Laying Tracks.

America, young but vast as countries go, considers 100 years to be a long time but 100 miles to be not so far--in contrast with Europe, especially England. So goes the oft-made observation. That aphorism applies with greater force to Alaska, where the next town is 100 miles downriver or up the road, and many extant institutions have marked their first centennials only recently.

The Alaska Railroad has covered those 100-mile spans steadily for a long American time, since Warren Harding drove the golden spike at Nenana in 1923. On the occasion of the anniversary, this month's special section highlights the railroad and its peers in the transportation industry.

Like the railroad, the Alaska Marine Highway System is a public facility--a division of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) rather than a state-owned enterprise. "Opening Up the World" checks in with the state ferry fleet, and "DBEs and OJT" explores...