Delta Junction, Alaska: Rika's Roadhouse

ozens of roadhouses, some of them made of tents or crude log cabins, sprang up along the Fairbanks-Valdez Trail beside what is now the Richardson Highway. Some of them still exist, including Rika's Roadhouse (left) on the Tanana River. The roadhouses were 10 to 15 miles apart, and charged a hefty price for the time - $1 or $2 for a meal, and up to $2 for a bed. Roadhouses often became the center of the community. In addition, their owners often served as farmers, postmasters and telegraph operators.