When coming into Tetlin Junction from Tok, travelers would have to cross the Tanana River on the original, 1943 cantilever truss bridge. During the winter, the bridge would blend into the snowy surroundings quite easily due to its white hue.
For better or for worse, Tetlin Bridge was replaced in the mid-2010s by a newer one located 200 feet north.
Around 2 miles from the bridge and where State Routes 2 and 5 (Alaska and Taylor Highways) meet, you can see what's left of the quaint Forty Mile Roadhouse. In its heyday, the lodge had 10 heated log cabins, a cafe, a Chevron station, and modern bathrooms. In addition to this, they offered a "complete garage service" consisting of warm storage for up to 25 cars, a 24-hour a day wrecker service, tires, accessories, and most importantly, vehicle repairs.
Forty Mile's cafe served homemade meals ("short orders and full meals"), sold souvenirs, postcards (see below), and local Indian handicrafts from the nearby Tetlin reservation. For "trailerites" and campers, groceries were also available. According to explorenorth.com, the roadhouse did not serve liquor in 1956, a rarity.
Recently, I asked a bunch of Alaska Highway travelers if they remembered Forty Mile. Dennis Rollins told me about the food: "Yes, I had great great pie back in the 60s."
I then asked him what it was like inside. He replied, "It was similar to most of the old roadhouses at that time. Best I can remember. Walls were covered with old items from the past. I remember being in there a couple times. It was a long time ago! "
After this, we spoke about how historic roadhouses like Forty Mile are shutting down and the history behind them is almost disappearing too. I said, "It's sad that a ton of these places are shutting down or have been for a while."
Dennis replied, "Yep, you're correct. Recently, Eureka Lodge changed hands and the new owners
have completely changed the atmosphere of the place. I understand it's
there place now but, sad to see such a change. At least it is still
open."
Then, I told him, "A similar
fate happened to Mackintosh Inn. It was repainted from its original
wood to blue and rebranded the Bear Creek Inn. Sadly today, it's been
taken over by a logging company. Luckily, the structures are still
preserved, though."
Another person who frequented the lodge, Mickey Edwards, said, "I stopped by there many times. Great food, great people, truck stop, and bunkhouse for drivers."
Kay Lawson, a regular to Forty Mile's cafe, looked back, "It
was my prime stop for coffee driving back from Whitehorse. That was
back before the highway got straightened, so the trip took longer.
Their coffee pot was always on. It was a nice place to stop."
Forty Mile also served as an information/guide center for travelers heading up Taylor Highway. The roadhouse also had a long distance telephone, as advertised in the 1952 and 1954 editions of the Milepost.
The main building also had "a comfortable lounge, complete with a cheery fireplace". For lodging, Forty Mile had 10 log cabins, all equipped with oil heaters. Next to the cafe, you can see the bathhouse (see above) to the right of it. The bathhouse's sign says 'Restrooms', but it's pretty hard to see in the image. It had modern plumbing, shower baths, and were conveniently located next to the cabins.
Daryl Brinkman, a local hunter while the lodge was still open, described the lodge to me: "When
you walk in the door, there was a counter where you could sit and have a
bite to eat, or you could sit at a table. Off to your right was a fire
place and couch and easy chairs, a den of sorts."
He continued: "Then
back outside to your right there was another building for the bath
house and restrooms separate from the lodge. It was a truck stop back in
the day, with a shop big enough to pull your semi truck into. After a
day of hunting on the Taylor highway it was a welcoming site and good
food!"
Furthermore, there was an Alaska Tours bus stop and a Siberian Huskies kennel. The 1958 rates are below...
Single: $3.00
Double: $6.00-$7.00
One of these postcards (see above) showed the tiny village of Tetlin Junction in all its beauty. The sign atop the cafe (big building, middle) says 'Forty Mile Roadhouse'. The tiny cabins off to the left would be the Chevron station. Next to it, there are several moose antlers on poles (see in greater detail below). Unfortunately, the words on the barn (in the background) cannot be made out, but they say 'Garage Batteries Tires'. Also note the bathhouse next to the cafe.
