June 28, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
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Well, I have not been able to do too much biking in the Dawson Creek area over the last couple of days, so due to my quest for adventure I decided to take on some attractions that were under roof and were dry. This led me to a venture into a town yet unexplored (by myself) Tumbler Ridge, population of approximately 3300 and only an hour drive south of Dawson Creek.
First stop in Tumbler Ridge was the visitor center. They are a ‘mammoth’ of information on things to see and explore in the area. Unfortunately due to weather restrictions I was not able to partake in any of the outdoor activities that the community of Tumbler Ridge has to offer. Such outdoor-adventures suggested are, the Dinosaur Trackway Tours or one of the 23 developed hiking trails in the area which will escort you to waterfalls (Kinuso Falls), caves, lakes, panoramic views and fascinating historical/geological formations.
By suggestion of the tourist counselor, I headed to the Dinosaur Discovery Gallery which opened its doors to the public in 2007. WOW, did this place ever create a sense of falling back in time. It is hard to believe that the peaks of the mountains in the Tumbler Ridge area were once the bottom of the ocean. Or that dinosaurs once walked this terrain and the evidence is in the Dinosaur Trackway Tour. There really is so much to take in; a guided tour by a paleontology researcher is highly recommended. The museum has many other themes to offer the curious historian, such as railway exploration and mining even local sports hall of fame. Definitely this museum is a must see if you are in the Tumbler Ridge area!
So until next time and sunnier skies ahead, Happy Chains!
June 10, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
Find more information about Dawson Creek - Historic & Heritage Sites
Here is a fun and creative showing of the Pioneer Village. Corporal Dawson explores the village for visitors to get a taste of what to expect! Visitors to Dawson Creek should be sure to check out this great spot maintained by the South Peace Historical Society!
July 28, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
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View a larger image on flickr.com
Ever since I was a kid, I have loved to put on an old pair
of shoes, roll up my pant legs and wade in the water along the banks of a
river.
We recently took a day trip to the Peace River at the
Clayhurst Crossing 20 miles north of Dawson Creek. Our nephew was with us for the day of beachcombing and rock
skipping.
As usual, I took my walking stick; my dog and we got our
feet wet walking along the water's edge, poking around amongst the rocks and
driftwood. The boy found a great
fossil!
It was sitting there in plain sight. It looks like a big leaf on a piece of
shale rock.
The Peace River Region is well known as a rich deposit for
fossils from dinosaurs, plants and fish, and it's a common occurrence to find a
fossil left over from the time the dinosaurs walked the earth.
A trip to the Dinosaur Museum is definitely on the roster
for a next visit!
June 01, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
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View a larger image on flickr.com
Our friends from Cranbrook BC came up for a visit, and for something to do we took them for a tour around Dawson Creek.
The weather was great so we parked at the N.A.R. Park and did a walking tour. I love seeing our city through the eyes of a visitor. There are a lot of great things to see here and Dawson Creek is steeped in history.
We looked at the Mile O Cairn, which is the exact starting point of the Alaska Highway. It's where the original surveyor put his transit tool to begin.
We spent an hour in the Art Gallery. Our friends had never seen a grain elevator up close before. We wound our way up the inside ramp and enjoyed a beautiful tapestry show on display. We bought local honey and a few other crafts in the gift shop.
A short walk to check out all the artifacts and information in the museum that is housed in the original train station then grabbed a walking tour brochure at the Visitors Center and headed out to check out the historical sites and murals around town. Our friends really liked the way our city represents itself though art.
Of course, we all took turns having our photos taken in front of the Mile O Post. The cars were patient with us and someone even offered to take the photo so all of us could get in on it.
We topped off the morning adventure with a visit to the Alaska Highway House right in the center of town. Our friends really enjoyed that! Getting close up to an original Willy Jeep and seeing what life was really like during the building of the Alaska Highway is really interesting.
We have more family coming up later this year and I look forward to sharing the same with them! I'm proud to have so much to share.
April 13, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
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My Mom came to the Peace River Country as a young woman in 1939 with her family. They were political refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. She worked at the original Dawson Creek hospital.
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the leaders in Washington decided they needed to have a supply route to Alaska. They wanted it done in less than one year. They needed men and equipment and lots of both.
Mom remembered the
arrival of the US troops and Canadian civilians along with all the equipment that came to build the Alaska Highway in 1942. She said the quiet agricultural town burst at the seams overnight. There were soldiers and equipment and noise and mud everywhere.
My Dad was one of the civilians who came here as a young man to operate heavy equipment on the construction of the highway.
They met at a dance hall on a Friday night.
The Dawson Creek of that time meant a lot of things to a lot of people.
There are great original photographs of the period at the
Alaska Highway House downtown by the Mile "O" Post and also at the
Dawson Creek Art Gallery.
