Alaska Highway (Alcan Highway) History and Legacy Explored in New Anchorage Museum Exhibition

Grandeur and Grit: The Alaska Highway examines the people, places and stories behind the historic route that transformed life across the North

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — 

In just nine months during World War II, approximately 10,000 soldiers and 15,000 civilian workers carved a highway through some of North America's most challenging terrain. Stretching nearly 1,400 miles through Canada and Alaska, the Alaska Highway (also known as the Alaska-Canada or Alcan Highway) transformed travel, connected remote communities and created a land route between Alaska and the contiguous United States.

Opening Friday, Nov. 6, at the Anchorage Museum, Grandeur and Grit: The Alaska Highway explores the history and enduring cultural legacy of one of North America's most iconic roads. Through historic photographs, artwork, archival footage, artifacts and personal stories, the exhibition traces the highway's evolution from a military supply route to a symbol of adventure, freedom and possibility.

Construction began in 1942 amid growing concerns about Alaska's vulnerability to attack during World War II. Workers faced extreme temperatures, dense forests, mountains and muskeg, developing ingenious solutions to build a passable route before year's end. Among them were nearly 4,000 Black soldiers serving in segregated U.S. Army regiments whose contributions challenged racial barriers and helped build momentum toward military desegregation in 1948.

A road that transformed the North

While the Alaska Highway is often celebrated as an extraordinary engineering achievement, its history stretches back thousands of years. Long before its construction, Indigenous peoples traveled and traded throughout Alaska and northwestern Canada using extensive networks of waterways and overland routes. Early maps, archaeological material and objects in the exhibition reveal these longstanding connections. The highway's construction brought environmental changes, new settlement patterns and challenges to tribal sovereignty.

When the road opened to civilian traffic in 1948, it ushered in a new era of travel and tourism. Roadhouses, gas stations and roadside attractions became essential stops for travelers navigating the long stretches between communities. Historic photographs, films and objects capture the highway's early years, including Rusty Dow, the first woman to drive the route, and the evolution of roadside landmarks such as Watson Lake's Signpost Forest.

In 2026, artist Spence Guerin traveled the highway, painting landscapes and creating portraits of people he met along the way. Photographer Michael Conti documented the changing roadside landscape, businesses and communities between Dawson Creek, British Columbia and Delta Junction, Alaska. Together, these artists’ works bring historical images into conversation with contemporary artwork. 

More than eight decades after its construction, the Alaska Highway remains an essential transportation corridor and a journey defined by spectacular landscapes, unexpected challenges and the generosity of fellow travelers. Grandeur and Grit: The Alaska Highway invites visitors to discover the people and stories behind the road and consider how it continues to shape life in the North.

Curated in collaboration with historian Ian C. Hartman, director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of Alaska Anchorage, the exhibition runs through Fall 2028.