Module 6-American Period: Transportation and Communication

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

from http://www.oil-electric.com/2012/01/renda-has-landed.html

The valiant delivery of much needed heating oil to Nome, Alaska earlier this year exemplifies some of the transportation and communication problems faced by Alaskans. 

Nome, like many towns and villages in Alaska, is dependent on ocean barges to deliver supplies for the winter.  Because of a big fall storm the original American tanker was unable to make its pre-winter delivery of heating oil to Nome. 

Nome, Alaska. Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Peggy Fagerstrom)

Residents of Nome were forced to look for another way to get the oil delivered. Because there are not many American ships capable of breaking through the thick ice, they had to rely on a private Russian tanker.
 A waiver of the Jones Act, which doesn't allow foreign vessels to bring cargo between U.S. ports, had to be given so that the tanker could go through.   Television cameras followed the U.S. Coast Guard boat which cleared the ice for the Russian Tanker to successfully deliver the fuel. (from Alaska Dispatch)

Aerial view of the village of Kake in Southeast, Alaska

There are almost 280 small villages scattered throughout

Alaska some ranging in size from 30 to 6,000 residents and

nearly all of them are accessible only by plane or water.(from Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation)  Extreme weather can directly affect whether or not Alaskan residents receive supplies for the winter.

 Many residents depend on fishing and hunting throughout the year, but they also need other things to sustain them such as heating fuel, fresh and canned food, building materials,etc.  Many of these supplies come by barge during the summer months and then by plane throughout the year.  During the winter, plane travel is much more limited and unreliable. Costs for fuel, food and other supplies are very high in these isolated places. 

 Alaska is part of but not connected to of the United States which contributes to its isolation.  Although Alaska is rich in  oil and gas deposits, it must be shipped out to be refined and then shipped back in, an expensive process.  The feasibility of building a refinery in Alaska makes it unlikely because of costs and potential environmental damage from the disposal of bi-products. 
   

Examine :  Identify the three major railroads in Alaska history - where? when? why? ownership?current status?

The White Pass/Yukon Railroad
 from http://www.wpyr.com/index.html

The three major railroads are the "White Pass and Yukon
Railway running from Skagway to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory; the Alaska Railroad running from Seward to Fairbanks; and the Copper River and Northwestern Railway, running from Cordova to the Kennecott Copper Mines in the Wrangell Mountains."(from Alaska's Heritage, chapter 4-11) 

The White Pass/ Yukon Railroad
from http://www.wpyr.com/index.html

The White Pass and Yukon Railway was an engineering marvel built from 1898 to 1900 during the gold rush to transport miners from Skagway to Whitehorse.  When gold rush fervor died down, the railroad stayed afloat by delivering  tourists and supplies to Skagway from Whitehorse.  During World War II the government leased the railroad from the owners to deliver war supplies. In the 1980's the railroad was shut down due to lack of funds. The Canadian railroad was re-opened in 1988 to take tourists on the awe-inspiring ride from Skagway to Whitehorse which endures profitably today from May to September.

from http://byways.org/explore/byways/12399/travel.html

The Alaska Railroad was begun in1900 by John E. Ballaine, a Seattle  real-estate developer and journalist, who dreamed of connecting the coast of Alaska with the interior. He was interested in all of the natural resources that Alaska had to offer.  The railroad began in Seward and went as far as Turnagain Arm before the company was forced to stop construction for financial reasons.





  Later it was bought by the federal government and construction continued to Fairbanks.  Financial difficulties persisted for the railroad. However, there was a brief reprieve during World War II when war supplies were transported from Seward to the interior of Alaska. After the war, the railroad was again in financial trouble and a drain on the U.S. Treasury.  Finally in 1968, the State of Alaska bought the railroad.  The railroad, which has been supported through government grants through the years, survives today by operating a tourist passenger service and transporting oil, timber and coal.  

from http://www.alaskagold.com/copper/mcarthy/mcarthy.html

The Copper River and Northwestern Railway was originally constructed to carry copper 196 miles from the mines near Kennecott Glacier to the coast at Cordova.  Amazingly, 95 miles of this railroad were built over bridges and trestles, another feat of engineering.  Except for a little activity during World War II, the railroad all but shut down in 1938.  The railroad is now defunct and Cordova is only accessible by sea or air.

Extend:  Transportation and communication issues in my community

from http://www.city-data.com/city/Dillingham-Alaska.html

Dillingham is a community which depends on air and sea  to bring in supplies. Although planes frequently fly in and out of Dillingham, they are expensive.





There are no roads connecting to Anchorage but one 25 mile road which connects to Alegnigik Lake community.  There is a road out to the hospital, airport,  and some minor subdivisions.    All of the roads, thanks to stimulus funds, have been recently paved with added bike paths. 

Peter Pan Cannery photo by Elzabeth Tilden

Vegetables and fruit are very expensive and often times old and not very appetizing.  However, there is an organic fruit and vegetable co-op which makes air deliveries to Dillingham.  The deliveries, though often delayed, especially in the winter, are greatly anticipated each week. Fish, especially salmon is readily available, fresh in the summer months and frozen and canned in the winter.



Communication has greatly increased with a new Internet and cell phone provider.  Cable TV has been here for a few years.  The availability of newspapers is somewhat lacking, although one grocery store does carry the Anchorage Daily News.  NPR and a few other radio stations have been here for a number of years.



This community, like many other Alaskan communities, is very dependent on the post office for communication with the outside world as well as for shipment of goods.  Sometimes boxes come a little broken up, but otherwise the mail service works surprisingly well.  Parcels can be shipped by other means, but have to be picked up at the airport.


Evaluation:  
 This posting seemed a little easier to me.  My blogs sometimes inexplicably double space.  The only way I found to remedy this was to revert the font size back to normal, then again to large font, and then the double spacing  disappeared!  There is probably a better way, but whatever works!


Communication and transportation are all interconnected and it seems like small changes could have a huge impact on communities.  What was it like before radio and TV in these small Alaskan villages?  The effect on children and families had to have been dramatic!  Was it all good or all bad?( which I suppose depends on your perspective.)  I also wonder what the long term affects of the Internet will be. It is seems great for education, but what about for families in Alaska?


I am looking forward to the next module which includes education.  Schools have brought enormous change to Alaskan Natives. 


Blogs I have visited:

In Gary's Alaska Blog Gary uses pictures to answer questions in a effective yet direct and simple manner.  I thought the oil industry was a higher percentage of the Alaska economy.
Tim is trying to catch-up in his blog.  He lives at the end of the end of the Aleutians island and often has to deal with Internet difficulties.  He wants to help his students broaden their sense of place. 
In Heather's Alaskan Exploration, Heather weaves the economy in with the history of Alaska, illustrating some cause and effect relationships we need to be aware of.