Dawson Creek is a city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The municipality is 9.41 square miles and derives its name from the creek of the same name that runs through the community. The creek was named after George Mercer Dawson by a member of his land survey team when they passed through the area in August 1879. Once a small farming community, Dawson Creek became a regional centre when the western terminus of the Northern Alberta Railways was extended there in 1932. The community grew rapidly in 1942 as the US Army used the rail terminus as a transshipment point during construction of the Alaska Highway. In the 1950s, the city was connected to the interior of British Columbia via a highway and railway through the Rocky Mountains.

Dawson Creek is located in the dry and windy prairie land of the Peace River Country and has been called the "Capital of the Peace". It is also known as the "Mile 0 City", referring to its location at the southern end of the Alaska Highway.

The Alaska Highway begins at Mile 0 in Dawson Creek, BC. The first 613 miles of the Alaska Highway are in British Columbia, where it is designated BC Highway 97 North. The highway travels in a northwesterly direction to the Yukon border near Watson Lake, YT (Historical Mile 635). From there it continues as Yukon Highway 1, crossing 577 miles of Yukon to Port Alcan on the Alaska border. The Alaska Highway crosses into Alaska at Historical Mile 1221.8, where it becomes Alaska Route 2. From this international border, it is 200 miles to Delta Junction, AK (Historical Mile 1422), the official end of the Alaska Highway, and 298 miles to Fairbanks, the unofficial end of the highway, at Historical Mile 1520.

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

Below: Karen Duquette 2009

Below: 2016 photo

Below: The Two RV Gypsies at the entry to the Alaska Highway on June 11, 2016 - a rainy day

Below: Karen Duquette at the entry to the Alaska Highway on June 12, 2016 - better weather than yesterday.

Below: the plaque on the sign shown above and another nearby sign.

Mile 0 Post (1946): Designated by local artist, Ellis Gislasson for the Jaycees Junior Chamber of Commerce. The Mile 0 Post has become one of the most photographed markers on the Alaska Highway. There have been three Mile 0 Posts over the years with the first wooden Mile 0 Post being destroyed by a drunk driver, and the second was stolen by Halloween pranksters and replaced with an outhouse. This post was installed in the 1980s and is metal and is bolted into place. It flies the flags of Canada, the province of British Columbia, and the community of Dawson Creek.

Below: The grain elevator is the only survivor of eight elevators that used to dominate the community in both visual and economic terms. In its new life as the home of the Dawson Creek Art Gallery, the elevator continues to be an important part of the the town more than a half-century after being built. The elevator now standing in Dawson Creek was built in 1948 as Alberta Wheat Pool Elevator No. 2. The main tower is 35 feet square and 95 feet high. It's purpose was to collect grain from individual farmers, store it in a series of bins inside the elevator and an adjoining annex, and then to ship it out in bulk by rail.

By 1980, six of the eight elevators at Dawson Creek had been demolished. A member of the South Peace Art Society came up with the idea that if one could be saved it would make a unique art gallery. The "Save the Elevator Committee" was formed, and in October 1982 the Alberta Wheat Pool agreed to sell Elevator No. 2 to the city for $2. The catch was that it had to be moved off Wheat Pool property by November 30th.

The move began on November 19, 1982, and by November 26 everything was in place at the new site beside the original Northern Alberta Railway depot, now called NAR Park.

While moving the elevator was the most impressive part of the project, converting the elevator annex into an art gallery was no small feat either. The 12 grain bins inside were a structural part of the building, and extensive modifications, including the addition of supporting columns, were required. When finished, 1,000 square feet of studio space and 200 lineal feet of unique exhibition space were available to artists.

 The Dawson Creek Art Gallery opened on October 23, 1983. The exhibition space is a spiraling ramp that climbs about 30 feet. About fourteen exhibitions are presented annually. The two RV Gypsies enjoyed their tour of the art gallery.

NAR Park is also the location of the Visitor Information Centre, the Dawson Creek Museum, two gift shops and a cafe, and the location of the start of the Alaska Highway.

The mural map is part of the Alaska Highway Park Mural that is a pictorial view of life on the Alaskan Highway. The map is of the original route of the Alaska Highway that has some locations that no longer exist.