Editing Tok, Alaska (section)

=== Etymology ===
In one version, the name Tok is derived from the Athabascan word for "peaceful crossing."  The U.S. Geological Survey notes that the name "Tok River" was in use for the nearby river around 1901, and the [[Athabaskan languages|Athabascan]] name of "Tokai" had been reported for the same river by Lt. Allen in 1887. In another version the name is derived from the English words "Tokyo camp", although the major war benefit was supporting the transfer of airplanes to the Soviet Union. Another version claims the name was derived from the canine mascot for one of the Engineer units that built the highways. The name has no connection to the western Alaskan community of [[Newtok]].

Another version comes from the proposed road construction of the highway to Richardson Highway. In the 1940s and 1950s, another highway, the [[Tok Cut-Off]] was constructed and connected Tok with the [[Richardson Highway]] at [[Glennallen, Alaska|Glennallen]].  It was a "cut-off" because it allowed motor travelers from the lower United States to travel to [[Valdez, Alaska|Valdez]] and [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] in south-central Alaska without going further north to [[Delta Junction, Alaska|Delta Junction]] and then traveling south on the Richardson Highway. When originally being surveyed from the air, the map marking showed the "T" intersection, and the letters "OK" to confirm the location was suitable.