We spent a quiet day in Dawson Creek including a visit to the Visitor’s Center/Alaska Highway Museum at Mile 0 in town. The parking lot was full of both cars and pickups and RV’s as everyone checked out our route for the next few days. 
The demand for a road to Alaska started in the early 1900’s as local proponents promoted the impact of having such a road for the Northwest Territories and Alaska. Early supporters included Donald McDonald, a senior engineer with the Alaska Highway Commission and Slim Williams, a promoter who rode a dogsled team from Alaska to Washington to promote the State.Accelerated by the beginning od WWII construction on the 1522 mile primitive road began in March of 1942 and was completed 8 months later including over 100 bridges. Over 16,000 US Army and US and Canadian civilians worked feverishly to complete the road before winter set in to provide supplies for the military installations defending Alaska and Northern Canada. Civilian contractors continued working on a permanent road that was completed in late 1943. The highway remained under the control of the US army until the end of WWII and then was handed over to the Canadian Army who restricted its use to military traffic for several years. Opened to the public in 1948 it was finally paved and became a major civilian route in the 1970s.
Our day here included last minute shopping, lunch downtown, having a chip fixed in the CRV windshield that we picked up driving around Prince George, and replacing a battery cable on the motorhome. Hopefully everything is ready for the trip up the highway to Alaska.
The next stop will be Fort Nelson at Mile 282.7.