Above, in greater detail, you can see the moose antler poles again. Behind it, you can see the Chevron Dealer and Forty Mile Roadhouse signs, and the old-fashioned gas pumps.
See below: Chevron pumps, the welcome sign, cafe, and garage (in way back).
See below: A closer view of the Chevron cabin grouping and the welcome sign.
A local, Rick Stickle, told me about the roadhouse in its heyday: "Very popular truck stop, great food and very rustic, all alaskan."
He also recalled who owned it: "Ray and Mabel Scobie owned it when I was a kid. Late mid 60s.". I then asked him if he visited Forty Mile before it closed in the 80s. Rick replied, "Yes. My parents were friends with their daughter, Joann Henry."
Alice Renfro, another person who I spoke to, did not remember her visits to Forty Mile as a young child. She did remember that she stayed at the lodge from 1961 to 1972 and traveled every as 3 kids (with her two siblings). Alice and her siblings would travel from Alaska to Montana and once to Arkansas! After, I asked her if she took a plane or drove the whole way.
She replied, "We
drove!! It was an adventure. In 1972, I told all the in laws I know the
road goes both way now. It’s your turn!! NO one ever showed up! My dad, us four kids, our 3 were all born in Fairbanks in the same hospital!! I love the drive still. We are snowbirds now!! 83 years old! AND I swear some pot holes are still there!!"
I, personally thought that story was crazy! Anytime past a few hours in the car, I would probably get carsick. Story time! A while back, my family had some left over money for a vacation right
after Christmas. I suggested Alaska. My dad wanted Florida. My mom
wanted Cancun...a triple conundrum! My dad said, 'I want to go where it's
warm!'. I said go when it's summertime. We didn't get a ton of snow in
southern Massachusetts over the past few years during December and I said, 'Why don't we go
somewhere with a ton of snow?' Fun times!
Sandy Wood, a local, told me about her father's friendship with Forty Mile's owners, Ray and Mabel Scobie: "My
dad was friends with Scobies. They used to have a big bear trap on the
wall. My dad set it bare handed. That was something they shared when I
was a kid."
Mark and Deb Jusczak shared another interesting tidbit: "Two of their unique booze bottles were purchased by David Smallwood and have been donated to Two Rivers Lodge outside of Fairbanks."
The two antique bottles in question were for seltzer and whisky (see below!). Thank you to Deb Baker and David Smallwood for the image!
David Smallwood also told me about his dad: "My dad was good friends with them. He was an Alcan Trucker for Consolidated Freight Ways." He stayed at the lodge in 1964.
Another trucker, Tim Ward, also told me about Forty Mile back in the day: "It was a truck stop that I would stop at for food or park for the night and sleep in my truck.". He also spoke about his travels: "I
hauled freight from Haines, Ak to Anchorage, Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay
from 1974 to 1998. Most all the old road houses are gone now!"
On the site advrider.com's forum, the user Alcan Rider remembers Forty Mile: "Have recollections of stopping in there for food and/or vittles a time or
two back in the day. Forty - fifty years ago, Tetlin Jct marked the
beginning of roller coaster pavement southbound for the next 60 or so
miles. If you could maintain 65 mph through that stretch you had a well
set-up vehicle. Some Outside truck drivers - most notably Hill &
Hill (known as hill & ditch to Alaskan truckers) - had frequent
problems staying on the asphalt when they hit that area."
Right after, Alcan Rider noted the uncertain futures of Alaskan roadhouses: "It's a shame that so many of the old roadhouses are disappearing. A lot
of Alaskan history lost to present and future generations."
A well renowned traveler, Murray Lundberg of explorenorth.com,
told me his experience when he visited on the highway's 50th
anniversary in 1992. I asked him if he visited the roadhouse before it
closed. He then replied, "Well sort of - I was in then they re-opened
for the 50th anniversary of the highway in 1992. It was in pretty rough
condition by then yet had great character. I was hoping it would stay
open, but I expect it was too far gone. I of course wish I had taken a
photo or two while I was inside getting lunch."
