Mt. McKinley Lodge, No 2, PHA

This event features former Governor Bill Walker as the guest speaker. We will give a special tribute to the Buffalo soldiers.On May 1, 2017, former Governor Bill Walker signed Senate Bill 46 into law, establishing October 25 as "African American Soldiers’ Contribution to Building the Alaska Highway Day.”Senate Bill 46 was introduced to commemorate the black soldiers with the Army Corps of Engineers who, in 1942, came up to build the Alaska half of the Alaska Highway, which is also considered one of the most significant and most challenging construction projects completed by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.The bill was introduced to the legislature by Senator Wilson, a Wasilla Republican, and pushed through the House by Representative Geran Tarr, an Anchorage Democrat. Jean Pollard is a former teacher and one of the main organizers of the Alaska Highway Project, whose primary goal was to educate people about the historical significance of the Highway.The road stretches 1,422 miles from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Delta Junction, Alaska, and cost about $138 million back when it was completed in 1942. The highway was also completed ahead of schedule, despite challenging conditions and equipment problems, with much of the work having been done by African American soldiers decades earlier. On October 25, 1942, the 97th Engineer Regiment heading south met the white troops from the 18th Engineer Regiment heading north, and completed the road’s last link, according to the Alaska Legislature.