The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the Alcan Highway (1942-1943)

Challenges of Construction

Choosing a route through the Wilderness:

The first issue to be dealt with in building the ALCAN was the choice of where to carve the road through the dense wilderness. Three routes were mainly considered.

Route A was proposed and supported by the American government. It followed a route from Prince George, through Whitehorse, and to Fairbanks. This would link Seattle and Fairbanks, providing access to the two major northwest American cities, and be beneficial militarily and economically. The only problem was that this route failed to follow the airbases of the Northwest Staging Route and was also dangerously close to the coast.

Route B was favored by the Canadian government. Beginning at Prince George, the route would instead follow the Rocky Mountains up to Dawson Creek, meet the Richardson Highway, and provide access to Fairbanks. Though this route was protected due to its being situated far inland, it too failed to follow the airfields. Furthermore, the major town of Whitehorse was bypassed.

Finally, Route C was chosen. It was proposed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. An inland route, this plan began at Dawson Creek and met the Richardson Highway at Delta Junction, Alaska approximately 1400 miles later. It covered more level terrain and no pass was over 4250 feet. Importantly, the route followed the Northwest Staging Route. This was important because the highway could couple as a supply line for airborne missions and vica versa. The ALCAN's route was further developed and aided with the knowledge of native guides such as Charlie MacDonald and the pre – existence of Indian and animal trails.

Permafrost:

Hoge recalled permafrost as "the worst thing we had to contend with" in building the ALCAN. Though Vilhjalmur Stefanson had warned Major Somervell of this permanently frozen ground, the Army forged ahead in ignorance. Initially, the Army faced extreme hazards with permafrost when their bulldozers scraped away the layer of vegetation above the frozen earth. Exposing it, the soil and ice partially melted to form a cold "muck". The solution that was developed by the engineers was to cut the vegetation but then leave it where the trail was to be built. More logs and branches were stacked on the road in an organized manner. Next, loads and loads of gravel and soil were dumped onto the vegetation and the road was built elevated. In this way, the permafrost was insulated and remained frozen.

Muskeg:

According to Jon Krakuer, muskeg is "the expanse of spongy, poorly drained, peat like organic matter overlaying a permanently frozen bog". A cousin of permafrost, muskeg raised havoc on jeep and other vehicles working on and scouting the route. To avoid the loss of vehicles due to sinking, the engineers developed the use of "corduroy". Thousands of logs were scoured from nearby forests and placed crosswise. The highway was built atop the logs. Thus the weight of heavy vehicles was distributed evenly and the problem of sinking into the bogs was solved.

Washouts and Ice floes:

This photograph shows the ice floes threatening the Peace River Bridge in November 1942. The bridges were in constant, year round danger as in the spring the intense melting would lead to rapidly rising river heights and washouts. In the fall and winter the ice would threaten the bridges, which at first were constructed out of wood. Later more sturdy and adaptable bridges were constructed.

Mud:

The "Battle of the Swamp" seen here, pitted the 35th Engineers against their arch enemy, mud, in June of 1942. After the spring thaw, mud caused terrible problems to the heavy trucks and equipment. Discussed above, the crisis of mud spurred on creative solutions, one being corduroy, the laying of logs on top of muskeg and then building the road atop the timbers.

Dawson Creek Fire:

Anti-American sentiments developed in the town of Dawson Creek following the incident of February 13, 1943. Glen Barnhardt, an employee of a firm working on CANOL, parked his truck, which contained sixty cases of dynamite, in a town stable. While he was eating, a fire began in the stable and spread to where the jeep was. The result was a spectacular white fireball that destroyed the heart of Dawson Creek. The Army was able to rebuild the town quickly, but the townspeople complained that the town would never be quite the same. Five people died and 164 suffered various injuries.

INCIDENT ON THE ALCAN HIGHWAY

The American Army Engineers could build tote-roads, but it took Canadians to "drive" them. Fred Newby, now an alderman, but formerly manager of the largest store at Mile Zero of the Highway tells a typical yarn of that day.