See two of Murray's images above. Thanks for letting me borrow them! See below: An advertisement for the Forty Mile Roadhouse.
While working at Port Alcan for the US Customs Service, Chuck Thompson stopped by at Tetlin occasionally and at Forty Mile only one time. Sidenote: Tetlin Junction was named after Tetlin since it was (and is) the closest town to the junction. He told me, "My
first job out of the Air Force in '76 was with the US Customs Service
at Port Alcan. We did rotations to Tok, Poker Creek, and Northway
(Airport) so I drove by, and often stopped at, Tetlin."
After this, I asked him whether he stayed in the cabins at Forty Mile. Here is his experience: "I did, but only once. I was driving back to the border from Boundary and the road was closed from heavy snow, so I stayed there one night. It was small and you had to walk to the lodge for anything involving water but the oil-fired stove kept that cabin toasty."
He continued: "Then
back outside to your right there was another building for the bath
house and restrooms separate from the lodge. It was a truck stop back in
the day, with a shop big enough to pull your semi truck into. After a
day of hunting on the Taylor highway it was a welcoming site and good
food!"
Today, Deanne Maxwell (Watford) owns the original cabins. According to Donna Northway, "...those small cabins are located at a small business in Tok, just for show, I am thinking not in use.". She also described Forty Mile and told me about the squirrel cage: "...it was a place for all the truckers coming and going, a friendly place to stop. It was a very nice place clean. Even the grounds were kept nice; the ole squirrel cage now sits at the Mukluk Land." Mukluk Land is 3 miles from Tok Junction (center of Tok) and is just off State Route 2, the Alaska Highway.
See above: A recent image of the rescued cabins. Thank you to Jim Caviezel for the image.
See below (from left to right): Two cabins with the bathhouse in the background; Forty Mile Roadhouse's entrance sign and the Chevron station. Also note the 'No Mans Land' sign next to the entrance. See the newspaper clipping with the same sign a few paragraphs prior. I owe a big thanks to Austin Davidson for his great photos and videos of the lodge!
Among the aforementioned group of Alaska Highway travelers, Dee Felix Letterman was one of them who recognized the roadhouse. I asked her if she had any stories of Forty Mile, but recommended I message her mother instead since she was a young child at the time.
Her mother, Daisy Northway describes the lodge in great detail:
"My
mother worked for the Scobies for about 18 to 20 years. We spent our
summers there. When I left school, I also worked there for them until I
was 21. I stayed in one of cabins in the back of the restaurant. My
mother had a slightly bigger cabin with cooking facilities. It was a
popular truck stop with home cooked meals and Mable’s famous pies.
The
kitchen was reasonably big, with a cellar where all canned food items
were shelved, he grew his own potatoes, those were kept in the root
cellar. I don't remember how many it sat, it used to be packed, especially
during holidays as the holiday dinner was cooked and was served family
style, truckers and others were welcome.
The
cabins were lil' cabins, equipped with a bed, night Stand and an oil
burner for winter time use or used on a chilly day. Over the years they
were stolen or sold. They are no longer there. The garage, to my
youthful observation was just an ordinary garage, it was big enough to
hold an 18 wheeler when necessary. The back corner held the owners carpenter workshop, he eventually built a work shop out behind the
garage."
She also mentioned that she stills remains in contact with the Scobies' son and all of their grandchildren. Today, she still babysits some of them.
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I'd like to thank the following people who made this possible:
Daisy Northway
Donna Northway
Dee Felix Letterman
Jim Caviezel
Chuck Thompson
Murray Lundberg - explorenorth.com
Tim Ward
David Smallwood
Deb Baker
"Alcan Rider"
Sandy Wood
Mark and Deb Jusczak
Alice Renfro
Rick Stickle
Mickey Edwards
Kay Lawson
Daryl Brinkman
Dennis Rollins
Helen Wolfe
Mark Yashinsky (Tetlin Bridge image)
Thomas Lemire (inspiration)
Written by Jerry Zervas
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Happy Thanksgiving!
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