The Saga of old Toad River Lodge

ABOVE: Coming down towards Toad River Lodge (with landing strip on the opposite side of road.)


We had trailer trouble when I first came across the dusty, graveled Alcan Highway with my father at the wheel, back in 1971. We were on a riverside lunch stop, when we noticed that the welds on one side of our white "Thunderbird" tent trailer hitch were cracked and loose. Dad had been carrying a couple Jerry Cans of fuel on that hitch, and with this extra weight, the flexing on the rough road had been too much.

 Dad enlisted me to sit on the opposite rear corner of the tent trailer (kitty corner) to lessen the strain on its broken tow bar, so we could crawl at half-speed towards the next available repair location. I got strange looks, dirty looks, plus a dusty shirt and face, but we made it down off the pass. I felt important and brave, being commissioned for such assistance by Dad at age 15. It suddenly elevated my status above that of my sister, and made my mom worry. It was cool.

Toad River Lodge through a ranch gate in 1971

 Toad River Lodge, same angle, today, summer 2011

At the Toad River Lodge in 1971, there was a welder. During repairs, we went into the lodge where we all had lunch. The ceiling was covered with a ballcap collection, just as today. Mom and Dad lingered on there, (beers?) and my sister and I wandered all over the property, ending up across the Alcan near the dirt airstrip that fronted a classic Western ranch. There, I took a photo of Toad River Lodge & Station through the ranch gate.

 Next to the landing strip was a docked yellow airplane (I knew NOT to play on that...) but there were also some empty red, white and black aircraft fuel drums, and it would be fun to balance on them and try to roll them. That cured boredom. I was 15. Julie and I tried to "walk" those barrels back and forth at the side of the strip. Dad got intrigued, came across and photographed us.  No other airplanes landed, but many 18 wheelers screamed by kicking up rooster tails of gravel and dust.

 Landing strip (above) in 1971 and (below) 2011, same angle

Fun at age 15:

 The basic grouping of barrels remain in 2011 !

 Layli and I actually rented a cabin at Toad River Lodge. I re-photographed the Lodge, (from the same angle as my original 71 photo), and I repeated that for the airstrip looking West. I was amazed to soon discover what I believe to be a few of the same re-fillable barrels that we played on 40 years previous.  At least a few of them had the same unique paint pattern, but much more sun-bleached.

Further down the road in 1971, again, the hitch eventually broke a second time (after more unpaved Alcan punishment) as we approached Tok Jct., Alaska, for more welding. That cost another $20, Dad saved the original receipt, and the welder there was B.R. Wadsworth.

 Toad River has survived; though the gas station (once a thriving Esso), probably pumps a trickle of the volume. Gone now, is the beautiful old ranch building / ranch gate through which I had framed my original 71 photo.

 Esso signs are long-gone, and the old original pair of pumps were stashed behind the main lodge.... and Dad's welder, long vacated.

ABOVE: Just A PORTION of the ball cap collection on the lodge ceiling ! !

Amazingly, Toad River Lodge lives on, very much as it did four decades ago, with the landing strip still maintained and on the ready. As in 71,  it had only one aircraft tied down at the side. No airplane departed or landed, just as in 1971, and similarly, the 18 wheelers in 2011 were still steadily roaring down from the pass, and across the flat lodge property and then back up the hill. The difference? ...no rooster tails of dust billowing up behind them this time; the Alcan has now been paved for most of the last 20 years. Still, that "paved" time span takes up less than a third of the road's existence; many more generations "traveled the gravel."