Alaska Railroad and Denali Tourism, 1923–1929

The Alaska Railroad was formally completed in 1923, linking coastal ports with interior settlements and encouraging tourism, resource development and federal administration. President Warren G. Harding visited Alaska and drove a ceremonial golden spike at Nenana during his journey that year.

Railway hotels such as the Curry Hotel served travellers heading towards Mount McKinley National Park, now Denali National Park. Guides, cooks, naturalists and transport workers built a seasonal economy around visitors seeking access to the mountain landscape.

The Heart of Alaska novels use this developing tourist corridor for mysteries involving climbing, scientific work and people seeking distance from earlier trauma.