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Roadhouses of the Richardson Highway

Name(s)	Distance	Reference Point	Description	Citation
Camp Comfort	Mile 10	Valdez	One of the first roadhouses in operation during Captain Abercrombie's expedition in 1898. In 1902, it was a two story spruce log cabin. It closed in 1918.
Second Class Roadhouse	Mile 13	Valdez	First opened in the winter of 1904-1905. It was closed by August 1905.
Wortman's Roadhouse	Mile 18.5	Valdez	Considered one of the best roadhouses, it was located after Keystone Canyon and is listed as the first roadhouse built along the route. In 1902, it was expanded with a barn for horses and doghouses. The main roadhouse was expanded but was destroyed by a fire in 1907, and was rebuilt later that year. It closed in 1919.
Wayside Inn, Our Roadhouse, The White House, The White Roadhouse	Mile 18.8	Valdez	A short lived roadhouse that opened in 1902, but was closed in 1907 to be used as lumber to repair Wortman's Roadhouse after the fire.
Robert's Roadhouse	Mile 20.1	Valdez	A tent roadhouse operated by J.P. Roberts and was only in operation from spring until the fall of 1902.
Kennedy Roadhouse	Mile 20.1	Valdez	Ran by the Kennedy Stage Service, it was built to serve its pack animals and travelers. It is unknown when this roadhouse was closed.
Summit Roadhouse, Stone House	Mile 26	Valdez	Built in 1906 as a canvas structure, it was reinforced with nearby stones in order to survive storms in Thompson Pass. It is unknown when this roadhouse was closed.
Eureka Roadhouse	Mile 31	Valdez	Built in 1905 by the Valdez Transportation Company, it was a two story building with sleeping quarters and livestock feed. It burned to the ground in April 1906 and was not rebuilt.
Ptarmigan Drop Roadhouse	Mile 32	Valdez	Opened during the winter of 1901-1902 by E.M. Marston and Mr. Masey, but it was sold to E.E. Doty at the end of 1902. She later bought Wortman's Roadhouse in 1905, and leased this roadhouse to several individuals. By 1923, it was listed as a relief cabin by the Valdez Chamber of Commerce.
Beaver Dam Roadhouse	Mile 41	Valdez	Built by Len Thompson, it opened on June 4, 1903 on the old riverbed of the Tsaina River. It was bought out by the Valdez Transportation Company in 1905, who then sold it to Robert R. Robinson and George Treat in 1906. Reviews by travelers were mixed, with James Wickersham commenting positively on his stay in 1905, but others such as Ella Higginson called it "gloomily magnificent." It closed in 1918.
Tiekell Roadhouse	Mile 50.8	Valdez	Located at a former settlement called Tiekel City that had been destroyed by a forest fire, it opened in 1902 with the Copper River Mining, Trading, and Development Company. It was purchased by Ed Wood in 1904, and by 1909 it was enlarged to accommodate up to 30 guests. Fred B. Vaughn purchased it in 1909 and it was in operation until 1925.
Tacoma Roadhouse	Mile 57.5	Valdez	Opened in May 1907 by J. Olsen, it was quickly sold to Dick Windmiller in 1908, then T.J. Huganin in 1910. It is unknown when this roadhouse closed.
Ernestine Roadhouse	Mile 62	Valdez	Hoping to capitalize on a junction of several trails and gold discovered nearby, Johnny Nelson and George L. Davis constructed this roadhouse in 1902. It was sold to Ed Page in 1904. A common complaint of this roadhouse was overcrowding. In 1912, it was purchased by the former cook of Ptarmigan Drop Roadhouse and experienced prospector Harry Miller. It closed sometime in the winter of 1915-1916.
Kings Roadhouse, The Glacier Roadhouse	Mile 71	Valdez	This roadhouse opened during the winter of 1906-1907 to unknown owners. By 1910 it was operated by Mr. and Mrs. Braxton, but was closed by 1912.
