The Modern Tram to McCarthy
“Tram Fun” original painting in pointillism by Gail Niebrugge, sold.
In the past, a series of precarious hand-pulled trams served as river crossing transportation to the town of McCarthy in the Wrangell-St. Elias wilderness, and they were not without problems. I loved using the trams, they added to the mystique and adventure of the area, but with the formation of the national park not only came the problem of providing safe access for tourists, but an efficient means to transport materials and supplies for the restoration of buildings. I remember the first tram, nothing more than a couple of wooden planks suspended from a cable that would regularly slip out of the pulley leaving us stranded, swinging over the river. With no one within ear shot, we sat hanging on for dear life, teetering precariously over the cold, glacier-fed river for hours until someone came along and put the system back together. Today I can only shrug and smile when I hear tourists complaining about the inconvenience of having to walk on a footbridge.
More tomorrow,
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Art
