the command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rushed north to push a pioneer road 1,500 miles long through the forests and mountains and over the muskeg, the permafrost, and the many icy rivers of the Far Northwest. Fast on their heels came an equally large "army" of civilians - eager to do their bit for the war effort and to earn the colossal wages offered - to build a permanent highway in the pioneer road's muddy tracks. Seven and a half months later the highway was ready for war duty, just as the threat that initiated it collapsed.
But their effort was not wasted. The Alaska Highway gave the towns of Fairbanks, Big Delta, Whitehorse, and Fort St. John road access to the South for the first time, and many smaller communities sprang up along its path to service the truckers and tourists who plied the highway. For immediately after the war, driving the highway became a popular vacation for intrepid tourists. Despite the great improvements to the road that have been made over the years, the highway has lost none of its appeal nor any of the romance that surrounded its beginnings.
In 1992 the Alaska Highway turns fifty, and Ken Coates has written North to Alaska to commemorate the work of those men and women, soldiers and civilians, who endured the bitter cold, the blackflies, the mud, and the murderous mosquitoes to build the road and defend their homeland.
The Alaska Highway remains the world's most remarkable highway - remarkable for the speed in which it was built, its military origins, the binational co-operation it symbolizes, and for the spectacular natural beauty and rich history of the land through which it passes. Today it still offers the unique adventure of a 1,500-mile drive through the mysterious North into the land where men once moiled for gold.

Hardcover

First published November 1, 1991

About the author

See also Ken S. Coates

Coates, K. 1956-
Coates, K. S. (Kenneth Stephen), 1956-
Coates, Ken, 1956-
Coates, Ken S. (Kenneth Stephen), 1956-
Coates, Kenneth, 1956-....
Coates, Kenneth S., 1956-
Coates, Kenneth Stephen 1956-

Ken Coates (born in Alberta in 1956 and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon) is a Canadian historian focused on the history of the Canadian North and Aboriginal rights and indigenous claims. Other areas of specialization include Arctic sovereignty;[1] science, technology and society, with an emphasis on Japan; world and comparative history; and post-secondary education.

Reviews

[Jeremy Harbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

An older, but great read about the history of the Alaskan Highway, it's start and journey along the way to becoming the totally paved road it is today. Some great anecdotes and stories of and from folks who lived along it and drove it often. Highly recommend for anyone who has driven it, will drive it or is just interested in some history of the North.

[Darren Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was working as a long haul truck driver and was very excited to receive a load to Whitehorse, my first time driving the Alaska Highway, well, almost two-thirds of it anyway. Had some minor issues with my truck in Fort St. John, and had to spend an extra day there. With time to kill, and nothing on hand to read I decided to head to the local Coles and have a look for a book on the history of the Alaska Highway, but they had nothing (ironically, as the Coles in the mall lays some 200 meters or so from the highway). I then tried the tourist information centre, again nothing, but the friendly staff there recommended I try the local museum. There at the gift shop I found for sale a used copy of North to Alaska. Perfect!

The author, Ken Coates, is an insider who has lived and worked on the Alaska Highway for a great deal of his life. The book is an extremely detailed account of the justification for, construction of, and lasting legacy of one of the most famous highways in the world. Coates' prose tends to bog down in details at times, but it is clear and readable for the most part. He is clearly a competent and thorough researcher, and he has curated an extremely impressive collection of historic photos of the highway under construction. If you are interested in the history and/or construction of the Alaska Highway, I doubt very much you will be disappointed with this book.