Early Motoring in Alaska

It’s a celebration of early motoring in Alaska! These historical scenes of vehicles, autos and motorcycles were compiled from a variety of sources and collections from the Alaska Film Archives at University of Alaska Fairbanks. Most scenes are from the 1920s and 1930s. Unusual vehicles include a “pupmobile” near Nome, a rail car, a 1926 Oakland auto in Eagle, converting a car into a paddle boat, an air-propelled car in Valdez, a tracked vehicle in Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), a Fordson snow motor, an early snowmachine, and an automobile wood saw. Scenes from along the Richardson Highway include vehicles being towed, rough muddy trails, an unsuccessful stream crossing, the ferry at McCarty’s Roadhouse, crossing the Tanana River, Rika’s Roadhouse, getting help from a horse team, driving south along Paxon Lake, Sourdough Roadhouse, Tonsina Lodge, driving toward Thompson Pass, and a rockslide in Keystone Canyon. Other featured communities include Juneau, Skagway, Anchorage, Seward, Valdez, McKinley Park, and Fairbanks. Slim Williams and Jack Logan are shown departing Fairbanks in May 1939 for a motorcycle trip along a proposed route linking Alaska with the Lower 48. The Alaska Film Archives is a unit of the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives Department in the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Alaska Film Archives appreciates your support. Your donation in any amount will help us continue important preservation work. Please visit the “About” section of our YouTube channel to learn how you can help today. Thank you!