Upper Tonsina, Loomis, Donaldson Roadhouses	Mile 79	Valdez	Jim Donaldson built this roadhouse at the junction of the government trail built by William Abercrombie and the Nizina Trail, and it was operated by Bill Poeska in 1900. The Loomis Roadhouse was built nearby soon afterward and was run by Ike H. Loomis. In the winter of 1901-1902, Charles C. Yager operated the Donaldson Roadhouse. The Donaldson Roadhouse was purchased in 1902 by Jake Nafstad and Fred A. Martin who renamed the roadhouse to Tonsina Roadhouse, and enlarged the facilities to accommodate 60 guests. It closed in 1916.
Wayside Inn	Mile 89	Valdez	Opened by 1908, the exact date of start of operations for this roadhouse is unknown. It was two stories tall, and run by signwriter Paul Hansel until an unknown date.
Willow Creek Roadhouse	Mile 90.9	Valdez	First constructed by Frank J. Bingham in 1905 as a single story log cabin, it was enlarged by 1909 to two stories and a lean-to. He also farmed hay and oats in the area. In 1915-1916, it was managed by Claud Stuart and Frank G. Bingham, who is of unclear relation to Frank J. Bingham. It was abandoned sometime after 1916.
Hotel Holman, Blix's Roadhouse, Copper Center Roadhouse and Trading Post, Copper Center Lodge, Old Town Copper Center Inn and Restaurant	Mile 101	Valdez	First started as a series of tents in Copper Center in the July of 1898, Andrew Holman built a log hotel and trading post by the winter of 1899. In 1901, Ringwald Blix was appointed the postmaster of the first post office along the trail, and he bought the hotel in 1906. He sold it to Has Ditman in 1918, then Ditman sold it to Florence Barnes in 1923. It is still in operation today as Old Town Copper Center Inn and Restaurant.
The McCrary Roadhouse, Copper Center Hotel	Mile 101.5	Valdez	This roadhouse opened in 1904 by John McCrary, but burned down in 1909. In 1910, he rebuilt it as the first frame house along the trial, and renamed it as the Copper Center Hotel. It later burned down in the winter of 1913-1914 and was not rebuilt.
Tazlina Roadhouse	Mile 110	Valdez	Located at the mouth of the Tazlina River, this roadhouse was built in 1902 by two men, Porter and Bundy. The latter later drowned in the Tazlina River after ferrying travelers in 1903. Billy Kliske took over the roadhouse in 1906 and operated it for over 20 years. In 1927, a major flood washed out a bridge and stranded some of Kliske's livestock on the opposite side of the river. After a rescue attempt, Kliske became stranded, and was rescued by Willie Fox, but died several days later. The roadhouse disappeared from use shortly after.
Simpson's Roadhouse, Brown's Roadhouse	Mile 111.9	Valdez	Archie S. Brown built the roadhouse in 1913 at a junction which lead to the Nelchina area, where gold had been discovered in 1912. It was operated by Brown and G.E. Simpson, and a farm was developed alongside the roadhouse. It is not known when the roadhouse closed, but the Nelchina gold rush was very short lived.
Dry Creek Roadhouse	Mile 117.5	Valdez	Dry Creek Roadhouse was established in 1906 with a two story log building and a large lean-to on one side. It had various owners over the years, Edwards and George B. Rorer were the builders and operators. Edwards sold his ownership to L.G. Rorer sometime before 1908. In 1910, Mr. and Mrs. J. Lawrence bought the roadhouse, but only Mrs. Lawrence operated it. It was then leased to Mr. and Mrs. Smart in 1912, but the son of the owner of Copper Center Hotel, Nelson McCrary, bought it in 1914, establishing a fox farm and trading post. Another son, John McCrary was listed as a fox breeder in 1917-1918. The roadhouse closed sometime before 1922, but it was used as a camp for the U.S. Army during World War II.
