Legacy of the Chief

30 October 2010

Legacy of the Chief: Complete Chapter Listing


Contained herein is the complete "Historic Native adventure novel with a twist of the supernatural," now online. Below are the listings as links to all sixty chapters. You may click either the chapter name or the associated image to the right. Please note that I hold a 2001 copyright to the book, ISBN 1-888125-86-1. I purchased the rights to use the images which appear in the book. However, those rights are not transferable and the images are mostly copyrighted with the rights to their use held elsewhere.

-- © Ronald N Simpson, 2001, author, Legacy of the Chief
Ron Simpson's intro: Preface 2001
intro: Rosalene Nicolai: The Story Begins 2003 (newly-added)
Ch 1: Ron Simpson: Echoes 1848-1982
Ch 2: Wesley Dunkle's Wrangell Formation *1956*
Ch 3: W.A. Richelsen: Closing Day at Bonanza 1938

Ch 4: Johnny Gakona: The Russian C'eyigge 1885

Ch 5: Skolai Nicolai: A Warning from Uk' eledi 1898

Ch 6: Skolai Nicolai: Nicolai's Anger 1899

Ch 7: Johnny Gakona: The Deal 1899

Ch 8: Johnny Gakona: Sezel at Taral 1910

Ch 9: Johnny Gakona / Chief Nicolai: Nicolai's Raven Story of Creation 1910

Ch 10: Johnny Gakona: Abercrombie Rapids Landing 1914

Ch 11: Mary Birch: Mary Storms into Alaska 1916

Ch 12: Mary Birch: Mary and Stephen Birch Arrive at Childs Glacier 1916

Ch 13: Johnny Gakona: Ketcheteneh Birch and Johnny Gakona 1916

Ch 14: Johnny Gakona: Johnny Gakona Signs On 1916

Ch 15: Johnny Gakona: Chitina Trestle Crossing 1918

Ch 16: John DeHaviland: DeHaviland Arrives in Chitina 1923

Ch 17: Johnny Gakona: Interview at Chitina 1923

Ch 18: Stephen Birch: Birch Private Train #73 1924

Ch 19: author: Birch Party at McCarthy *1924*

Ch 20: Frank Buckner: *Formal Dinner at the Birch House* 1924

Ch 21: Frank Buckner: *Lunch at Bonanza* *1924*

Ch 22: author: Cap Rescues Johnny at McCarthy 1924

Ch 23: Cap Goodlataw: Cap Tells His Story *1916*

Ch 24: Cap & Johnny: Green Butte Copper 1924

Ch 25: Johnny Gakona: Buckner to Goodlataw 1924

Ch 26: Cap & Johnny: Arrival at Kennecott 1924

Ch 27: Cap, Johnny & Frank: Boxing Match & Layoff 1924
Ch 28: Cap & Johnny: Reassignment to Erie 1924
Ch 29: Frank Buckner: Frank Argues the Point 1924
Ch 30: Cap & Johnny: *The Erie Job 1924*

