Construction of the Alaska Highway: First year, 1942 – Condensation of Report by Theodore A. Huntley, Senior Administrative Officer (Washington, September 1945)

Construction of the Alaska Highway, by Theodore Huntley, is a well-written and fascinating account of the first year of construction, from conception through month-by-month progress toward completion in late 1942. [The original edition of this report includes a longer section—with photos—of the second year of the highway (1943), as reported by R.E. Royall, Senior Highway Engineer.] This hard-to-find report was scanned from copies made of the original pages at the National Archives in Seattle, Washington.

We’ve included a selection of material from the extensive Appendix of the original publication, including a report from the Legal, Insurance, Procurement and Accounting Division, by R.H. Helmintoller, which underscores the many administrative complications that go along with the physical hardships of building a highway through the Canadian wilderness to Alaska. We’ve also included some of the correspondence and War Department Directives (there were many!) that help illustrate the decision-making process as the highway was built. Click on the following links and enjoy this wonderful history of the Alaska Highway.