Alaska - Day 14 - Tok

---

I have simple goals for today – Church, wash clothes, visit the Tok Visitor Center, maybe take a drive but more likely rest and relax a bit. For the most part, I will succeed. First, some info about Tok itself:

· Tok (pronounced to rhyme with poke) had it’s beginning as a construction camp on the Alcan Highway (later named Alaska Highway)

· Population 1,435

· Nobody is sure how Tok got its name. One theory is it was derived from Tokyo Camp, the name of an Alaska Highway road construction camp that was patriotically shortened to Tok in the 1940s. Another story is that Tok was named after a husky pup of that name, mascot to a US Army’s Corp battalion who were breaking trail north from Slana in 1942. Historical research on its name is ongoing and maintained at the Visitor Center.

· Tok is the major overland point of entry to Alaska. Tok is the only town in Alaska that the highway traveler must pass through twice – once when arriving in the state and again on leaving the state. The governor proclaimed Tok “Mainstreet Alaska” in 1991 and townspeople are very proud of that designation working hard to make visitors happy.

· Tok is known as the “Sled Dog Capital of Alaska” because so many of its residents are involved in some way with dos and dog mushing, Alaska’s official state sport.

· There is a pancake toss competition every evening at Sourdough Campground open to the public. I missed it!

· Tok is a trade center for the Athabascan Native villages of Tanacross, Northway, Tetlin, Mentasta, Dot Lake and Eagle. Native women make birch baskets, beaded moccasins, boots, and beaded necklaces. The State of Alaska crafts identification program authenticates Alaskan Native and Alaskan Craftsmen products available here.

It is easy to see the “Mainstreet Alaska” theme as you turn on to the Alaska Highway. That’s pretty much it – main street – but it has all services any traveler might need.



My day starts with attending Holy Rosary Catholic Church at 10am and it’s about the only thing I have pictures of today. I only mention and include the pictures because church life up here, especially in these smaller towns, is so much different. It is not enough to find a Catholic Church in Alaska because many of them only have a priest actually there about once a month. Some have Eucharist Services but others cannot even provide that. There are 18 Priests in Fairbanks working to serve fifty some parishes or communities miles and miles apart. The Priest today travels in a modest RV from town to town; church to church. Amazing! It really makes me realize how good we have it back home where even daily Mass is easy to attend or services for other faiths as well. Here, they are lucky to have a full-fledged Mass in their own town monthly and I’m not sure how other faiths manage. I have been quite fortunate in timing since I wasn’t aware when I was planning where I’d be that just knowing a Catholic Church was there wasn’t enough. The other thing about churches is that they are so simple and quaint, more like houses or additions to houses - - and they are so proud of what they’ve built, it is wonderful! The people that gather are literally doing a check to be sure all are OK and if someone is not present; they are checking to be sure another knows the reason. If not, I have no doubt they will receive a visit to assure the missing person(s) are good. And like it or not, you are personally welcomed because it is obvious to them you are visiting. They are sincere in wanting to know your story and any way they can be of help.



I get a great lunch at Fast Eddy’s Restaurant and it is already early afternoon. I stop at the Tok “Mainstreet Alaska” Visitor Center – a must see if you ever get here! They offer trip planning help, displays from communities around the state, art exhibits, displays of Alaska rocks, gems, and fossils, films, current weather conditions, and Alaska Highway memorabilia. By the time I leave, it is midafternoon and I still have wash to get done – and doing so is an absolute necessity! I repack the car with clean clothes; find a place with hoses to wash off the grime and dirt on my car, and it is evening. I meander around the cabin, relax just a bit and then find I’m already tired enough for sleep even though there is still daylight. Tomorrow I go to Chicken, AK and maybe on to Eagle if the dirt mountain road is in good condition. Should be another adventurous day so sleep is goodness!

---

Photos

Moose display at Visitor Center
Hard to see due to glass reflection - he was huge!

Grizzly Automotive
Just got a kick out of the name