Ch 31: Author: Departing the Camp 1924

Ch 32: Author: Return to Chitina 1924

Ch 33: Cap & Johnny: Billiard Hall Conversation 1924

Ch 34: Cap & Johnny: Strelna Work Crew Sets Up 1925

Ch 35: author: *Returning Crew Meets Tom 1924*

Ch 36: Cap Goodlataw: Cap's Vision of Nicolai 1925

Ch 37: author: Emil's Paint Shop 1925

Ch 38: Cap & Johnny: The Great Paint Job Begins 1925

Ch 39: Johnny Gakona: *Charlie Arrives 1925*

Ch 40: Johnny Gakona: *The Sla'cheen and the Warning 1925*

Ch 41: Author: Henry Takes the Plunge 1925

Ch 42: Author: The Indians Paint the Mill Gray 1925

Ch 43: Author: Johnny to Frank 1926

Ch 44: Author: Kennecott Goes into Subtle Decline, late 1920s and early 1930s

Ch 45: Author: The Marvelous Assignment 1926


Ch 46: Frank Buckner: Frank's Thanksgiving Letter 1926

Ch 47: Author: Reopening the Mother Lode 1927

Ch 48: Author: The Saghanni Ggaay at Mother Lode 1927

Ch 49: Frank Buckner: *Blast and Avalanche at Mother Lode* *1927*

Ch 50: Author: Avalanche Aftermath 1927

Ch 51: Author: Coded Telegraph Exchange 1927

Ch 52: Author: Frank Buckner Special No. 71 1927

Ch 53: Walter Richelsen: *Last Train In 1938*

Ch 54: Cap Goodlataw: Cap Takes the Plunge 1932

Ch 55: Johnny Gakona: Tom's Indian 1959

Ch 56: Johnny Gakona: Chittyna Indian Village 1938

Ch 57: Johnny Gakona: The Last Train Ride 1938

Ch 58: The Ghosts of Kennecott & the author: *The Ravens at National Creek 1968*

Ch 59: Rosalene Nicolai: Rosalene Comes Home 1982

Chapter 60: The Ghosts of Kennecott: Where It All Began: The Bonanza Dies 1968 The concluding chapter to this historic Native-American adventure novel.

© Ronald N Simpson, 2001, author, Legacy of the Chief

Cast of narrators: shown in the order in which they first appear in this novel:

*Ron Simpson:*	This is the author. Not much can be said about him, except an interesting and relevant family tree. See it here.
Rosalene Nicolai Gadanski: (picture is of Elizabeth Peratrovich--a most-fitting model on which to base Rosalene	Rosalene is the fictional daughter of Johnny Nicolai Gadanski who is himself fictional. She is a composite character based on certain female Native leaders of the 20th Century. I have recently given added importance to her role in this story as the last-remaining modern-day link into the past.
Wesley Dunkle:	He became famous geologist, largely due to his work as one of the original Kennecott consultants, but also in his subsequent work to develop gold mines in the Talkeetna Range. He lived most of his life developing Alaskan resources at a time when Alaska was still mostly wilderness.
W.A. Richelsen:	Walter Richelsen was the chief engineer and also the last superintendent at Kennecott. WA. appears at the beginning and also near the end of this story. Walter passed away in 1962. Well into the 1950s he still worked for Kennecott as its Alaska representative based in Seattle.
Johnny Gakona: (picture is of Johnny Galauska, on whom Johnny Gakona Gadanski is based)	Johnny is a composite (fictional) character half-breed, grandson of Nicolai and a cousin to Cap created by the author to assist in the telling of this story. It turns out he may have had a real historic counterpart as a sla'cheen to Cap Goodlataw, who was a historic character. See the picture at the bottom of this page.
Skolai Nicolai	Chief Nicolai, the Tyone of Taral : Nicolai was the Ahtna chief who made the deal with Lt. Henry Allen and later with the prospectors and possibly even Stephen Birch himself. This book revolves around the spirit of Nicolai although he rarely appears personally in this long narrative.
Mary Birch: (picture is generic of a high-society lady. no image is available of the real Mary Birch)	She was the wife of Stephen. Her loudly-proclaimed negative attitudes toward Alaska may have changed the course of history. It definitely served to change Stephen Birch's attitude toward the original Kennecott investment. She is one of those characters that people love to hate !
John DeHaviland: (picture is generic. JD is wholly fictional)	John is a fictional character working for a fictional San Francisco newspaper who appears as a visiting reporter in Chitina, 1923. He decides to interview Johnny Gakona upon a chance encounter at Chitina and in the process provides some unique insights.
Stephen Birch:	"The Great Man," the man primarily responsible for the development of the Kennecott mine systems in Alaska and the formation of the Kennecott Copper Corporation who lead that entity as president and chairman of the board to see KCC become the major copper producer in the entire world for several decades.
Frank Buckner: (picture is of Frank Buckie on whom fictional character Frank Buckner is based)	Frank was the junior engineer in Kennecott (under a slightly different name in real life) who plays a central role in the drama which is about to unfold.
Cap Goodlataw:	Cap is the true Native hero in this story. He becomes the spirit of Nicolai, taking over where Nicolai left off, trying his best to stem the tide as a world he does not understand overtakes the Native ways of his deceased grandfather Nicolai. He chooses not to accept this change in the way it unfolds even as he attempts to survive within it.
*The Ghosts of Kennecott and of the CRNW Railway* :	The original term "The Ghosts of Kennecott" is the name of a book written by the late Elizabeth Tower. These are the spirits who continue to haunt what once was a magnificent railroad that ran deep into the interior of Alaska and the Ahtna Indian territory.

