A history of The Trail between Valdez and Fairbanks, Alaska. Includes the elements of transportation including the route(s), the motivation, communications, and forms of travel. Includes a very complete section describing the roadhouses by location with as much information as possible about why there were there, when they started and who they were owned/operated by. Other sections of the 406 page document include the forms of travel: foot, dog team, horse, up to the start of the automobile.

The piece is quite structured, with each section a compilation of the material for that topics, which at times is a little daunting to plow through, but what makes it worth while is the inclusion of historic photos, maps and contemporaneous accounts from newspapers, books and letters that provide the reader a vivid mental picture of the conditions along the trail. Of particular interest to me were the accounts by the people who operated roadhouses in remote parts of the trail, the seasonal nature of their business, where their supplies came from, and the travelers who utilized their establishments.

A nice work that provides a glimpse into this section of Alaska from Gold Rush days until the early 1920's. ( )