Dawson Creek, British Columbia: Mile 0 on the highway. Was the base for troops, supplies, and equipment. Grew rapidly because of its location aside the highway following the war, unlike its counterpart, Dawson City, which fell away as the leading locale of the Canadian Northwest. (Picture from Twichell)

It began when the garrison at Fort Nelson ran out of flour. The officer commanding sent a convoy of four-by-sixes down to Dawson, end of steel, to see what was the matter. He briefed them very carefully on "how to drive" - maximum load to carry, etc. Somehow they made it, with empty trucks.

On the N.A.R. tracks a boxcar of flour had been "spotted", which the army boys proceeded to off-load no more than two tons per "four-by six" which in those days was a huge military vehicle. One after -- another radiator to bumper -- the trucks moved away from the big sliding car doors, until the local "drayman" created a diversion. He had been sent to finish unloading a carload of flour consigned to the local Co-op store. In a few minutes he was breathlessly reporting to the Co-op manager.

Fort Saint John, British Columbia: Mile 47 of the highway. The population boomed from 200 to 6,000 temporary occupants during construction. A center of troop housing. (Picture from Twichell)

Fred, a quiet-spoken man, of no imposing stature, strolled over to recover his goods from a heavy unit of the American army. The red-faced sergeant was reluctant to give up the precious commodity. Fred’s ability to "dicker" not only resolved to impasse, but made a good "deal" for the Co-op, which had another car-load en route from Edmonton.

It was about three in the afternoon when the lightly loaded American trucks, fully equipped with chains, moved off on the graveled Fort St. John road.

Fort Nelson, British Columbia: Mile 300 of the highway. Home to 2000 troops during the construction project. (Picture from Twichell)

One of the local Linklater boys - hardly out of High School -- was to take a load to Fort St. John on his father’s Ford two-ton. The rated tonnage wasn’t even a "close approximation" in those days. They were more often loaded with four tons or more. Linklater, experienced in local conditions, waited until late evening when the road had frozen a little and the mud stiffened.

About ten miles west of Dawson Creek the old highway crossed Coal Creek. Its steep descent and ascent was complicated by a couple of hair-pin turns that were the test of the old horse-freighters, but no great impediment to the truck -- barring a skid on ice or exposed wet clay. After he started his descent, Linklater suddenly braked to a halt, and backed his vehicle a little way up the hill again, than strolled down to see what the matter was. The whole American convoy was halted, its leading truck only partially up the little hill. One of the Americans was partly crosswise in the road. When travelling singly, instead of in convoy, some of the Americans simply solved that kind of problem by "driving her over the edge" and jumping clear.

September 24, 1942: The 35th and 340th Engineers link up at Contact Creek, which is by the Yukon and British Columbia border. This completed the southern sector of the highway. (Picture from Twichell)

Linklater walked the line until he found someone who admitted to being in charge.

"Would you please clear the road so that I can get my cargo through", asked the lad.

The answer he got was intended to be discouraging.

"Have you a tow-chain?"

" Yes."

" Well then, hook it on the back of that truck, and let the man behind straighten him up, so I can get by."

"How you-all think you can get up theah, boy?"

"Just get that truck out of my way and then bring your tow chain up."

"Chow-line" at engineers base camp in mountains, Alcan (Alaskan-Canadian) Highway Construction 21 August 1942

It wasn’t rudely spoken, just confidently. Linklater walked back across the valley. He gunned the motor and took a run at it. Heads of boys from the big cities hung out of every cab as the youngster took his overload roaring to the top.

The tow-chain was dragged up the slippery hill and one by one the big trucks were assisted up the slope.

That muskeg was deep!
This is just one example of whole trucks swallowed up by the sticky mud.

The lieutenant in charge, asked, "How do you do that, boy?"

"You have to rev her up, sir."

"Sergeant, why don’t we do that?"

"We can’t, sir."