Kennecott Copper Company's
Braden El Teniente Copper Mine at Sewell, Chile in the 1930s:
Interview with the manager of KCC's largest underground copper mine in the world--Bob Haldeman, who was KCC's representative in Chile during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. This is an excellent window into how Kennecott operated from their inception in 1915 into the 1970s. Link is here or with the pix to the right ---->>>

Link to the
Copper Rail Depot large-scale model railroad, Copper Center, AK:

Ronald N. Simpson / Copper Center, Alaska

29 October 2010

Tourists Visiting Kennecott in the mid-1950s

Imagine what it would have been like to ride the rails between McCarthy & Kennecott. In the mid-1950s tourists were able to do just that !

The operators, who had a base at McCarthy Lodge, used the existing gas-powered train equipment to run their clients up to the ghost town:

NOTE: Click either image for a larger view

This photo appeared in the National Geographic Magazine, "Alaska the Big Land," June, 1956. It read:

"At its peak in 1916, copper mining earned more than gold in Alaska. Much of the ore came to the Kennecott mill by aerial cable way from hill diggings. Here nearly 1000 miners* hauled out carloads of ore 60 to 70 percent pure.

"When the ore ran out in 1938, the Kennecott mill and the neighboring town of McCarthy were abandoned. An Anchorage airline now flies two-day excursions to the area . . . A Model-T converted to rail use transports visitors from McCarthy to the mine over the last remaining segment of a railroad that once ran to Cordova, 200 miles distant. The Dodge car at the left carried President Harding when he toured Alaska just before his death in 1923."

>>More to come on the abandoned site as it appeared in the 1950s<<

*This number is wrong. The highest number of all persons employed at this Kennecott site--the mines and mill-was about 550, of which about half of those were miners. --RS

Comparison Shots, south face of the CRD:

Comparison shots of the south-face of the

Copper Rail Depot

June 2010 and October 2010

The lower shot shows the results of recent construction to expand the building to include a new apartment for the owner. (click either image for a larger version)

This section, when completed will look like this Sketch-Up model:

28 October 2010

First snow to stick (?) at Copper Center, Oct 29th :

Fresh snow fall on the CRD, Oct 29th:

Looking across the Klutina River (south bank)

View of the Klutina River dike looking west:

Looking across the dike toward the CRD. View is toward the NE:

Looking east past Uncle Nic's Store: Two cats are in view here (click image to enlarge this one or any of those above):

26 October 2010

Cliff Creek & Coal Creek RR Lines:

The Cliff Creek & Coal Creek Railroad Lines:

Two rail lines once existed to help supply the Dawson City and Klondike gold fields area with coal. The oldest, Cliff Creek, began developing lignite veins 1 3/4 miles up Cliff Creek in 1898. Coal mining, where a 400 foot tunnel had been run, proceeded ahead of the railroad which was waiting spikes so it could be completed. Instead the first loads of coal bound for Dawson were hauled to the Yukon River with horse-drawn wagons.

A Porter saddletank arrived in August or September of 1899 to service the North American Transportation and Trading Company which also operated its own steamboats and barges for hauling the coal back upriver. It was very similar to the four Porters that would later be brought to Bear Creek, except that this Porter had a straight stack. This NAT&TCo seven-ton locomotive is believed to be the first locomotive to enter into service in the Klondike district.

NAT&TCo also brought in six short wheel base coal wagons and a number of smaller gauge mining cars for underground tramming.

Fortunately for history, at least two pictures still exist which document the existence of the Cliff Creek historic short line--and this railroad was short at 1 3/4 miles, but with a five percent grade.

Obviously this was a very small, but also somewhat appealing operation from a modeling standpoint. (click).
When the coal mine played out, all the equipment was sold to the new Coal Creek mine that was just coming into operation immediately upriver.

UPDATE: The original Cliff Creek engine is back in service !

