Auriol Range, Yukon Territory, Canada - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

Talk of a land route connecting the lower 48 states with the interior of Alaska began in the 1890s but it wasn’t until the United States became involved in World War II that such a route became an imperative. Within a few months of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor a road was authorized from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction, Alaska (a projected distance of approximately 1500 miles). Construction began in April of 1942 and the first convoy traversed the route in November of that same year.

The stamp design was based on a photograph taken in 1942 around the time the highway was completed. It shows a Dodge WC-10 half-ton Carryall rumbling down (or should I say up) the new road near the site of present-day Haines Junction. And you needed a high clearance, 4x4 type vehicle like the WC-10 to negotiate the road at that time as it was only a “pioneer” road, unpaved with lots of sharp curves and steep grades. Almost immediately improvements were made, removing the worst grades and most dangerous curves and applying a gravel surface where necessary. These improvements continued even after the war resulting in re-routing the road at certain points. One of the areas where there was substantial re-routing was the area around Haines Junction. Today the highway is paved from end to end and is suitable for the family sedan (though I did notice a few rough patches here and there).

There was another road built during the war which connected the Alcan Highway (as it was known then) to the port of Haines, Alaska, providing a link from the new highway to the Pacific Ocean through the coastal mountains. (This was meant to be an alternative to the railroad line between Skagway, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon.) A town grew up around the spot where the two roads met and became known, appropriately, as Haines Junction. Today Haines Junction boasts a population of over 500 and serves as the gateway to Kluane National Park in southwest Yukon.

The Auriol Range is actually part of Kluane National Park. Its highest peak (not visible on the stamp) is called Mount Martha Black. The peak that can be seen on the stamp is an unnamed 7874 ft. (2400 m) peak to the northwest of Mt. Martha Black. The closest you can come to the view on the stamp and still be on the Alaska Highway is in the center of Haines Junction.

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 30-May-1992 Denomination: 29 cents Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/04/2017 dzeih visited it