The Alaska Highway, Dawson Creek, BC

It wasn't until the bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941 the construction of a highway was deemed a military necessity to defend North America against the Japanese. 

The Alaska Highway formerly called the Alcan (Alaska-Canadian) Highway was officially authorized by President Roosevelt on February 11, 1942. Official construction began on March 8, 1942 and completed October 25, 1942.

The formal agreement between Canada and the U.S. stipulated that the U.S. pay for the entire construction of the highway. Also, the U.S. had to turn over the Canadian portion of the highway to the Canadian Government after the war ended. Canada furnished the right-of-way to the U.S., waived import duties, sales tax, income tax, and immigration regulations, and provided materials along the route.

The recruitment poster for the Alaska Highway Construction Project read:

Alaska Highway Quick Facts:

• 1,523 miles/2,450 km from Dawson Creek to Fairbanks
• 11,000 U.S. troops
• 16,000 American and Canadian civilians
• 7,000 pieces of equipment
• 133 bridges constructed
• 8,000+ culverts installed
• 8 months, 12 days to construct
• opened to the public in 1948
• over the years, road improvements have shortened the highway by approximately 35 miles/56 km

The Alaska Highway House which is adjacent to the Mile "0" Post is the best place to learn about the highway. The one hour documentary was narrated by men who actually worked on the road. They talked about the hardships they had to endure for 8 long months.

The Mile "0" Cairn marks the beginning of the Alaska Highway. The military surveyors placed their transit in this exact spot as they plotted the route the highway would take. All mileage along the Alaska Highway is measured from this very spot.

The world famous Mile "0" Post in the center of Dawson Creek attracts thousands of visitors each year. The first wooden "Mile 0 Post" was erected in 1942. In 1946 a drunk driver lost control of his vehicle, crashed into the post and broke it. The second the object of a prank was stolen and replaced with an outhouse. The third (and current) was erected in 1980 is made of steel and is bolted to the foundation. It flies the flags of our nation, the province, and the community.

The Surveyor Statue is a tribute to the thousands of men who arrived in Dawson Creek in the spring 0f 1942 to build the Alaska Highway. The Iron Surveyor stands as a reminder of the amazing feat and of those who lost their lives in the effort. Standing above the traffic circle, the surveyor points northwest along the once mud path now the paved road of the Alaska Highway.

The Highway Trencher worked on the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942. 

In 1982 the community recognized the value of preserving an iconic symbols of Dawson Creek’s agricultural heritage: the prairie grain elevator. In the late 1940s, there were 13 wooden grain elevators constructed in the Dawson Creek area. With improved technology, the 1960s became the beginning of the end of the once common structure. These elevators were replaced by two larger, modern elevators. In July 1982, the Alberta Wheat Pool agreed to sell to the city a 65,000-bushel elevator complete with a 45,000-bushel annex, a scale house and the office, all for $1.00; if it could be moved by November 30th, 1982. The job was completed by November 26, 1982. The elevator is now a world renowned Art Gallery.

A short 15 mile/25km drive north of Dawson Creek and just off the Alaska Highway is the wooden curved Kiskatinaw River Bridge. The bridge is an engineering marvel as it took as long to build as the whole Alaska Highway.

Kiskatinaw Bridge Quick Facts:

• Kiskatinaw means "cutbank" in Cree, one of the local Aboriginal languages
• approximately 500,000 board feet of creosoted British Columbia fir was used in the construction, shipped from coastal BC
• the bridge was destroyed early in construction by ice jams that broke loose and crushed it
• more than 100 men worked to build the bridge
• during construction, a workman slipped and fell to his death on the ice below
• a new bridge that bypassed the old Kiskatinaw Curved Bridge was built in 1978 when the highway was straightened

We are moving on so look for new adventures as we continue up the Alaska Highway and beyond.