Open the Golden Empire of the North. Complete the International Pacific Yukon Highway.
- Title:
- Open the Golden Empire of the North. Complete the International Pacific Yukon Highway.
- Alternate Title:
- Open the Golden Empire of the North
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Holloway, A.P.
- Other Creators:
- Alaska Territorial Chamber of Commerce, distributor
- Date:
- 1935
- Posted Date:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2415.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2415_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1920 - 1939
- Subject:
- Advertising & Promotion
Politics & Government - Measurement:
- 29 x 41 on sheet 48 x 61 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This 1935 promotional map, distributed by the Alaska Territorial Chamber of Commerce, urges construction of a highway connecting the northwestern U.S. to British Columbia, the Yukon, and the Territory of Alaska. It is based on a route map proposed in 1931 by a Presidentially-appointed Commission and overprinted in red with the Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to gain financial support for the project.
The title purports to quote “The Prospector, Homesteader, Investor. The Game Hunter, Fisherman and Tourist Parade.” Their message: “Open the Golden Empire of the North - Complete the Pacific Yukon Highway.” Much of the proposed route is obscured from view by overprinted legends (in a bold, red, all-capital font) purporting to show the sites of rich resources. These include not only minerals (gold, silver, lead, coal, platinum, zinc, tin), but timber, furs, fish, bear, reindeer, walrus, pulpwood, sheep, shrimp, crabs, etc.
At the sides of the map are paragraphs describing 19 major cities in the region, along with their populations from the 1930 Census. The largest was “Juneau, The Capital” (of the Alaska Territory), with a population of 4,043. Other information includes railroad and steamer mileages and the value of Alaskan imports and exports.
The text describing the proposed highway says that it “can be kept open four to five months in the year” and asserts that about one-third had been completed (“gravel road”), the most southern (least difficult) portion. Whatever the situation in 1935, there was no funding for completion of the road during the depression. World War II provided the impetus for completion of the highway in 1942 as a strategic priority.
The road was opened to the public in 1948, but it was extremely hazardous. In 1962, some 1200 miles of the highway were still unpaved, “dirt and gravel” with “a cloud of gravel-dust which hangs in the air” and “creeps into the slightest opening in the car,” where it “actually can be tasted.” There was a constant threat of damage from rock impact on windshields; sudden stretches of “pot-holes that went on for miles;” and “a sea of sliding mud” during rains. Kessler, Abel, “The Rocky Road to Alaska, All 1,200 Miles of It,” New York Times, Sunday, May 13, 1962, p. 24XX. The following year, “Washouts along a 200-mile stretch . . . halted about 1,000 northbound travelers.” Ibid., July 12, 1963, p. 22. The road was not entirely paved until 1992.
For other maps in the collection with overprinting, Search > "Repurposed."
Cornell University Library is pleased to present this digital collection of Persuasive Maps, the originals of which have been collected and described by the private collector PJ Mode. The descriptive information in the “Collector’s Notes” has been supplied by Mr. Mode and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cornell University. - Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.