Pictured above is the old Alaska Highway near Tok, Alaska, 1943.
Tok is known as the “Gateway to Alaska” because when you drive north on the Alaska Highway, it’s the first community you come to.
And when you drive south on the Alaska Highway, as you leave the 49th state, the last Alaskan community you’ll see is Tok.
And by the way, Tok is also known as the “Sled Dog Capital of Alaska.”
Before 1942, Tok Didn’t Exist
The Athabascan tribe has lived around the area for a long time.
But Tok began life as a construction camp for workers who were building the Alaska Highway in the 1940s.
For various reasons, it cost so much to put the camp together that it became known as the “million-dollar camp.”
The Name Game
Tok is pronounced like “joke” or “coke.”
There are a number of stories about where the name Tok came from.
One explanation is that it came from a version of the Athabascan word for “peaceful crossing” or “water.”
Another story claims that during construction of the Alaska Highway, the Army workers in the construction camp adopted a husky pup and named the dog “Tok” after the nearby Tokai River.
Yes, You Can Share this Edition
And when you do, your friends and family will give you a lifetime supply of your favorite dessert… well, it could happen.
How It Became a Community
Those who live in Tok will proudly tell you that Tok isn’t incorporated. It’s not a city, town, or village. And according to the Chamber of Commerce, Tok is a true wilderness community.
However, in 1946, Tok was proclaimed as a “presidential townsite.”
Following completion of the Alaska Highway, in 1946, a post office and a roadhouse were built in Tok. The first school was opened in 1947.
The Miracle Wind
In 1990, a fire caused by lightning jumped two rivers and the Alaska Highway, putting Tok in the path of destruction.
The community was evacuated, and over a thousand firefighters tried but could not stop the intense blaze.
Then, just as the first Tok building in its path was about to be destroyed by the flames, a “miracle wind” (so named by Tok residents) diverted the fire, and Tok was spared.
In 1991, Alaska Governor Walter J. Hickel proclaimed Tok “Mainstreet, Alaska.”
Modern-Day Tok
Photo above by Mark Wilson
Mary and I of Alaska Stories visited Tok every time we drove the Alaska Highway. My first trip was in the 1950s when his parents drove to the lower 48 from Alaska.
On those car trips, Tok was always a welcome place to rest up before getting back on the Alaska Highway.
Have you ever visited Tok?
BONUS
All this talk about the Alaska Canadian Highway (ALCAN) deserves a closer look.
Driving on the highway in the early days was not for the faint of heart. It was no picnic. What follows is a collection of stories from Alaskans who made that journey.
Take a look at these Old Alaska Highway memories and ride along.
Alaska at Anchorage Memories.com
Take a look at these Alaska Pages and enjoy.
Connect with Mike and Mary
Remember those days on the Alaska Highway as you made your way into Tok, Alaska?
What are your memories of Tok?
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Or, you can Contact Us right here.
Until Next Time
Mike and Mary
Alaska Stories
Arrived in Alaska in 1950 at the age of 22 months. Lived outside of Anchorage in Rogers Park. Yes, I know it's Midtown now but in the Fifties it was outside of Anchorage. When Alaska became a state we had to leave because the state took over what my dad was doing--he was with the public health service, a federal agency. So we drove out of Anchorage January 1, 1959. We spent the first night on the road at the Parker House in Tok. In their luxury room, the one with attached bath. Left the morning of January 2 not sure of our destination. Never reached it. About 4:30 in the afternoon at the sharp 90 degree bend to the right at mile 1061 my dad overcorrected going around the bend and the luggage rack on the roof of the car caused the car to overturn off the road. Fortunately the snow cushioned any impact and distance wasn't far. Dad got a fire going. Vehicles stopped. Dad went back to Destruction Bay to arrange to recover the car and contents. Mom, brother and I went on the Haines Junction. January 2 the car was made driveable. January 3 Dad picked us up and we went on to Whitehorse. Spent a week there while the car was made as good as new. And the adventure continued.
In 2014 I returned home after too many years away. Another Tok adventure. Days before Thanksgiving we reached Tok. No headbolt heater as it was called in the Fifties or battery blanket. I'm ashamed to say I was grossly unprepared. 17 below that night and the battery froze. Our dogs didn't appreciate the cold either. Removed the battery, thawed it in the bathtub, got a jump and continued our journey home to Palmer. Had a heated garage life was good.
By 2024 we realized how much we missed the grandkids on the east coast. We reluctantly left Alaska to be closer to them. We ate our last meal in Alaska in Tok. I miss Alaska and will Always consider myself Alaskan.
Thanks for sharing this story. We visited Tom in the summer is 1969 after our first year in Alaska. The next year the band teacher and his family moved there from Bethel for a couple of years.