This is engine no. 1, sold to the North American Transportation & Trading Company after being built in 1899. It went to the adjacent Coal Creek mine in 1903 and was sold to the Tanana Mines Railroad as engine #1 in 1905. TMR became the Tanana Valley Railroad in 1907 where it continued to operate until 1929 when it was retired and put on display at the old Fairbanks railroad depot. It has since been picked up by the Friends of the Tanana Valley Railroad, restored and placed into service at Pioneer Park, formerly Alaskaland, in Fairbanks.

How many people who have seen this engine in Fairbanks would have any idea that this locomotive first made its appearance in this region as a coal hauler on a remote unnamed railroad line across the Canadian border in some forgotten place called Cliff Creek ?

Relationship of historic railroads to the CRD model RR plan:

Pre-Phase III Map:

I had put this one together before I even considered a Phase II or III layout, probably in 2003. The KMR Extension and the AK-Alcan RR intersect at Whitehorse, along with the WP & Yukon. This map assumes that the CRNW Railway would have survived into modern times, connecting into the modern AKRR at Delta.

My 2003 map includes the Cliff Creek and Coal Creek railroad lines, which were historic short-line narrow gauge coal railroads.

Below you see the existing model RR line (ALCANEX Consolidated Railways System) and one possible extension beginning with the "start of the proposed KMR line" on the right. The line continues through the proposed model town sites of Grand Forks, Klondike City and Dawson City and it includes simulations of the Yukon & Klondike Rivers and Bonanza Creek.

The ALCANEX line includes representations of the AK-Alcan Ry line shown above, as well as the Chitina Local Ry. There is also a White Pass extension area betweeen Sleetmute & Sulphur Springs--the historic end point of the Klondike Mines Railway.

Locating the rail Lines of the Klondike District: KMR, Bear Cr, Coal Cr, Cliff Cr

Map of the Rail Lines of the Klondike District

Map showing the two coal mine short lines down the Yukon River from Dawson (click). Room permitting, these will both be included in the final Phase III plan, possibly in the configuration shown below. Click above map for a larger version.

Forty-Mile was the first gold-rush town in the Yukon, preceding the Klondike Gold Rush by several years. Here you see it in one possible version of a narrow gauge model RR line I drew up in 2007. This is the most inclusive version, including the major rivers & waterways associated with these four railway systems, plus the towns of Grand Forks, Klondike City, Dawson City and Forty-Mile. The townsites on the map are bounded by gold lines. The major drawbacks to this layout are the waterway set-up and the huge amount of space required in order to build a credible model historic railway system. This version will probably never be constructed, but it was under consideration at one time here at the CRD.

In 2010 I completed the model railroad as far as the site of the Sulphur Springs wye. I will probably ultimately continue it on as far as Grand Forks. The White Pass extension, shown in red, is in a different configuration than that seen on the map below because it is connected to the existing CRD mainline.

Google-Earth map showing the geographic layout of the Coal Creek-Forty-Mile area and its relationship to Dawson City and Grand Forks. Click this map for a larger version.

25 October 2010

In Pursuit of the Ghost Train of Tsedi-na, Part 5

In Pursuit of the Ghost Train of Tsedi-na, Part 5:

One More Time Around: Franklin Bluffs and Pump Station Six

One of the signs marking a northern pipeline construction camp along what is now known as the Dalton Highway. Prospect is gone, almost without a trace, as are all the other construction-era camps.

I have already written that the advent of the pipeline was a life-changing experience for me and most everyone else who was involved. It was so massive in its scope that it is impossible to image the Alyeska Pipeline construction not changing anyone who was even remotely involved. I can remember at the time that we had the sense that somehow this project would last forever. Funny thing about that. When it was over, it was really over--the economy immediately began going into a tailspin. Suddenly 20,000 people would be out of work and almost all that specialized construction equipment would begin a massive exodus out of the state.
But in the summer of 1976 many of the early problems had been worked out and construction was humming along smoothly and rapidly. Activity was everywhere and we all loved it. Business had not seen anything like this probably even during the various gold rushes which had marked the early days of the territory. It was a time of great optimism for all of us. One could lose a job in one sector and within a day or two pick up another job somewhere else along the pipeline. For me it took a little longer because I did not understand the system, but after a few months of being out of work I was dispatched as a sewage treatment plant operator to Franklin Bluffs.
Of all the construction camps along the line, I was sent back to one I knew quite well. Things were different by then. Local management had nearly completely changed over, and I was now entering the scene in a different capacity.

