Denali Park Road Patrol Cabins

Matthews, Laurie

The Denali Road Patrol Cabins cultural landscape is located between mile 12 and mile 54 of the Denali Park Road in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. The cultural landscape incorporates five sites along the 90-mile Denali Park Road that traverses the park from east to west. The landscape is a historic site that encompasses 61 acres surrounding the five log cabins. The cabins are sited very intentionally: they are 10 to 12 miles apart (a day’s travel apart by foot or dogsled), near rivers for water sources, and built on level ground at lower elevations between 2400 and 3200 feet. SIGNIFICANCE SUMMARY The Denali Road Patrol Cabin cultural landscape is a component landscape of the Denali Park Road Historic District. The contributing features of the cultural landscape are listed on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for Transportation and Conservation. The five cabin sites, located on the eastern portion of the road, are directly related to the construction of the road. The Alaska Road Commission (ARC) constructed the cabins for use as cookhouses and storage structures during the building of the road, which began in 1922. The first cabin was built at Savage River in 1925. The fifth cabin, at Toklat River, was finished in 1931, and the road was completed in 1938.