Alaska Highway - Dawson Creek, BC
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T0SHEA
N 55° 45.507 W 120° 13.720
10U E 673893 N 6182673
Dawson Creek, BC is where the Alaska Highway officially begins. It stretches for 2500 km (1570 miles) from Dawson Creek, BC to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon.
Waymark Code: WMK1FD
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 01/29/2014
Views: 6
Fear of a Japanese invasion during World War II is the reason this highway was built when it was. Built from 1942 to 1943, its original length was 1523 miles, but it is now 1,387 miles due to straightening and realigning over the years. The highway was officially opened on November 20, 1942 but wasn't completed until 1943. Completed in eight or nine months, depending on the source, it was a feat unequalled in modern roadbuilding, likely because 27,000 US Army engineers and civilians worked on the project.
Opened to the public in 1948 as a gravel road, the highway is now paved over its entire length. In peace time the highway has proved to be instrumental in opening the north to settlement and exploration.
One block north and a half block east at the
Dawson Creek Art Gallery is this informational sign:
Dawson Creek Historical Site
1879 During a search for a suitable rail route through the Rockies, Dr. George Mercer Dawson Led a survey party through the valley.
1898 - 1914 Fur Traders, Prospectors, Police, Survey Parties and Settlers came on foot, by Ox Team, or horse drawn vehicles, over the old trails to this area.
1929 - 1931 The railroad pressed through to its present site and the town buildings were moved to what is now the city of Dawson Creek.
The Famous Mile "0" Post Stands 1/2 Block West and One Block South
DAWSON CREEK MILE "0" ALASKA (ALCAN) HIGHWAY
At this spot in the spring of 1942 at the height of World War 2 the US Army engineers began the construction of the overland route to Alaska. Nine months later at a cost of over $140,000.000 the road was completed. This is a road construction feat unsurpassed in modern times. 11,000 troops & 16,000 civilians were employed in this project.
There are 133 bridges & 8,000 culverts embodied in the 1523 miles of gravel highway. The rattle and roar of the mighty bulldozers was a source of amazement to both the local white man and the Northern Indian.
Over this lifeline to the northwest, thousands of troops, food & war supplies have been transported. In more recent times the mighty H Bomb was known to travel this route. It was maintained by the Canadian Army until April 1964. Maintenance was then taken over by the Dept. of Public Works, Ottawa.
Mile 0 Post
The Mile 0 Post is located one block due south of the Station Museum in downtown Dawson Creek. The post symbolizes our designation as Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway. While downtown, spend some time and explore some of Dawson Creek’s unique stores and restaurants. Your photograph on the Mile 0 Post is a “must do” for a great take home memory!
From Tourism Dawson Creek