Franklin Bluffs in the summer with the airstrip in the background: click for larger image.

I made a lot of money as a treatment plant operator and had a good time with the experience in the process. I stayed there for quite some time and was in the camp when July 4, 1976 rolled around--the 200th anniversary of the birth of our nation. We had quite a celebration in camp. It was probably much like the events I have seen photographed of 4th of July celebrations in the gold rush days when everyone participated. It was great to be a part of it all--something which has become a very historic event as time has moved along.

A typical two-man room in one of the construction camps. Mine was similar to this one. Click for larger image.

After spending several months at that camp I had enough. I had made it to head operator and enjoyed my position, but winter was approaching and I did not relish the thought of going through another winter that far north. I trained another operator for my position and notified my employer that I was terminating. But this was not quite the end of my time in the camps. In a short time I was back in the union hall seeking another dispatch. Funny how life has a way of repeating itself. This time I was dispatched back to Pump Station Six.

Pump Station 6 as it nears completion. Click for larger image.

When I returned to P.S. 6 the remaining Irish national (not American citizens) laborers who had been there when I was forced out quit departed. It was a different company in charge and this time things worked out very well. My last few months working on the line would be good ones. I would leave the project with some very positive experiences that would go with me for life. I stayed for the first part of the winter before leaving the construction scene for good. Were I given the opportunity to do it again as a young man, I certainly would. Now I was heading back to Fairbanks where I would start a new life as a small businessman. Eventually that would lead me back to the Copper Valley where I would find my connections to an old mine and its railroad that somehow I always knew had to exist. I just had no idea how closely I was really associated with something that had occurred generations before. It would still take many years to get there, but it is really true that it was the pipeline that made it possible--in more ways than one.
Even to this day the pipeline plays a major role in my ever-evolving project which has now become the farthest north garden railroad in North America.

22 October 2010

In Pursuit of the Ghost Train of Tsedi-na, Part 4

In Pursuit of the Ghost Train of Tsedi-na, Part 4:

I Return to the Pipeline: late 1975

At some point in early fall of 1975 I obtained my union dispatch (Operators 302) to Pump Station 6 on the Yukon River as a waste water treatment plant operator. We were going into winter, one that would prove to be a near-record-breaker for cold temperatures. Meanwhile, pipeline and pump station construction was humming along close to the original schedule set by Alyeska.

All of the pump stations were under the prime contractor Fluor. It was said that their camps had better food and better hours. As it turned out, that was true. The camps were smaller and life was not quite so hectic because the pipeliners who were the source of much of the discord along the project were mostly in the pipeline construction camps, such as Franklin Bluffs or nearby Five Mile Camp.

Pump Station 6 during construction, view looking north: (click for larger image)

PS. 6 was built along a hillside. The temporary barracks where I stayed are in the foreground. Like most pump stations, these were two-story units whereas the construction camps were all single-story. Pump stations grounds were very compact. There was not much room to spread out. In the distance you can see part of the Yukon River. P.S. 6 is located on a narrow stretch of river between Stevens Village and Ft. Yukon to the east and Rampart and then Tanana to the west.

The official pipeline map shows only the pump stations. Pump stations two, six, seven, eight, ten, eleven and twelve are either abandoned or are about to be . Pump stations one, three, four, five and nine are being updated with modern equipment, including new pumps and turbines. P.S. One is the first one, located right at Prudhoe Bay. Five is just north of the Yukon River and P.S. Nine, the last one, is near Delta Junction north of the Alaska Range. No stations are currently operating south of this point and probably never will be for the remaining life of this system.

