Stretching 1,422 miles from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Delta Junction, Alaska, the Alaska Highway is more than a road. It is a corridor shaped by centuries of travel, trade, migration, military strategy, tourism, and imagination.

This exhibition explores the many stories of the Alaska Highway, from Indigenous routes and relationships that long predate its construction, to its creation during World War II and its continuing role as a vital connection between Alaska and the rest of North America. Along the way, it examines how the highway has influenced movement, settlement, commerce, and ideas about the North.

Conceived by the U.S. military as a wartime supply route, the Alaska Highway was built in 1942 by approximately 10,000 soldiers and 15,000 civilian workers in less than a year. Crossing mountains, forests, rivers, and permafrost, the project dramatically reshaped landscapes and communities across northwestern Canada and Alaska.

When the highway opened to the public in 1948, it quickly became a symbol of adventure and possibility. Families, workers, military personnel, tourists, and new residents traveled its length, creating stories that continue to define the route today. From roadside lodges and gas stations to wildlife encounters and unexpected detours, the Alaska Highway remains both a practical lifeline and a powerful cultural icon.

Curated in collaboration with historian Ian C. Hartman, historian, and the director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska Anchorage.