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| Below: Northern Lights
RV Park is just outside of Dawson Creek. It had dirt and gravel roads and
spaces, satellite TV channels 3-14, free Wi-Fi, and 30 & 50 amp level
pull-throughs with full hook-ups. No washing of rigs or toads in sites,
and no generators allowed to run. |
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| Below: Dawson Creek
is known as Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway. It is located between 4 highways:
Alaska Highway 97 North; John Hart Highway 97 South; Highway 2 and Highway
49 to Alberta. The City is named after George Mercer Dawson a 19th century
railroad surveyor, geologist and anthropologist that was one of the very
first white men to travel through the area. |
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| Below: Pioneer Surveyor Statue - a scrap iron sculpture
pointing the way to Alaska. Surveyors were the first stage of the road,
setting out the path for construction crews. The statue's garments and equipment
are authentic to the 40's era. |
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Below: 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. The
first wooden Mile 0 Post was stolen by Halloween pranksters and replaced
with an outhouse. This post is now made of metal and is bolted into place. |
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Below: SIGNS ON LIGHTPOLES
IN DAWSON CREEK |
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| HISTORY:
Explosion block - Supper time February 13, 1943, a fire ignited 60 cases
of dynamite causing an explosion that rocked the area, destroyed the block
and shattered most of the windows in town. Five confirmed deaths, hundreds
of injuries, and a loss of $350,000 (1940 wartime dollars) for the buildings
destroyed. |
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When the Alaska Hotel (Dew Drop Inn)
was built in 1933, it was a 6-room hotel with a lobby and cafe. In 1942,
the inn became licensed to sell alcohol. The 1940's beer parlor was so
busy that lineups stretched around the building and customers were allowed
in for a drink and then forced to go out to the end of the line. Today
it holds the distinction of being the same type of business occupying
the same building for the longest period. |
| Below: Blue
Bird Hotel was one of 3 hotels in town in 1934. It was reminiscent
of the many small operations established by Chinese immigrants in prairie
towns during the era of the west being opened up. The original building
is still in use and is part of the Mile 0 Hotel. |
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Below:
Murals on Memory Lane gives minds the chance to wander back in time to
the Dawson Creek of the 1930's and 1940's. |
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The 5¢ to $1 Store was established in the early 1930's
and sold many varieties of dry goods. Shown in the window are gum balls
and toys. In 1942 in preparation of the troops arriving, this building became
the U.S. Army Quartermaster staff headquarters. |
The mural image of the
moose depicted in the livery stable of the Central Livery Barn below evolves
from an event from 1930's Dawson Creek folk lore. It caused a lot of excitement
the day it wandered into town. The moose was discovered in the livery
stable where he was contentedly munching the grain from the stable floor,
and flirting with the mares. By mistake, someone locked the critter in.
After being set free that evening, the moose casually wandered away. |
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Halverson's Beauty Salon's original building still stands
on its location at 925-103 Avenue and it is still a hairdressing shop. The
outlet was established in 1945 by Anne Halverson and remained open for business
until 1982. Anne was also well-known for her fabulous pioneer outfits that
she wore during Bonanza Days (now Dawson Creek's Fall Fair & Rodeo)
and other occasions. Because of her superb attire, someone nick-named her
Bonanza Bonnie and it stuck. |
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| At the end of the above alley is the main street
of Dawson Creek as it was in 1946. Many of these original
buildings (although renovated) are becoming permanent fixtures on Dawson
Creek's downtown street scene. The Mile 0 Post of today is slightly different
than the post shown here. The flags of the City of Dawson Creek, the Province
of British Columbia and Canada have been fastened to the top of the post;
and another Alaskan City, Delta Junction and its distance from Dawson Creek
has been acknowledged. |
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Note how neatly they painted
the pole and wire to match the mural. |
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| These murals depict scenes of the construction
of the Alaska Highway (1942) and show the formidable terrain that met the
men and machines building the highway. After 8 months of construction, the
road was officially opened on November 20, 1942 at Soldiers' Summit near
Kluane Lake in the Yukon. The ceremony was called the Sharing of the
Golden Scissors. Engraved golden scissors were used to cut a red, white
and blue ribbon to open the road. Then the scissors were broken apart; one
blade went to the American President and the other went to the Canadian
Prime Minister. |
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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. |
A mural giving a glimpse into some memorabilia
of a soldier's life.
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 2 real dogs driving a
Winnebago ?? LOL |
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