party crossed the eastern
Alaska Range from the mouth of the Copper River to the
Tanana River via Suslota Pass, the first non-natives to do so. In his report, he noted that it would be possible to build a road between Prince William Sound to the
Yukon River. They would eventually cross
Isabel Pass, who were also the first recorded non-natives through that route, but fell short 15-20 miles from the Tanana River. This pass received very little attention at the time. Travel to the area during the summer was via riverboats. Richardson suggested dividing the trail into 3 sections, the first from Valdez to Copper Center along Abercrombie's route, the second from the mouth of the
Delta River to Fairbanks, and the third connecting the two from Copper Center to Isabel Pass. By 1909,
eggs,
cranberries, cattle, and other groceries were shipped up the trail in the winter to Fairbanks. Although Richardson contended with low funds and difficult construction, the road was finished in 1910. During the construction, the government hired failed
gold prospectors as well as regular construction workers. The income from this work allowed many of the prospectors to leave Alaska. Although automobiles and motorcycles were shipped to Fairbanks and Valdez sometime after 1908, it is unknown when the first motorized vehicle was used on the highway. BY 1909, cars were used at either end of the highway. Attempts were made in 1909 to use a motorcycle to cross the entirety of the highway, but storms and mechanical issues proved too much. On July 29th, 1913,
Bobby Sheldon and two prospectors, John Ronan and John Ferguson, began the trip from Fairbanks at approximately 10:30pm in a modified
Model T. They arrived at Valdez four days later, at around 11pm on August 2nd, after taking a detour to
Chitina. A second vehicle made by the
White Motor Company from the Alaska Road Commission with representatives manufacturer left the day before Bobby Sheldon's party, and arrived in Fairbanks on August 6th. The rise of
motorized travel led the road to be upgraded to automobile standards in the 1920s. To finance continued maintenance and road construction, the Alaska Road Commission instituted
tolls for commercial vehicles in 1933 of up to $175 per trip, which were collected at the
Tanana River ferry crossing at
Big Delta. When the tolls were further increased in 1941 to boost business for the
Alaska Railroad, disgruntled truckers nicknamed "gypsies" started a rogue ferry service in order to evade the toll. The
Alaska and
Glenn highways, built during
World War II, connected the rest of the continent and
Anchorage to the Richardson Highway at
Delta Junction and
Glennallen respectively, allowing motor access to the new military bases built in the
Territory just prior to the war:
Fort Richardson in Anchorage, and
Fort Wainwright adjacent to Fairbanks. The bridge at Big Delta, the last remaining gap, was built as part of the Alaska Highway project. The southern end was only open during summers until 1950, when a freight company foreman who lived near the treacherous
Thompson Pass plowed the snow himself for an entire season to prove the route could be used year-round. The highway was paved in 1957. The
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, built in 1973-1977, mostly parallels the highway from Fairbanks to Valdez. ==Roadhouses==