Although there have been Athabaskan settlements around Tōk for centuries, Tōk itself did not exist until 1942 when a camp was built to support the construction of the Alaska Highway. There are many theories on the origin of Tōk's name. Some say it is an abbreviation of Tokyo Camp, another road camp that was later used in WWII as an airway. Some say it is an abbreviation of Toklat River, or the initials of a Norwegian goldminer named Thorine Osric Knornsson. Some say Tok was the name of a pet bear from the Alaska Road Commission camp days, who was so beloved the camp was named after him. Finally, some say it was the call sign for road crews checking conditions at the T-junction connecting Canada, Fairbanks and Anchorage. "Is the T ok?" "T ok." Eventually "T ok" was shortened to Tok. We don't know how Tok got its name, but we know it's a special place. Cleft of the Rock was opened in 1990. It is still going strong thanks to the serene locale and kind-hearted neighbors of Tok.