" Why can’t we?"

" It’s the governors, sir. They are set for fifty."

"What can you do about that, Sergeant?"

"Knock em off, sir."

"It’s against the regulations to destroy army property, Sergeant", sternly. Then -- "You have your orders to get this cargo to Fort Nelson, Sergeant."

"Yes, sir".

Dorthea Calverley

Additional Sources:

www.usatoday.com
yukonalaska.com
home.sandiego.edu
www.explorenorth.com
www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil
thor.prohosting.com
www.visi.com/~alcan
www.calverley.ca

'Technically, the Alaska highway is known as the Alcan project - a coined word and an ugly one. Few like it. To the tough men who built it, the highway is known simply as The Road.'

Don Menzies,
The Alaska Highway (Edmonton: Stewart Douglas, 1943)

'The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers troops who built the road, mostly African-Americans from the South, faced wilderness, hot summer and extreme winter temperatures , yet they completed the largest military construction project since the Panama Canal.'

John Killoran,
chief of Public Affairs, Alaska District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

Iraq Homecoming Tips

~ Thanks to our Veterans still serving, at home and abroad. ~ Freepmail to Ragtime Cowgirl | 2/09/04 | FRiend in the USAF

PDN members and fans. We hope you will consider this simple act of patriotism worth passing on or taking up as a project in your own back yard. In summary:

Who They Are: Operation: Stitches Of Love was started by the Mothers of two United States Marines stationed in Iraq.

What They Are Doing: We are gathering 12.5"x12.5" quilt squares from across the country and assembling the largest quilt ever produced. When completed we will take the quilt from state to state and gather even more squares.

Why They Are Doing This: We are building this quilt to rally support for the Coalition Forces in Iraq and to show the service members that they are not forgotten. We want the world to know Nothing will ever break the stitches that bind us together as a country.

Ideas to start a local project:

Obtain enough Red, White and Blue material (cloth) for a 12.5 x 12.5 quilt square.
If you have someone in your family that sews, make it a weekend project and invite neighbors to join you.

Consider this tribute as a project for your civic group, scouts, church or townhall group.

Locate an elementary school with an after school program in your neighborhood or locate an after school program in your neighborhood not attached to a school and ask if you could volunteer one or two afternoons and create some squares with the kids.

Invite some VFW posts to share your project in honor of their post.

Send us webmaster@patriotwatch.com for digital photos of in progress and finished project for various websites, OIFII.com and the media.

PDN is making this appeal in support of Operation: Stitches Of Love
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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004

The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

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It's Friday! Good Morning Everyone.

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Good morning Snippy.

Good mornnin' y'all

Soggy yard sale bump for the Foxhole

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alfa6 ;>}

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. —1 John 1:9

Search out in me all hidden sin,
And may Thy purity within
So cleanse my life that it may be
A temple wholly fit for Thee.

Detecting sin is the first step to deliverance from sin.

Morning, everyone! Good story ... I remember seeing a History Channel show on this last summer. It's amazing how many "impossible" things Americans accomplish!

My boys are finishing Cub Scout day camp today. It's rained every day, but we needed it!

And we found a home for our bird!

Good morning Ms. snipps. Thanks for the ping!

Petroleum, Detroit iron, and American ingenuity!

Good morning everyone.

