Save the Roadhouse

Help Save the Roadhouse!

As recent visitors have seen, erosion along the banks of the Tanana is threatening to sweep Roadhouse into the river. Urgent efforts are underway to plan, fund, and implement measures to preserve this irreplaceable piece of history. Options for stabilizing the bank and moving the roadhouse out of the danger zone are being explored with the help of hydrologists, engineers and experts in historical preservation. We anticipate implementing a shoreline stabilization project this summer, and moving the building out of danger within the next two years. Respecting that the river will do what it will, we are committed to working towards saving this legacy.

The North Star Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity, has graciously sponsored this project. This will allow us to apply for grant funding and provide fiscal transparency and oversight as the project moves forward. A secure donation platform is now live!

Support the Roadhouse Cause

The Roadhouse is under immediate threat of destruction from erosion on the Tanana River! Learn more about efforts to save it!

Join us and become a part of the legacy!

Since its restoration in the early 1980s, the Roadhouse has developed a community around it – from people who travel the interior trails in the winter or the river in the summer, to folks who appreciate the unique role this landmark has played in the history of Alaska. The Roadhouse recalls the establishment of mail routes and development of supply lines for the gold rushes that laid the groundwork for the Alaska we know today, and the legacy of the Serum Run and the values it represents; community, solidarity, sacrifice and hope. The unique reality of this place is that it holds all of that deep history, and continues to play an active, lifesaving role as an emergency shelter for travelers in one of the last, vast wildernesses of this country – a legacy reflected in the logbook where those stories are told in real-time.

Saving the Roadhouse will be a multi-phase project, spanning the next few years. It will take a coordinated effort, and consistent support will be needed through each phase. We will need help in many ways, from sourcing experts, writing grants, fundraising, and recruiting boots-on-the-ground once a plan is in place.

Please join this community by signing up for our Substack mailing list and following us on Facebook. We will keep you up to date on progress and current needs throughout this journey, and share stories from the Roadhouse, past and present. Sign up to stay in touch and become a part of this legacy. I hope you will join us to preserve this priceless piece of Alaskan history.