Page 65 - Parks Highway Bearfoot

Parks Highway e with Bearfoot
LONG LIVE THE RIVERS Rivers are the roads for many rural Alaskan villages.
Vital Transport
The Tanana River starts near the Canadian bor- der, close to Tok. This river runs north to Fair- banks to meet the Chena River. The Tanana River then flows to Nenana, where the Nenana River, coming north from Denali, empties into it. The Tanana Riverfinally turns north, and meets the mighty Yukon River, at the village of Tanana. The Yukon Riveroriginates in Canada and cross- es Alaska north of the Tanana River. The Yukon River empties on the western coast into the Ber- ing Sea. In this part of the state, the rivers have always been transportation corridors.
Along The Tanana
Athabascans who live along the river corridors in this part of Alaska are known as the Tanana people. The Tanana people live along interlinked navigable rivers. This river country has hot wa rm summers, huge spruce and plenty of birch trees. Tanana villages along the road system include
LONG LIVE THE RIVERS Di"orc: ~...o the ...n~rlc: fnr rn~n\l
NENANA
Nenana, Tanacross and Dot Lake. Villages are con- nected through rivers, highways and off-road trails. Early on, the Tanana Indians were well-organized, and still are , banding together in a region -wide "Ta- nana Chiefs' Conference" to address mutual issues, just as they did a century ago.
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Alaska R.R. Overpass