I was only at this camp a short time before I ran into a conflict with a group of Irish nationals who had literally taken over a part of the camp--the union laborers. They were all Irish Republican Army (IRA) at a time when that terrorist outfit was very active in both Northern Ireland and England itself. They were extremely thrifty and sent most of their wages off to Ireland, more often than not to support the IRA cause.
At the time I did not realize this group also had a strong political presence within the Alaska local labor union. Some of these men worked in the same plant as I did. I made the mistake of expressing my displeasure that there were so many Irish nationals and hardly any Natives on jobs where Natives could be working. I doubt if it was to more than one or two people, and there was no argument. But, the next thing I knew, I was forced off the job and sent packing back to Fairbanks.
This was an experience that always stayed with me. Twenty-five years later I wrote my historic novel where I had a chance to get even in a literary sense with these Irish men. The thing about that experience that stung me the most was that this happened right in the very heart of Yukon River country--Athabascan territory. We were within sight of that very river, which to me was like being on sacred ground. I was told that my position would be eliminated and that I would get a reduction-in-force and that was that. I was gone.
I must say, though, that there was another lesson to be learned from my experience there, particularly for us Natives. It was this: the Irish had survived just as the Jewish people had by sticking together no matter what. In the most unlikely of places they popped up and exerted their political force in a way most people would not believe. It was wrong of us Americans to tolerate that, but then, the existence of these Irish nationals (they were most definitely not American citizens) went on almost totally unnoticed--and their close connections with the IRA were not generally understood, but I was told outright what I had encountered so I knew.
I should point out that none of this, whether it involves Texans or Irishmen or any other group is anything more than a discussion of how territorial this project had become. People were divided into groups not based on race so much as country or state of origin or by union association. There was, for example no real issue among Alaskans as far as Native versus non-Native, but there certainly was when it came to Teamster versus Pipeliner or union versus management. It is really too bad. Alaska went into the pipeline construction project at the end of an extended economic slump that only the pipeline would alleviate. Many Alaskans were either out of work or were working very poorly-paying jobs considering the cost of living in Alaska. But the pipeline construction brought with it a flood of outside labor that wholly overwhelmed our home-grown workforce. Of course, we had very few who could perform the specialized task of pipefitter, but there was never any shortage of laborers or qualified teamsters or operating engineers. On top of all that, a great deal of tension developed between the pipeliners and everyone else which did nothing to help a very tense situation. It was all territorial and it is not something that those of us who lived it will ever forget.
In any case, that experience had its impact. I would re-create characters much like those Irish laborers and use similar characters along with that highly negative in my novel. This occurred during the period of the CRNW railroad construction as it approached Chitina in 1910. All of the events I used were historic, even down to the nationality of the laborers who were Irish, but this time I could write a more satisfactory ending. Maybe that was just meant to be. It all fit with the historic record. But at the time I was unceremoniously removed from camp, believe me, it was not a pleasant experience.

21 October 2010

Tourism at the CRD

I have had the pleasure of doing "shows" for tourists in the past related to my historic model railroad layout and the many framed historic photos on display inside the CRD. Regrettably, in the last two years, I have seen no buses such as the one below. But I am working on a new plan . . .

20 October 2010

In Pursuit of the Ghost Train of Tsedi-na, Pt 3

The Influence of Lone Janson's "Copper Spike," 1976


First Edition of The Copper Spike		Lone Janson, c. 1998

I have often wondered whatever happened to that first edition copy of The Copper Spike that I picked up in the Book Cache bookstore in Fairbanks in 1976. That book had a profound effect on my life, yet years later I was unable to find it. By the time I started looking for it again, nearly twenty years after I purchased that first copy, the book was long out of print and very expensive. It took many months of searching before I was able to find another copy. I believe I found one in Powell's Bookstore in downtown Portland for a price of about fifty dollars. At the time I picked up that first one I was thoroughly intrigued by both the many dramatic images and a well-written story line about a history I had never even seen a reference to until that time.

The back cover read:
"In 1975 the trans-Alaska pipeline is the headline story, the focus of attention in Alaska. But way back in 1905 to 1911 there was another construction job that was comparable in magnitude and interest. The building of a railroad up the Copper River, from tidewater to the rich copper mines at Kennicott was an epic event that pitted gang against gang in pitched battles over rights-of-way. There were Herculean struggles to overcome natural obstacles, including the building of a bridge where experts said none could be built . . . "

What a story. The combination of the construction of that railroad and the concurrent development of an enormous underground copper mine well before the railroad even reached that mine site made it the second largest privately-financed construction project of the time in the Territory of Alaska. This was only eclipsed by the Alyeska pipeline project itself, which became the largest project of its type in the world--with similarly near-impossible obstacles to overcome in a remote and hostile arctic environment.
I had already been there in an arctic camp and had quite an appreciation for what those early engineers, surveyors and the rail line builders must have endured to accomplish such a feat, but under much worse conditions without access to modern earth-moving equipment.


