Delta Junction - Milepost 1422

Stan . . .

Delta Junction is the terminus point of the Alaska Highway that was built in 1942 by the U.S. Military completing the 1422 mile highway that began at Milepost 0 at Dawson Creek, British Columbia (see our May 16th posting).

The U.S. Military built the highway to provide a land link between the lower 48 and Alaska which had previously only been reachable from the lower 48 via air or sea.  The military wanted to be able to maintain a land link to various military facilities in Alaska (particularly in Fairbanks with Ft. Wainwright and Eielson Air Base) as a line of defense against a possible Japanese invasion of American soil during World War II.  As shown on the below picture the Richardson was already in place from the port of Valdez up to Fairbanks passing thru Delta Junction.  Thus the Alaska Highway terminated at Delta Junction and used the existing Richardson Highway to complete the land link to Fairbanks.

The next 2 pictures are some of the yard art/signage found at the Delta Junction Visitor Center.  Alaska claims the mosquito as the "unofficial" state bird since everything is "bigger in Alaska".  The buffalo signage is a humorous way to caution "Watch Out For Livestock".

The next 3 pictures are of some of the original road construction equipment used by the U.S. Military during the Alaska Highway construction and abandoned at Delta Junction and the end of World War II.