Module VI: Transportation and Communication

Essential Question:  What are the issues facing Alaskan's today related to transportation and communication?

Alaska's size in relation to the lower-48.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska   

The high cost of petroleum used in most methods of transportation coupled with an area close to 600,000 sq. miles (click here for more information on Alaska's size) make Alaska an extremely expensive and slow place to progress transportation and communication.


Climate conditions, proximity from the more populated lower-48, and terrain, also factor in today's transportation and communication situation.  Having many communities located on Island's off the coast of the main land also make it extremely expensive to update/improve transportation and communication.

repeater tower.  kadiak.org

Today's obstacles facing the advancement of the communication systems in Alaska are not too much different from what the we're when the first communication systems we're set up.  The main reason why transportation and communication don't progress as they do in many of the lower-48 states has to do with two things.  The first is Alaska's vast area and the second is the small amounts of people that are spread out all over it.  When many of the small communities have approximately 100-200 year-round inhabitants, it's hard for the state to justify financing a road or even a runway to get in and out and a tower to provide communication.




Examine Question:  What were the factors that prompted the growth of ocean and river transportation in Alaska?

riverboatdiscovery.com

Ocean and river transportation was used by the Alaskan Natives prior to Russian and American migration to Alaska and increased with the gold strikes in both the Klondike and Nome.  A number of riverboat companies started working the rivers almost over night to keep up with the amount of prospectors trying to strike it rich and were often extensions of companies that were already established in the lower-48.


The large number of riverboats running up and down the rivers brought jobs to people originally from the area and to unfortunate prospectors that couldn't find gold.  Alaska Natives we're often hired to help riverboat captains navigate the treacherous waters and others we're hired to help feed the wood hungry boats to keep them moving up and down the rivers.  Many others we're employed along shore at camps set up as wood refueling stations for the riverboats.

wood station at Nulato, AK.  sitnews.net

Nulato, where a famous massacre happened in 1851, was one of the locations these wood camps we're set up.  


Not only did the gold discoveries in Alaska prompt growth of ocean and river transportation, but so did the need for food and supplies to get moved to people who were spread out around the state.  The Yukon, a stern-wheeler operated by the Alaska Commercial Company, had it's maiden voyage up the Yukon River on July 4th, 1869.  It carried a government survey party and supplies, and also pushed two boats 1,000 miles to Fort Yukon.


The Governments Role:


The purchase of Alaska in 1867 also prompted the U.S. government to sent personnel to the new territory since it had been labeled as "Indian Country."  Often times when the government occupied new areas that already had inhabitants, it would get hostile.  To make sure this was not the case, they made sure there was a military presence.  That's why the 30+ boats that left San Francisco starting in July 1869 included government personnel.  The Army had posts built in Sitka, Kodiak, and Kenai to name a few.


3 Blog Reviews:

1. Lane had some interesting comments on the same essential question that I examined.  
2. Whitney, having lived in rural communities, had some good insight on the question regarding the development of communication and transportation.
3. Crystal provided an interesting look at this weeks modules' questions by answering the questions from the perspective of a registered nurse.

Evaluate:


This module provided excellent information on the early infrastructure for transportation and communication.  It also included many interesting pictures.  I especially like the ones of all the old stern-wheeler's and vehicles.