The Cordova daily times., 1922-11-25
Auto Touring In Alaska
EDWARD F, MEDLEY in Alaskan Churchman


 To the uninitiated in the great ! Outside" is may be surprise to | learn that Alaska is not tagging be- i hind the procession in taking advan- tage of the great Improvements which the past few years have witnessed in , Nehicular travel The various scat tered towns throughout the Territory | were quick to avail themselves of the automobile for local needs, and now rrnn the fine work which the Alaska ,Road Commission has been doing on ,the Richardson Highway, touring to interior Alaska by motor is an ac- 1 .complished fact. The Richardson Highway. named .after General Wilds P. Richardson, the first president of the Alaska Road Commission and beloved Of all Alaskans, who saw service during the late war as commanding officer Of IIncle Sans forces in North Russia, terminates in the interior at Fair banks. the golden heart of Alaska. Its coast terminus is Valdez, though "a branch from it to Chltina ana thence over the c. R. & N. w. Rail- way to Cordova affords another outlet 1o the sea. The distance from Valdez to Fairbanks is S67 miles, and that from Chitina to Fairbanks is S23 miles.
 The history of the Richardson High way is bound up with the always m- teres,ing story of Alaska and it's de- velopment. A brief summary of the incidents leading up to the building of the highway will help to an un' derstanding of the roads reason for being and the necessity for it's main tenance.
 When the great Kondike gold strike was made in 1897 the eyes of the out side world became centered on Alaska, The rush of adventurers miners, prospectors and boomers which followed has taken it's place among the picturesque annals of the north, and it's outstanding character istics have. been preserved In the tales of London, the songs of Service the descriptive narratives of Arch deacon Stuck, and the writings O. many others. During the next fe" years muci, of the travel to the Klon dike wet ia by way of Valdez i! Southwestern Alaska. Leaving Val dez the gold-seekers followed thu Lowe River through Thompson Pass to Gulkana, and then by way o Mantasta Pass to Eagle on the Yu kon. Along this route in 1899 wa department expedition under Captail Abercrombie began to cut trail and along. the trail in 1900 construc tion of military telegraph line wal commenced.
 With the gold strike at Fairbank! in 1904, the travel left the Eagl' Trail at Guikana and struck off tt the left on a short and direct route to lne 1dudld lliIlHS Soihps liuo SS tablishing what is the present line O the highway In 1905 the Alaska Road Commission, composed of Army officers, was created by Congress This commissions preliminary sur veys and reconnaisances later deter mined the retention of the Abercrom l,i rrni 0 interior Valdez, Gulkana and Fairbanks, and it's development into highway suit able for vehicular travel instead of its limitation to pack horses and dog teams.
 Working with limited funds, and charged with the duty of providing roads and trails for the whole ot Alaska's 500,00O square miles, the Alaska Road Commission has achieved results in the building of the Richard son Highway which have been little gineers have nothing but praise for the pioneer locators of the route. In 1910 when the c. R. & N. w. Rail  way was completed from Cordova to Kennecott, the branch route from Willow Creek on the highway, to Chitina on the railroad, was built From that time on the main travel overland was from Chitina to Fair banks.
 The highway carried practically all interior travel and all the winter and summer mail for Fairbanks and inter- for Alaska between the years 1905 and 1921. By this road the exploration of the Copper River Valley, and the dis covery and early development of the Kennecott mine was made possible. With the completion of the govern ment railway in 1921 the economic