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on June 18:
1681 Feofan Prokopovich theologian, archbishop of Novgorod, westernizer
1799 William Lassell discoverer (satellites of Uranus & Neptune)
1809 Sylvanus William Godon, Commander (Union Navy), died in 1879
1839 William Henry Seward Jr, Brig General (Union volunteers), died in 1920
1877 James Montgomery Flagg illustrator "I want you" recruiting poster
1886 George Mallory England, mountain climber ("because it is there")
1901 Jeanette MacDonald actress/singer (When I'm Calling You)
1904 Keye Luke Canton China, actor (Across the Pacific, Yangtse Incident)
1906 Kay Kyser Rocky Mount NC, orch leader (Kay Kyser's Kollege)
1908 Bud Collyer NYC, TV emcee (Beat the Clock, To Tell the Truth)
1910 E.G. Marshall actor (Defenders, Nixon, Absolute Power)
1913 Sammy Cahn lyricist (3 Coins in a Fountain)
1913 Sylvia Porter financial writer (Sylvia Porter's Money Book)
1915 Red Adair, oilman (fought oil fires)
1917 Richard Boone LA Calif, actor (Paladin-Have Gun Will Travel)
1926 Tom Wicker columnist (NY Times)
1937 John D (Jay) Rockefeller IV (Sen-III)
1937 Vitali M Zholobov cosmonaut (Soyuz 21)
1939 Lou Brock one-time baseball stolen base leader (St Louis Cards)
1942 Paul McCartney rocker, Beatles, writes silly love songs
1942 Rogert Ebert Urbana Ill, film critic (Siskel & Ebert at the Movies)
1952 Carol Kane Cleveland Ohio, actress (Dog Day Afternoon, Simka-Taxi)
1963 Bruce Smith NFL defensive end (Buffalo Bills)

Deaths which occurred on June 18:
0741 Leo III de Isaurier, Byzantine Emperor (717-41), dies
1291 Alfonso III, King of Aragon (1285-91), dies
1629 Piet Heyn, lt-admiral (Spanish silver fleet), dies in battle at 51
1669 Abraham Crijnssen, Swiss admiral, conquered Suriname, dies
1853 Branko Radicevic, Serbian poet (1st Serbian Uprising), dies
1880 John Sutter, US colonist (gold discovered on his land), dies at 77
1916 Helmuth J L von Moltke, German chief general of staff, dies at 67
1916 Max Immelmann, German pilot (WW I), killed
1936 Maxim Gorki, [Alexei M Peshkov], Russian writer (Mother), dies at 68
1942 John Kubris, Czech resistance fighter, killed Heydrich, dies at 28
1945 Colonel Roberts, commandant 22nd regiment marines, dies in battle
1945 Simon B Buckner, US lt-gen/commandant of 10th Army, dies in action
1959 Ethel Barrymore, [Blythe], actress (None but the lonely), dies at 79
1974 Georgi Zhukov Russian Marshal (WW II), dies at 78
1975 Faisal Ibn Mussed Abdul Aziz Saudi prince, beheaded in Riyadh shopping center parking lot for killing his uncle the king
1982 Curt Jurgens actor, dies of an acute heart attack at 66
1991 Joan Caulfield actress (My Favorite Husband), dies of cancer at 69

