Isabel Pass is an approximately 30 mile long gap in the eastern section of the Alaska Range which serves as a corridor for the Richardson Highway about 11 miles from Paxson.[1] It is named after E. T. Barnette's wife. [2] The pass separates four regions, the Tanana Valley to the north, the Delta Mountains to the east, Copper River Basin to the south, and Hayes Range to the west.
| Isabel Pass | |
|---|---|
 Gulkana Glacier seen from Isabel Pass | |
| Elevation | 3,242 ft (988 m) |
| Traversed by | Richardson Highway |
| Location | Copper River Census Area, Alaska, U.S. |
| Range | Alaska Range |
| Coordinates | 63°11′15″N 145°33′29″W / 63.18750°N 145.55806°W[1] |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Hayes A-4 NE |
It is one of three highway passes of the Alaska Range, the others being Broad Pass for the George Parks Highway and Mentasta Pass for the Tok Cut-Off.
History edit
Various Dena groups have inhabited the surrounding areas for thousands of years. Indigenous place names describing land features formed by ice that no longer exist suggest that they have been living in the area since at least the last ice age.[3]
In 1902, gold was discovered in Fairbanks, which drew attention away from the Klondike Gold Rush. This resulted in the establishment of the Valdez-Fairbanks Trail, an offshoot of the earlier Valdez-Eagle Trail. The early trail followed the Valdez-Eagle Trail, then split at the Gakona River, then crossed Isabel Pass and the Tanana Valley.[4] Under the supervision of Wilds P. Richardson, an all-season wagon road was completed in 1910 from Valdez to Fairbanks.[4][5] The first recorded automobile to go through the pass was in 1913 driven by Bobby Sheldon and three passengers.[6]
The pass came under the soil and water conservation of the Salcha-Big Delta Soil and Water Sub-District in 1950, known today as the Salcha-Delta Soil and Water Conservation District.[7] The Northern Warfare Training Center was established at Black Rapids in 1956, near the middle of the Isabel Pass.
In the late 1970s, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was built through the pass.
References edit
- ^ a b "Isabel Pass". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b Cole, Terrence. Crooked Past: The History of a Frontier Mining Camp: Fairbanks, Alaska. Fairbanks. University of Alaska Press, 1984. Reprinted 1991.
- ^ Kari, James (2019). "The Resilience of Dene Generative Geography, Considering" the Nen'Yese'Ensemble."". Alaska Journal of Anthropology. 17 (1). Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b Bonnell, Ray. "Valdez-Fairbank Trail, a lifeline for early Interior Alaskans". Sketches of Alaska. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ Bundy, Hallock (1910). The Valdez-Fairbanks trail : the story of a great highway : the Tanana Valley - Valdez, the gateway to an empire : a guide for the Alaska traveler. Seattle: Alaska Pub. Co. p. 13-14. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ Historic Roads of Alaska: Driving the History of the Last Frontier (PDF). : Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Office of History and Archaeology and Interpretation and Education, Alaska State Parks. 2017. p. 8. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ "About- Salcha-Delta Soil and Water Conservation District". Salcha-Delta Soil and Water Conservation District. Retrieved 27 April 2024.