Read your story about your visit to Camp Tuto. I found it very interesting about its condition in 1981. Some more up to date info about Camp Tuto. I was a member of the US Army, Transportation Artic Group from May 1954 to Oct 1955.
Our mission was to develop methods of transporting men & materials over the ice cap. The road from Tuto was built in 1954 and was used for access to the ice cap. Camp Tuto consisted of several fabric covered quanset type huts at this time. Camp Tuto was the jumping off place for our sled trains onto the ice cap. We had several sled trains exploring the ice cap at any one time.
Communications with the sled trains was maintained at all times. Each radio operator on each train was required to report weather conditions and train progress several times a day. These reports were then sent to TAG HQ in Thule. I was a member of a four man Signal Corp which installed and maintained the communications for the TAG.
I arranged for telephone access with the AF base communications office and extended the telephone service from Thule to Camp Tuto with a cable laid across the tundra. Probably portions of that cable is in existance today. My biggest problem with the cable was that the tracked vehicles would run over it and cut it up.
One day, I had left my driver waiting on the Tuto road while I hike out to fix a break in the cable. After repairing the cable I returned to find my driver sitting by the road without our vehicle. He explained that some AF lieutenant came by and commaneered our vehicle. I immediately opened the cable and called our HQ. There was one surprised AF lieutenant when the AP met him at the entrance to Thule AF base.