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1965 ARMOND ROBERT L. SAN MATEO CA.
1965 GUILLORY EDWARD J. DE RIDDER LA.
1965 GEHRIG JAMES M. JR. WILLIAMSPORT PA.
1965 LOWRY TYRRELL G. PORTLAND OR.
1965 MARSHALL JAMES A. NEWARK NY.
1965 NEVILLE WILLIAM E. EL CAJON CA.
1965 ROBERTS HAROLD J. JR. PORTLAND OR.
1965 WATSON FRANK P. OKLAHOMA CITY OK.
1967 LEMMONS WILLIAM E. POCATELLO ID.
1967 MC KITTRICK JAMES C. LAURENS SC.
1968 RAVENCRAFT JAMES ALVIN CLARINGTON OH.
[02/69 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1970 DRAKE CARL WILSON ROSEVILLE OH.
1970 GREEN JAMES A. BOYNTON OK.
1970 MC LAMB HARRY LAWRENCE LUDOWICI GA.
1971 BIDWELL BARRY A. GREENSBURG PA.
["CRASH IN WATER, NO RADIO, NO SURV"]
1971 DE BLASIO RAYMOND V. WEST HEMPSTEAD NY.
["CRASH IN WATER, NO RADIO, NO SURV"]
1971 PAINTER JOHN R. JR. VINEYARD HAVEN MA.
["CRASH IN WATER, NO RADIO, NO SURV"]
1972 AYRES GERALD F.---NEWCASTLE DE.
[REMAINS ID'D 10/21/94 - 9 OTHERS ID'D AS GROUP]
1972 COLE RICHARD M. JR.---UNIONDALE NY.
1972 DANIELSON MARK G.---RANGELY CO.
1972 GILBERT PAUL F.---PLAINVIEW TX.
1972 HARRISON ROBERT H.---MASSAPEQUA PARK NY.
1972 HUNT LEON A.---PLEASURE RIDGE PK.KY.
1972 KILPATRICK LARRY RONALD---STONE MOUNTAIN GA.
1972 KLINKE DONALD H.---WEST SACRAMENTO CA.
1972 LEHRKE STANLEY L.---SAN DIEGO CA.
1972 MERCER JACOB E.---JACKSONVILLE FL.
1972 NYHOF RICHARD E.---FREMONT CA.
1972 NEWMAN LARRY J.---NORTH PLATTE NE.
1972 WILSON ROBERT A.---DETROIT MI.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
0860 Swedish Vikings attack Constantinople
1155 Pope Adrian IV crowns Frederick I Barbarossa Roman-German Emperor
1178 Proposed time of origin of lunar crater Giordano Bruno
5 Canterbury monks report explosion on the moon (only such observation known)
1580 States of Utrecht forbid catholic worship
1583 Richard Martin of London takes out 1st life insurance policy, on William Gibbons. The premium was œ383
1682 William Penn found Philadelphia
1778 British Redcoats evacuate Phila

1812 War of 1812 begins as US declares war against Britain

1815 Battle of Waterloo; Napoleon defeated by Wellington & Blucher

1822 Part of US-Canadian boundary determined
1822 Slave revolt leaders Denmark Vesey and Peter Poyas arrested in SC
1863 After long neglect, Confederates hurriedly fortify Vicksburg
1864 At Petersburg, Grant ends 4 days of assaults
1872 Woman's Sufferage Convention held at Merchantile Liberty Hall
1873 Susan B Anthony fined $100 for attempting to vote for President
1879 W H Richardson, a black inventor, patents the children's carriage
1898 Amusement pier opens, Atlantic City, NJ
1903 1st transcontinental auto trip begins in SF; arrives NY 3-mo later
1934 US Highway planning surveys nationwide authorized
1936 1st bicycle traffic court in America established, Racine, WI
1940 Gen Charles de Gaulle on BBC tells French to defy nazi occupiers
1940 German occupiers slaughter cattle, pigs and chickens
1940 Winston Churchill urges perseverance so that future generations would remember that "this was their finest hour"
1942 Bernard W Robinson, becomes 1st black ensign in US Navy
1942 Eric Nessler of France stays aloft in a glider for 38h21m
1943 SS Police in Amsterdam sentence for 12 resistance fighter to death (Jewish, communists, homosexuality) at the census bureau
1945 William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) Brit radio traitor charged with treason
1948 National Security Council authorizes covert operations for 1st time
1948 UN Commission on Human Rights adopts Intl Decl of Human Rights
1953 Egypt proclaimed a republic, General Neguib becomes president
1956 Last of foreign troops leaves Egypt
1957 John Diefenbacker (C) takes office as PM of Canada
1959 1st telecast transmitted from England to US
1961 KBMT TV channel 12 in Beaumont, TX (ABC) begins broadcasting
1963 3,000 blacks boycot Boston public school
1968 Supreme Court bans racial discrimination in sale & rental of housing
1972 US Supreme Court, 5-3, confirms lower court rulings in Curt Flood case, upholding baseball's exemption from antitrust laws
1973 NCAA makes urine testing mandatory for participants
1976 NBA & ABA agree to merge
1977 Billy Martin & Reggie Jackson get into a dug out altercation
1977 Space Shuttle test model "Enterprise" carries a crew aloft for 1st time, It was fixed to a modified Boeing 747
1979 Pres Carter and Leonid I Brezhnev sign SALT 2 treaty
1980 C Shoemaker discovers asteroid #2891 McGetchin
1980 E Bowell discovers asteroid #2569 Madeline
1980 Mrs Shakuntala Devi mentally multiplies 2 13-digit #s in 28 sec
1981 Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart retires (replaced by Sandra Day O'Connor, 1st woman on high court)
1982 Voting Rights Act of 1965 extended by Senate by 85-8 vote
1983 7th Shuttle Mission-Challenger 2 launched-Sally Ride 1st US woman
1983 IRA's Joseph Doherty arrested in NYC
1984 Perth Observatory discovers asteroid #3541
1989 Comet Churyunov-Gerasimenko at perihelion
1989 Curtis Strange wins his 2nd US golf open
1991 Pres Zachary Taylors body is exhumed to test how he died
1991 SF Giant pitcher Dave Dravecky's cancerous left arm is amputated
1997 The Southern Baptist Convention called for a boycott of the Walt Disney Co., protesting what the convention called its gay-friendly policies.
2000 Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open by a record 15 strokes.

