Saturday, November 12, 2011

Module VI E Communication Systems in Alaska

No matter where you are, we're glad you're here!



Mrs. Wm. Green, Only Woman Telegraph Operator
in Alaska, SC AK, 1923, AK RR Tour Lantern Slide
VILDA ASL-P198-31
Essential Questions
  • Alaska's infrastructure of transportation and communication systems - what is the cause-effect relationships to settlement patterns and to the development of the Alaska economy?
  • What have been the impacts on traditional Native cultures and on the environment?
  • What are issues facing Alaskans today to transportation and communication?

ENGAGE
Gulkana Road House with Mail Stagecoach
ca. early 1900's VILDA UAF-1989-166-110-Print
Communication systems in Alaska tended to parallel developments in the transportation infrastructure. 

While Native Alaskans had had their own communication networks centered around trade and the seasonal round of subsistence activities, and the Russians had relied primarily on mail that moved on their ships, newcomers during the American period quickly worked to devise systems that would keep them in touch with the rest of the United States.  

Greeting the First Mail of the Season, Anvik
ca. early 1900's  VILDA UAF-1985-72-148
From the early years of mail moving by ship or dog team or river steamer to mail transport by jet/prop plane, Alaskans have always been eager for the mail. 

Carl Ben Eielson's transport of mail from Fairbanks to McGrath in 1924 turned an 18 day trip by dog team to a three hour round trip.  The pace of change picked up from there.


The U.S. Army Signal Corps was responsible for early telecommunications in Alaska with the construction of telegraph lines linking the various army posts. This became known as WAMCATS, or Washington to Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System, and gradually the telegraph line was replaced by a wireless radio system.  

Supplemented by underwater cable  to the Lower 48, WAMCATS allowed for military and limited civilian communication. WAMCATS eventually becomes ACS (AK Comm. System) and was the forerunner of AT&T ALASCOM which is a major communications system in Alaska today.  


First Live Satellite TV Broadcast in Alaska-
Neil Armstrong's Moon Walk July 20,1969
VILDA UAA-hmc-0456-655

That's just the tip of the iceberg!  What about World War II and the Cold War? How did they lead to the DEW line stations and the White Alice sites?  What's an earth station?  Or, what about other communication systems such as radio and television?

Why have commercial and public/community radio broadcasts been so critical in Alaska?  What role do radio and TV play in Alaska? Think about these as you read Chapter 4-13:Communications. 


                                                                                   
EXAMINE

Consider these questions:




  • U.S. Wireless Telegraph Station
    Nome ca. 1910 VILDA ASL-P384-0054
    What were the factors that prompted the growth of communication systems in Alaska?
  • What were the challenges in the development of communication systems?
  • How are the various communication systems in Alaska linked to the Alaska economy?
  • What are the primary communication systems in Alaska today?


EXPLORE
From Alaska's Heritage, read:


U.S. Signal Corps Crew, Kenai Pen.
ca. 1941-45 VILDA UAA-hmc-05030series8-10
Platinum Radio, Goodnews Bay Mining Co.,
N. Cons. Airlines Airway Radio, U.S.Weather
Bureau late 1950's VILDA AMRC-b85-27-1583

EXTEND
White Alice Tropospheric Antenna 
Barter Island - dewlinehistory.com
During the 1970's-80's, cutting edge telecommunication systems were being installed in Alaska.  Telecommunication companies and the state government supported pioneering projects which became models for  providing services to a population spread over vast distances. 

Much of this was a move to catch up with the rest of the U.S. by getting basic telephone service to rural Alaska, but the means to accomplish this was often innovative and went beyond basic services.  

Cape Chiniak "White Alice" Facility late 1950's
VILDA UAA-hmc-0370-series15a-2-105
Audioconferencing allowed citizens to be connected to government officials through the Legislative Information Offices. Business could be conducted without the expense of face-to-face meetings. Computer technologies were adopted by business and government agencies just as quickly, with Alaska at one point being considered a highly wired state.


That was decades ago.  The obstacles of the past still hinder development in Alaska.  From the issues of government subsidies for Alaska's bypass mail to the cost of broadband fiber optic transmission systems, Alaskans struggle to keep pace with the ever changing changes in the ways that people communicate.

Kotlik, AK Satellite Dish  
docmeister.bizware.com
Often, it is a question of cost-effectiveness, as Alaska's small population and vast distances impact the capacity of businesses and government to invest in the current technologies.
As you conclude this module, consider the current state of affairs for Alaska's communication systems.  

Consider these questions:
  • How adequate are the systems in your region of the state?  
  • How does this affect the people in your area and their ability to make a living? 
  • What does this mean for the economy of Alaska?

FAA Facilities in Northway 1967
VILDA UAF-2006-131-190
Helpful websites:







What's Next?
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