World-War-Ⅱ-era telephone line still in use in Upper Tanana Valley Alaska (2021)
a day ago
- #WWII History
- #Alaska Infrastructure
- #Telecommunications
- The Alaska Military Telephone Line (AMTL) was built during WWII to connect Edmonton, Alberta, to Fairbanks, Alaska.
- Due to wartime demands, private contractors constructed much of the line, as Signal Corps personnel were unavailable.
- Construction faced severe challenges including frozen ground, supply shortages, and design changes like using copper-clad steel wire.
- Signal Corps troops were eventually brought in to ensure timely completion, finishing the line in October 1943.
- Sections of the WWII-era line remain visible and in use for local telephone service in the Upper Tanana Valley.