Laying the 48-inch pipe in 1975-76		Five-Mile camp near Pump Station 6, Yukon River

The story told of a long battle, primarily between the federal government, which sought to prevent the Guggenheims, prime owner of the copper resources, from gaining access to vast coal reserves. This was done by closing off the coal lands and then declaring them part of a national forest. To this day that area with all its reserves has never been developed. Yet the building of competing railroads in order to access interior Alaska and the copper and gold fields was marked by intense, if somewhat brief, violent episodes, including a shoot-out in Keystone Canyon, which is one of the roughest parts of the Alyeska Pipeline route. In the end, the Guggeheims--and J.P. Morgan, whose money backed the railroad construction--prevailed mainly out of very good planning, some incredible luck and vast funds backing what appeared at the time to be a near-impossible task.

The Million-Dollar Bridge, 1570 feet long as it appeared after span number four fell in following the 1964 earthquake: This was the scene of some of the most dramatic moments during the construction of the railroad. This bridge was almost lost when the river ice started moving during the erection of the third span--the one over the main channel (450 feet). This bridge was built between two facing glaciers. Shortly after the bridge was successfully installed, one of those glaciers began advancing on this bridge. Had it continued, that would have marked the permanent end of the railroad before it even had a chance to begin service. Click for larger photo.

Lone Janson largely limited her book to the story behind the construction, but that account opened the door to many questions about the railroad, about Kennecott, about what happened after it was all over. For me it was all new. I had never even heard of this railroad, had never seen nor knew of a rotary snow plow nor of much else associated with railroads of the time. Nor did I have any appreciation of the role of Big Business in Alaska and specifically that of the Guggenheim family and their corporate heir, the Kennecott Copper Company which became a world-wide conglomerate because of that initial success in Alaska.

Above: One of four massive CRNW rotaries at the port of Cordova (click). Below: A final consist in Chitina, CRNW mile 131, following the closing and final abandonment of the railroad in November of 1938.

There was something compelling about looking at those engines with all that steam coming out.. Seeing those old images awakened something deep inside of me that I had no idea existed. This was not a feeling I had before experienced, even though at one time I had owned a small steam model railroad as a boy-- two decades before I read that book.

Then there were the images of the mine itself. The image below practically jumped out at me. When I turned to this photo of the Bonanza mine at Kennecott, probably taken about 1917, I immediately had the feeling that I knew this scene, that it was somehow a part of my life.

However I was occupied with pipeline construction-related activities. Events were moving fast. I had little time to contemplate my own deeply personal reactions to this book. Soon all of that would be buried--just as my early dreams of those deserted red-painted buildings along the hill with the rocky rubble in front were forgotten--for now. (Image can be enlarged).

It was time for me to find work back on the pipeline. I was trained to be an operator and I wanted to become one. It would take longer than I thought, but by early winter I would be on my way back north in my new role as a young union hand, ready to become part of the greatest construction project ever to hit Alaska.

A CRNW passenger consist at the Million Dollar Bridge, CRNW mile 49

19 October 2010

"Legacy of the Chief," "Preface" and Chapter One, "Echoes"

Some of the chapters for my historic novel are on line. Here is an introduction to the book.

Preface from "Legacy of the Chief"

Chapter One, from "Legacy of the Chief:" "Echoes"

Valdez Pipeyard RR, Pt 4: Locating the old yard:

The Valdez RR Yard:

Above: A typical Below: Location of the Valdez RR where it crosses the main highway at Valdez:

Below: Valdez RR main lines superimposed on aerial photo. Click either image for a larger view

Valdez Pipeyard RR, Pt 3--the locomotives

The AKRR roster of 45-tonners imported to Alaska for use in the pipe storage yard at Valdez:

7249	GE	45-ton	1942	15713	ex-US Army 7249; nee Cornhusker Ordnance plant (Ovina, NE)	1974	1983	to CCPR 007, 1983; to MWRL 4501; to Oregon Pacific 4501, 1997 (used in Valdez during pipeline boom)
7324	GE	45-ton	1942	15244	ex-US Army 7324	1974	1983	to Museum of Alaska Transportation & Industry (used in Valdez during pipeline boom)
7331	GE	45-ton	1941	12985	ex-US Army 7331	1974	1983	to CCPR to Kerr-McGee Chemical
7356	GE	45-ton	1941	13139	ex-US Army 7356	1974	1983	to CCPR to Rabanco

