where we are

ABOUT NORTHWAY

Northway is located on the east bank of Nabesna Slough, 50 miles southeast of Tok. It lies off the Alaska Highway on a 9-mile spur road, adjacent to the Northway airport. It is 42 miles from the Canadian border and within the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge.

The area around Northway was first utilized by semi-nomadic Athabascans, who pursued seasonal subsistence activities in the vicinity of Scottie and Gardiner Creeks and the Chisana, Nabesna, and Tanana Rivers. The Native settlement of Northway Village is located 2 miles south of Northway. The Native village was named in 1942 after Chief Walter Northway, who adopted his name from a Tanana and Nabesna riverboat captain.

The development and settlement of Northway was due to construction of the airport during World War II. The Northway airport was a link in the Northwest Staging Route, a cooperative project between the U.S. and Canada. A chain of air bases through Canada to Fairbanks were used to supply Alaska during World War II and the construction of the Alcan Highway.