Gulkana Roadhouse, Gulkana Trading Post and Hotel	Mile 126.9	Valdez	This roadhouse was established sometime before the winter of 1904-1905 at the junction between the Bear Creek Trail to Valdez Creek and the Valdez-Eagle Trail. In 1906, it was sold to a miner and fur trader, Charles "Buck" Levi Hoyt, from a person named Koon. Hoyt and Dolph Smith renamed it the Gulkana Trading Post and Hotel. It was a two story building with 30 beds and 8 rooms. A lean-to was added in 1909 for a post office. Sometime later, Hoyt bought Smith's share and operated the roadhouse with his family until 1916. It was then sold to Elizabeth Griffith, whom operated it with her daughter, Anna Leak. In operation longer than the majority of other roadhouses along the highway, it was expanded in 1931, but burnt down in 1948 and not rebuilt.
Gakona Roadhouse; Gakona Roadhouse, Mail Station and Trading Post	Mile 130.9	Valdez	Jim Doyle built this single story roadhouse in 1902 near the mouth of the Gakona River, but it was managed by the Valdez Transportation Company by the winter of 1904-1905. The company enlarged it to a two story building with a lean-to. George Rorer managed this roadhouse before establishing the Dry Creek Roadhouse in 1906. In 1912, it was bought by Mike Johnson, then sold to J. M. Elmer in 1919. It is in operation as of 2008, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Chippewa Roadhouse, Gillispie's Roadhouse	Mile 160	Valdez, winter trail section	Built as an unpeeled log cabin by prospectors of the Chippewa Mining Company in 1902, it was managed by the Valdez Transportation Company in 1904. During the winter of 1905-1906, it was sold to John Gillispie, the manager of the roadhouse, and it was renamed to Gillispie's Roadhouse. It was abandoned after trail was upgraded to be all season in 1906.
Timberline Roadhouse	Mile 192	Valdez, winter trail section	Established as a tent by Alvin J. Paxson in 1905, it was built near the timberline of a ridge that separates the Gulkana and Gakona Rivers. He later enlarged it to a 25 by 100 foot tent with bunks. It was closed after one winter after the opening of the all season route in 1906.
Poplar Grove Roadhouse, Hamill's Roadhouse	Mile 137.8	Valdez	It is unknown when this roadhouse was built, but it was in operation by 1907 as Hammill's Roadhouse as a two story log cabin. Hammill was likely a half owner, since in May 1907, Carl A. Swanson sold his half interest to Ben Torbell. By 1915, Richard Windmiller operated the roadhouse and did so until 1918. The roadhouse closed in the 1920s, last operated by a man named Crampton and Gabe Aspland.
Sourdough Roadhouse and Trading Post, Pollard's Roadhouse	Mile 147.5	Valdez	This roadhouse was first listed as Pollard's Roadhouse in 1907, but it is unknown who Pollard is. Nellie Yager began managing the roadhouse in 1908, renaming it to Sourdough Roadhouse and Trading Post. She ran the roadhouse until 1922 when she sold it to her neice, Hazel Waechter. It was in operation until it burned down.
Our Home Roadhouse, McGee's Roadhouse	Mile 160.9	Valdez	W.C. McGee, a miner, established the roadhouse in 1906 as a long log cabin, but handed over the operation to his daughter, L.M. Hicks. She renamed it Our Home Roadhouse. By 1910, Maude Birch owned the establishment, but it was turned over to Charles H. McCourt in 1915 then Gabe Aspland that same year. It is unknown then it stopped operation.
Abbott's Roadhouse	Mile 168	Valdez	This roadhouse is of unknown provenance and unknown closure date. It is only listed in the Orr Stage Line distance table in 1910, with a meal costing $2.
Meier's Roadhouse	Mile 170	Valdez	Charles J. Meier, a former cook for the Timberline Roadhouse, established this roadhouse and farm in 1906 near a small lake, now named Meiers Lake. A new trail from this lake was established going to Valdez Creek shortly before. He successfully grew vegetables, timothy, and redtop for both on-site usage and sale, with one season reporting three tons vegetables and $1,300 worth of hay. The original structure was destroyed in 1925, but was rebuilt, but again burned down in 1950. It is still in operation today as Meier's Lake Roadhouse, near the original roadhouse site.