Module 6

What are issues facing Alaskans today related to transportation and communication?

Construction on the Glenn Highway

The main issue that is facing Alaskans today for their transportation system is also affecting the rest of the United States, maintenance.  We have built a very impressive system here in Alaska cutting through some of the most inhospitable terrain and climate. But if you look at when they were built it was decades ago.  The Glenn Highway (1942) The Richardson Highway (1920s) are just 2 examples.  The state is now trying to just maintain what has been built.  Without large federal projects most of the state money just keeps a holding pattern on their conditions. 

Map of the different highways in Alaska

Besides the issue of money it is the limited population that many of these roads would serve.  It is very hard to justify the expense of building a multimillion dollar road to a community of 100.  The issue of the bridge to nowhere still haunts the state and now the bar to build a new road has been set very high. In my village they have talked about a road that would connect them to Valdez but most people are resistant due to the fact that it would change the village forever. This is another issue that most people don't think about when a road is suggested.

What were the challenges in the development of communication systems?

Walking the Valdez glacier

The resiliency of the Alaskan communication systems has been very impressive and the readings clearly show that.  No matter what the communication system; be it mail, or telecommunications they were all dramatically affected by 4 things: distance, weather, geography, technology. The establishment of the US postal service at the outset of the handover shows in importance of communication. While it took a while for it to move beyond Sitka with any regularity attempts were made to spread it farther north. The sheer distance between points made contact with the lower states slow added in the rugged conditions and possible weather delays times of over a year were not unheard off. I have this image of men climbing up the glacier out of Valdez taking the “All American Rout” packing the mail with them.  The other thing that I was impressed to learn was how much mail was hauled by dog sled.  It puts the Pony Express to shame when you think about what dog sleaders had to put up with to deliver the mail.

Alaskan sled dog mail carrier from 1910

            It was the invention of air mail that was able to give Alaska the first regular mail service and over come so many of the challenges that normally hindered the mail.  Now only weather could really stop the mail and I am going to tell you based off my mail situation “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”  This is not true and all of these stop my mail from coming.   Now the mail is the lifeline of many towns around Alaska.  It provides not as much communication but a way of surviving with all the food deliveries.

Extend: How dependent is your community on air transportation?  

Alaska Air Transit over Tatitlek

Living off of the road system is a completely new situation for me.  Growing up in suburb of Portland, Oregon I never was without an opportunity for food or outside entertainment.  Now that I am in Tatitlek I have learned how fragile our communication is with the outside world.  My village has no regular air service and is charter only.  So when I want to leave it is hope that another person has chartered a flight or plunk down $1300 for my one way ticket.  Almost all the food for the village comes in by air and all of the mail. Since our mail comes in by air we are often cut off for weeks with no possibility of packages going in or out.  Air is not our only way in but is the fastest and most practical for small items.  By sea Valdez is only 30 miles away but not a lot of people have boats and even in Valdez items are expensive.

Other Blogs

My Cove and beyond uses great pictures to tell the story.  I am impressed how he was able to get them all to line up and look that well.  Also I was impressed that he was able to find so many different ones.

Miss Mannan had a great write up this week.  The section about the rail transportation system right on.

Alaska Reflections:  I was impressed with the embedded video this week.  I have not been so daring to try and figure it all out yet.  Also the video added a great element to the blog.

Reflection

This week was hard for me due to my schedule but I found the reading easy and very interesting.  The amount of effort that was put into each different communication and transportation component boggles the mind at times.  Just thinking about how long it would take to string the telegraph system one post a time.  I am looking forward to the next module but also glad for the break.