WAMCATS

WAMCATS pole
Old WAMCATS pole

Ok, I know this doesn’t look scenic but I find it interesting. This is a remnant of the Washington-Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System (WAMCATS). This is a system that was installed between 1900 and 1904 by then Lieutenant Billy Mitchell to provide telegraph service to remote stations in Alaska. It was this service that allowed news of the diphtheria epidemic in Nome to reach the state capital. The system was turned over to the state of Alaska in 1935 and was eventually abandoned in place as radio communications took over. You can find these all over the interior of Alaska in remote areas.

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