From theAKRR roster

(click either image for larger one)

The site where I ordered the 45-tonner says that these units were first produced in the late-1950s. If so, they closely followed the 1941-42 45-ton units employed by the AKRR at Valdez:

First produced in the late 1950s, General Electric's 45-Tonners were primarily used in short line and industrial applications, designed to complement or replace their steam-powered counterparts at the end of the steam era. GE 45 Ton Side-Rod Diesels are still being produced and are in use worldwide in several gauges. First produced in the late 1950s, General Electric's 45-Tonners were primarily used in short line and industrial applications, designed to complement or replace their steam-powered counterparts at the end of the steam era. GE 45 Ton Side-Rod Diesels are still being produced and are in use worldwide in several gauges. First produced in the late 1950s, General Electric's 45-Tonners were primarily used in short line and industrial applications, designed to complement or replace their steam-powered counterparts at the end of the steam era. GE 45 Ton Side-Rod Diesels are still being produced and are in use worldwide in several gauges.

Valdez Pipeyard RR, Pt 2

"One thing that seems to get missed is that the ARR put the track and barge slip at Valdez in service in 1965. It was put in at the location of "old"Valdez, after the 1964 earthquake. It's purpose was to make it easier to bring building materials in, for use in building the "new" Valdez. The slip there was served by the Puget Sound - Alaska Van Lines (Hydro-Trains) barges, from Seattle. PSAVL had seven barges in 1966.(remember it was only in 1963 that the ARR started interchange via Whittier).

"The ARR assigned a small Whiting trackmobile there as a car mover. After the reconstruction of Valdez was done, it was served "as needed". When pipeline construction was started, they used the existing barge slip, and extended the tracks. Valdez was the large storage yard for the pipe, Pipe was also stored at Prudhoe Bay, and Fairbanks. Remember that the pipe for the pipeline had been purchased before final approval of the pipeline, it was stored for a few years before construction started. When construction started, it was moved. The pipe going north on the ARR was loaded on flatcars at Valdez, put on a railbarge, sent to Whittier, and then up the ARR.

"Pipe was in 40' lengths, most pre welded into 80' sections. Welding was done at Valdez. There were also some 60' sections(? not many ?); and some special bends, etc.

"The pipe was loaded on 52' or 60' flatcars, 6 to a car;( 3 high, 2 across). Idler flatcars (50' or longer) were placed between the loads, and at the ends of the loads.

--Don Marenzi, Alaska Railroad historian

Additional note from Russ Blood [6/26/06]:

"I've found some info on the two engines that were here . Right now the best guess when they arrived is late 1974 or early 1975. No pictures as of yet. However, in going through old boxes we came across some material that identified them as G.E. Locomotive, Diesel Electric 45 Ton Reg. No. 7249 Ser. No.15713 and Reg No. 7324 Ser. No. 15244 (see image below--RS), and shipped from Defense Depot Ogden,Utah, Julian date of 4330. I've also found a few more photos to send. Our photos only seem to go to early '70s, I guess this is because my father and his partners sold to a larger company about June 1974.

"I'm still going through old paper and found some more interesting items - stack of account billing records that are fairly complete spanning time frame of 8/15/66 to 12/23/68. These are from Slim Blood and Sons [my father's company] to The Alaska Railroad. They show date, trip number [starts at 46-N to 126-N] Consignee, Car No., also van numbers W.B. n.o. and dollar amounts. I don't have an accurate total of cars handled but seems to be approximately 250 or so. This may also include some loaded southbound.

"Here's a somewhat random listing of car numbers. It is interesting to note some of the railroads and types of
equipment represented:

GATX 54402
UTLX 51297
TCX 3206
ARR 415
ARR 10817
NP 97804
GN 37503
SP 330016
MILW 66423
PRR 612395
ARCX 2021
AT 66705
UP 112663
ATSF 75924
CNW 39071
SOO 5823
C&O 80565"