Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.05.1992, Blaðsíða 8

Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.05.1992, Blaðsíða 8
8 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 1. maí 1992 Anniversary rekindles ‘bit of the dream’ for highway trailblazer by Carolyn Casey In 1942, Fred Goodman wasa 21-year-oldprínterin Blaine when the U.S. govemment draftedhim into World Warll. Although he envisioned fighting theenemyin EuropeorthePacific, his firstassignmentwas tohelpbuild the road that would open the door to Alaska. Until World Warll, no directland route linked thelower United States to the Yukon orAlaska. But the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harborand later Dutch Harbor turned Alaska into an essential military outpost. This summer the 71-year-old Bellingham man will dríve back to Dawson Creek, B.C., Mile 0 ofthe Alaska Highway, to join the celebration of the road’s 50th anniversaiy. Fred Goodman’s response is as mat- ter-of-fact as any you might expect from the rugged individualists who helped pio- neer Alaska’s last frontier: “It was just another adventure and I was just a young punk having fun.” Never mind the temperatures that plunged to 60 below while the Whatcom County man and others on his Army crew helped blaze the path of the Alaska Highway. Nevermindthemuddyground that nearly swallowed the road-building equipment. Or the never-ending stands of scrubby trees that blocked the way. Forget that the 21 -year-old printer had to leave his future bride behind when he was drafted into World War II and as- signed to work on the highway for the war effort. For Goodman, forging life- long friendships with his Army buddies in the exhilarating heart of the wilderness outweighed any of the hardships. The Alaska Highway began as a mili- tary supply road, but opened the way for the territory’s development. This year, months of cclebration will mark its 50th anniversary. And Goodman plans to be there. Back in 1943, hé had no idea how crucial the road would be for both set- tlingAlaskaandshippingprovisionsdur- ing World War II to Russian troops de- fending the Siberian Front. Goodman hadbeentrainingin Massachusetts, when his Army division was sent west to Dawson Creek, B.C. The men spent more than a week crossing the country. When the train arrived that February, Goodman was greeted by snow on the ground and a bone-chilling temperature of 10 degrees below zero. Later, that seemed balmy as the ice-box conditions turned even more frigid. “We spent a lot of time cutting wood just to keep ourselves warm,” he said. Although the brutal climate was daunt- ing, Goodman said the men preferred working on the road in the winter be- cause it became an impassable mire dur- ing thaws. Their axes, picks and shovels cleared the way forbulldozers and trucks. Before the massive effort, the idea of pushing through an overland route to Alasa was an impossible dream for more than four decades. Proposals included building a railroad (with a bridge or tun- nel crossing the Bering Strait) to link Canada, Alaska and Russia. But there wasn’t enough support. Although Congress authorized Presi- dent Franklin Roosevelt to form a com- mission with Canada to study a road to Alaska in 1933, it wasn’t until the bomb- ing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 that the goal became a priority. Plans then were made to build a road from the end of the railroad at Dawson Creek to Fairbanks. By February 1942, only two months after Pearl Harbor, Rooseveltauthorized construction of the highway. That year alone, 11,000 troops worked on the road that eventually spanned 1,200 miles in Canada and 200 miles in Alaska. The first trainload of troops arrived that March. The soldiers were put on troop cars and didn’t know where they were headed until they reached Edmon- ton. Their mission was kept secret for military purposes. Goodman’s division arrived about a yearintothe projectand stayed forayear. Then they were given packing orders again. Goodman had a chance to stay in Whitehorse in the Yukon to work as a linotype operator at the local weekly pa- per, but headed instead with his division to Europe. “I wanted to stay with the fellows,” he said. “After living together for 1 -1 /2 years, you kind of want to stay together.” Before he went to the front overseas, Goodman stopped and married his sweet- heart, Jean. He returned to Whatcom County 3- 1/2 years after he was drafted and began a 38-year career in The Bellingham Her- H. P Tergesen & Sons\ ‘ci great browsing store' Tergesen T-Shirts and Sweatshirts! Available in a Large Assortment of sizes and colours! Telephone: 642-5958 Gimli T Manitoba ▼ Canada ▼ ROC 1B0^ ald’s composing room. But his memories of Alaska lingered. “I always thought I might get back up there and homestead,” he said. “But I just never left Bellingham. Some of the fel- lows got back up there. Most of us wanted to.” Twenty years ago, Goodman went to Alaska for a nephew’s wedding, his first retum trip since the war. He was surprised by the amount of develop- ment he saw in what was once the wild. But the extent of the metamorphosis didn’t hit him until he and his wife took a bus trip four years ago spanning the length of the Alaska Highway. Goodman said he didn’t recognize White- Fred Goodman horse, which had changed from rows of “Every little jerk-water place will have 1943 Goodman said. “It just brought back all of my memories. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful.” In May, the Goodmans will pack their trailer and form a caravan with several other retirees to drive up to be part of the highway’s an- niversary festivities. They plan to spend about two monthsexploringthe north- ern regions. tents to a city that reminded him of Bellingham. Even so, the bus drive took the couple past stretches of untamed land. “That rekindled everything for me,” somethinggoing on up there and we plan to seeas much of it as possible,” Goodman said. “It’s not quite like homesteading, but it’s a bit of the dream.” Courtesy of The Bellingham Herald awtc/ Sfewzcce Home Cooked Meals ★ Home of Canada's Largest Burger V^BRENT or PATTY PETROWSKI 642-8371 GIMLI, MANjf (ölfijeíd^ REAL ESTATE Gimli..................642-8501 Winnipeg Direct.....284-1490 Selkirk................482-5806 Winnipeg Direct.....477-4205 Stonewall..............467-8930 Úo Úo úbe, //(ÚerMe " N ta /Wa+tttoÁci, 1992 lceland Charter NON-STOP WINNIPEG ■ KEFLAVÍK Chlldren 2-11: deduct $50. $770.00 ■ m &taxes Wpg. Departure July 14 ★ return August 4 Call now for more information and your reservation. 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