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Dawson Creek is where the story of the Alaskan Highway begins.

On June 7, 1942, the Japanese invaded the Aleutian Islands at Attu, killing 25 American troops. The inhabitants of Attu and Kiska were relocated and interned until one year later the American troops retook the Aleutian Islands, killing most of the 2,300 Japanese troops in three weeks of fighting.

A joint endeavor by the U.S. and Canadian governments would build the military highway from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada, to Delta Junction, Alaska, United States of America. The purpose of this highway would be the defense of Alaska from Japanese invasion — a common interest of both countries since Canada would be next in line to fall should a Japanese invasion be successful.

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The Highway was started on March 9, 1942, and completed a remarkable 8 months and 12 days later, October 25, 1942. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held November 20, 1942, on Soldier’s Summit at Kluane Lake. The 1,528-mile road included 133 major bridges and more than 3000 culverts. The cost of construction was approximately $140 million U.S. wartime dollars.

Of course, we have to have our picture taken on this cool, windy day on June 9, 2011. We are now part of this great adventure.

In all of the historic pictures of Dawson Creek the old grain elevators stand out against the horizon. Today they are the large art gallery housing the work of local artists as well as photos from the 1942 construction days — a fascinating walk through time.

 

This Alaskan Highway is beginning to take on a personality of its own. Learning the history and what it took to create this artery has given me a new respect for this journey we are on.

The old railroad depot now has the duty of visitor’s center and museum. Back in the day, the stationmaster lived in the building with his family. One half of the building is the living quarters.

While the items are not all necessarily those of the stationmaster, they are all relevant to the time he lived in the depot. I think we had a television very much like the one in the corner of this picture.

The stove in the corner of the room would have played an important role in this house. Can’t you hear the quiet talk of the family gathered round the stove on a long, dark, cold winter’s night?

Here is a likely traveler waiting for the next train.

The office and communications room had some interesting old telephones, teletypes, and typewriters.

The kitchen is fascinating to me. There are many, many objects in this room that remind me of childhood.

Of course, we wouldn’t want to miss the picture of the Queen on the wall behind the couch. She looks so very young.

The Singer sewing machine would have been a very important piece of machinery.

This picture of Jessie and Alan Elliott looks very much like a picture my mom and dad had taken about the same era. Looking at this picture, you have to think this was an average, God-fearing family.

The other end of the old depot has been made into a wonderful museum. I don’t believe I have ever seen so many large stuffed animals and birds in one place before. The taxidermists in Canada must keep busy. We certainly have seen a lot of signs up offering the service.

The displays have been very well done.

Owls are some of my favorite birds. These are excellent specimens. Of course, I would prefer seeing them live in their own habitat, but that is not always possible, is it?

We have seen some golden eagles as well as a couple of bald eagles. They are pretty majestic.

This gives a good short version of the Alaskan Highway story. One thing that has happened since this was written is the entire highway is now paved except for possible construction zones.

The miniature house was captivating. The detail that went into it is so minute. The longer you look at it, the more things you see.

I would love to live in this log cabin! What a beautiful piece of work by Mrs. Ravelli.

The alleys, an area in most towns that is less than attractive, have all been painted with murals depicting the history of the town. What an interesting and captivating idea. The first one we discovered was the 1940′s Street Scene. It depicts the mixture of people and lifestyles that made up Dawson Creek at the time in 1942 when the first troop train arrived.

Across the alley from the 1940′s Street Scene are these murals in the windows of the existing building. Very clever.

The mural of Milepost 0 as it looked in the 40′s.

Milepost 0 today, June 9, 2011.

The Memory Lane Mural is an example of five of Dawson Creek’s historical businesses from the 1930′s and 40′s.

If this is what the children of this town looked like during that era, what evil lurked here? Does that smallest child not look like the oldest hag you have ever seen? Is the older child a girl or an adult transvestite?

Apparently the prices in this part of the world were more expensive even back then. When the rest of the world had five and dime stores, Dawson Creek had a nickel to a dollar store.

According to local lore, sometime in the 1930′s a moose was discovered in the livery stable where he was contentedly munching away on the grain on the stable floor and, according to the story, flirting with the mares in the stable. By mistake someone had locked him in. After someone opened the door, the moose casually wandered away.

Every town had to have a Ford dealer, didn’t it?

This is another example of making a window into a mural.

This would have to be my favorite store. Actually, I had an Uncle Ted, who ran a bakery; so maybe it comes naturally.

The Dew Drop Inn was a six-room hotel with a lobby and cafe. In 1942 the inn became licensed to sell alcohol. Are we surprised? The line into the 1940′s beer parlor stretched around the building. Customers were allowed in for one drink and then had to go to the end of the line. It operates today as the Alaska Hotel, holding the distinction of being the same type of business occupying the same building for the longest period of time.

These three panels depict scenes of construction along the Alaska Highway in 1942. This first panel has the map behind the truck, showing the magnitude of the project.

Many a truck turned over in trying to deliver its product. The trucks that turned over were either righted and able to move on or possibly ended up in the “dead truck dump” where their parts were used to keep other machinery running. Work on the road could not be delayed by broken trucks.

The 97th Army Corps Engineers, an African-American unit, did a substantial amount of work to make the Alaskan Highway a fact. They have received little recognition for their efforts. At the time there was still a vast number of people who believed that the black man was not capable of doing complex tasks. The 97th proved them very, very wrong.

Dawson Creek has been a very rich, educational experience. Neither Ed nor I had any idea of the history of this amazing piece of highway. We are looking forward to traveling across this 1,500 mile expanse while learning more about what it took to make it happen. I already stand in awe. Life is pretty darn wonderful when you have a road like this to travel.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 16th, 2011 at 15:57 and is filed under North by Northwest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.