The Alaska Railroad: 1902 to 1923: Blazing an Iron Trail

The Alaska Railroad: 1902 to 1923: Blazing an Iron Trail across the Great Land

The 500-mile long Alaska Railroad runs from the seaport town of Seward, on the Kenai Peninsula, to Fairbanks, the Golden Heart of Alaska. Along the way it crosses two formidable mountain ranges, several broad and daunting rivers, and numerous deep gorges and canyons. It winds along the tidewater edge of Turnagain Arm, and past Bartlett and Spencer Glaciers, and skirts the highest point on the North American continent, the Great One, Denali. The history of the railroad's construction is a wide-ranging look at Alaska's growth and development, in which the railroad played a major role. From dynamiting the railbed out of the cliffs along Turnagain Arm, to spanning the deep chasm of Hurricane Gulch, and from crossing the endless miles of muskeg swamp to bridging the mighty waters of the Tanana River, the history is told through historic documents, photographs, and publications. This is more than the story of constructing the railroad, howeverâ€¦. This is also the story of how the U. S. Government built towns and cities across the territory, including the city of Anchorage. It's the story of coal mining in Alaska, from the Guggenheim Syndicate's attempted monopoly of Alaska's resources to the government's own private mine to service the U.S. Naval fleet. It's the story of steamboat travel on Alaskan rivers, and how the railroad's own fleet of steamers and gas-powered "tunnel boats" came to dominate the watery transportation corridors. It's the story of the role a fledgling conservation movement played in dividing a major political party. And it's the story of how the steam shovels which dug the Panama Canal ended up clawing at Alaskan hillsidesâ€¦. From running its own opulent luxury hotelâ€”in literally the middle of nowhereâ€”to developing the water and sewer systems of Anchorage, the history of the railroad is largely the history of Alaska. Take a ride on the northernmost U. S. railroad, and gain an unusual perspective on a richly fascinating period in America's past.

Country	USA
Author	Helen E. Hegener
Binding	Paperback
EAN	9781542329941
ISBN	1542329949
Label	CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Manufacturer	CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
NumberOfPages	402
PublicationDate	2017-05-19
Publisher	CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Studio	CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

The Alaska Railroad: 1902 to 1923: Blazing an Iron Trail across the Great Land