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Egypt : Evacuation Day (1956)
US : Father's Day (Sunday)
US : Flag Week (Day 6)
National Dream Work Month

Religious Observances
RC : Commemoration of SS Mark & Marcellianus, martyrs
RC : Commemoration of St Ephrem, confessor, doctor
Ang : Commem of Bernard Mizeki, catechist, martyr in Rhodesia

Religious History
1464 Pius II led a brief 'crusade' into Italy, against the Turks. However, he soon became ill and died, before the rest of his allies arrived. Soon after, the three-centuries-old 'crusades mentality' among European Christians came to an end.
1781 The first Baptist church established in Kentucky was organized at Elizabethtown. (Kentucky was first visited by Baptist missionaries in 1772 when Squire Boone, brother of explorer Daniel Boone, began exploring the eastern Kentucky regions.)
1819 Birth of Samuel Longfellow, an American clergyman who composed the words to the hymn, 'Father, Give Thy Benediction.'
1830 Birth of Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane, an orphaned Scottish poet who penned two of the most haunting hymns in the English language: 'Beneath the Cross of Jesus' and 'The Ninety and Nine.'
1906 Birth of Gordon Lindsay, missions pioneer. In 1948 Lindsay and he wife Freda founded Christ for the Nations, an interdenominational foreign missions support agency.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"Never borrow trouble, the interest is entirely too high."

Things To Do If You Ever Became An Evil Overlord...
DO NOT interrogate your enemies in the inner sanctum -- a small hotel well outside your borders will work just as well.

The World's Shortest Books...
Mike Tyson's Guide to Dating Etiquette

Dumb Laws...
Augusta Maine:
To stroll down the street playing a violin is against the law.

Top 10 signs your family is stressed...
People have trouble understanding your kids, because they learned to speak through clenched teeth.

1815 Battle of Waterloo; Napoleon defeated by Wellington & Blucher

Scotland Forever!
The charge of the Greys at Waterloo.

1916 Max Immelmann, German pilot (WW I), killed

Immelman - named after German pilot Max Immelman who flew in WWI. The maneuver starts like the first half of a traditional vertical loop. When the train is near the loop’s apex it will be inverted and heading back in the direction it entered. Rather than completing the loop in the traditional way, the train rolls on its axis becoming right-side-up while simultaneously turning away from the loop. The result is the train exiting the maneuver almost in the same direction it came. This is a very similar element to the Sidewinder. In the case of the Sidewinder the after apex turn is sharper and the maneuver is exited higher and nearly 90° to the right or left of direction it was entered. When a Immelman is traveled in reverse it is called a Dive Loop.

Morning Aeronaut

Soggy yard sale bump for the Foxhole

:-( Morning alfa6.

Morning E.G.C. ANother clear hot day for us. Supposed to cool down over the weekend

Good Morning Mayor.