Christine McClure, author on the Al-Can Highway construction

Send us Fan MailThe 1500 mile Alaska-Canada Highway from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Delta Junction, Alaska, was initially constructed in 8 months in 1942. The story of the difficult conditions experienced by the 10,000 Army soldiers and 6,000 contractors is a compelling one, but the experience of the 3600 African-American soldiers who were segregated and exposed to even more challenges is a less well-known one. Christine McClure and her husband Dennis published their first book about the construction of the Al-Can called We Fought the Road in 2017. What prompted Christine to write the book was the discovery, after his death, of her father’s letters to her mother during his time with the 93rd Regiment; he had been one of the few white officers assigned to that Black regiment. Sadly, Dennis McClure passed away in September 2021. This interview took place via Zoom from Chris’s home in South Carolina in August 2022.