The Milepost is the quintessential reference guide for Alaska and northwestern Canada. Its high name recognition is attributed to consistent critical acclaim and its ubiquitous presence at retail outlets throughout the country. The Milepost is both a highway travel guide and a general interest trip planner for visits to Alaska, whether by land, air or sea. The guide was first published in 1949 by William A. “Bill” Wallace as a 72-page book filled with facts and practical information about traveling the rugged and remote Alaska Highway, the famous road built in 1942, that was for many years dubbed the “Alcan,” an acronym for the Alaska-Canada military highway. Wallace named the guidebook after the mileage location posts “that filled such a vital need along the wilderness road.” The guide is revalidated annually. As Alaska tourism grew, so did The Milepost. In 1962, Wallace sold the book to the owner of the publication that was to become Alaska magazine. By 1975, the burgeoning resource book featured 498 pages! Morris Communications bought The Milepost in 1997, and the following year moved it to Anchorage to share offices with Alaska magazine. Though sold like a book, The Milepost is also a magazine since it carries advertising. Among The Milepost’s greatest competitive strengths are its widespread paid distribution and its exceptional name recognition within the book-selling world.