The
Sudetan Hall (original hall built by Mom's people, moved and restored) at
Pioneer Village also houses a great collection of original photos of the Czechoslovakia pre and post WWII as well as the building of a new community in a new land.
April 01, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
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View a larger image on flickr.com
My Dad came to Dawson Creek to work on the
Alaska Highway as a civilian in 1942. He operated heavy equipment along side the American soldiers.
In what was one of the earliest and coldest autumns ever recorded, Dad said the equipment took a real beating that year. The temperatures froze lubricants, seized transmissions and snapped axels. Equipment had to be kept running 24 hours a day, shutting them off was out of the question.
Wrecked and abandoned vehicles were a common sight on the sides of the road as it grew in miles. The combination of the brutal cold weather conditions and the scarcity of spare parts meant many were left to rust where they broke down.
A lot of the creeks that had to be crossed were swift water and resisted freezing even in the harsh cold. Often rushing through the interior of the smaller vehicles, cold water drenched men and steel alike. The underside of any vehicles that crossed became immediately ice coated and had to be kept moving or else the ice would lock the wheels within seconds of standing still.
The cold temperatures not only froze the equipment, it brutalized the men too. Dad said one of his friends froze to death alone when his bulldozer broke down and no help was available. Many of the men who worked the road experienced frostbite that year.
When you travel the highway you will see the rusting relics of the abandoned equipment. It's a fitting tribute to the effort it took to build the Alaska Highway.
March 26, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
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My mother always said the best things in life are free.
Dawson Creek, the Mile "O" City, has a many ways to have fun without having to spend a lot of money.
Here are my personal favorite free things to do in Dawson Creek
all while you are parked at the N.A.R. ParkSelf-Guided Historic Walking TourPick up a copy of the complimentary walking tour brochure while you are at the Visitor's Center in the N.A.R. Park. Put on your comfortable shoes, grab your camera and stretch your legs while checking out Dawson Creek's Pioneer and World War II history. Follow the map and enjoy the murals and original photos posted all around town.
Art GalleryA visit to our city isn't complete without a stroll up, up, up inside an actual grain elevator annex that has been renovated to a unique Art Gallery. Dawson Creek has a strong art community and there are year round exhibitions. Make sure you check out the gift shop and the many original photos of the building of the Alaska Highway in the back stairwell.
Railway Station MuseumI take all our visitors to the museum. It's in the original Northern Alberta Railway Station, which played an important role in the history of Dawson Creek. It's filled with artifacts and memorabilia and a great way to spend an hour or so of time.
Alaska Highway House Interpretive CenterThis is my favorite place to take our visitors. I learn something new each time I go. This is a top-drawer adventure. A real WWII Willy Jeep, scale models and artifacts from the building of the Alaska Highway, original photos from the period and a kiosk in an RV to record video messages.
Hope you enjoy these adventures when you come!
March 08, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
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Sixty years ago, you could build a 54 room hotel for the same amount as a modest single family dwelling today.
The Windsor Hotel was a Dawson Creek landmark for 54 years. Built in 1951 at a cost of $250,000.00 the hotel had 54 rooms, a modern dining room, 2 beer parlors (one for "Men Only" and the other for "Ladies and Escorts"), a 250 seat banquet room, and room rental rates that were $2.50 a single, to $6.00 a double occupancy per night.
A hard liquor lounge was added later as it was illegal in BC during the time of the original plan.
As years passed, the 'Windsor' became a favorite spot for locals. Most of the city had probably walked through the lobby at one time or another.
Sadly, this grand Dawson Creek landmark endured years of hard times, delinquent property taxes and disrepair. The hotel was taken over by the City of Dawson Creek and unable to find a buyer, it was demolished in 2005. The whole town watched the demolition and remembered the hotel's better days.
Today a grassy lot sits on the corner where once stood the grand old Windsor Hotel, waiting for it's next occupant and new story to tell.
This is only one of the many colorful stories told in the Self Guided Historic Walking Tour Guide available at the Dawson Creek Visitors Center in the N.A.R. Park. Make sure you pick up your copy when you come to visit.
March 01, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
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View a larger image on flickr.com
When the United States Military Surveyors came to Dawson Creek in 1941 to decide how to build the World Famous Alaska Highway they stood at the exact spot of the Mile 'O' Cairn.
1500 miles of road had to be built/punched through rough and rugged wilderness of Northern Canada and Alaska, and it had to start somewhere.
The cairn was erected to commemorate the astonishing feat and all points along the highway are measured from there.
There is plenty of parking for your RVs and the cairn is part of the N.A.R. on Alaska Avenue park which boasts our museum and art gallery. This is another popular tourist destination... you can feel the history.
When you come to Dawson Creek, take a break, turn off the engine, grab your camera and put your walking shoes on... there is so much to take in. This is a friendly city, we roll out the welcome mat for you.
Make sure you ask someone to take your picture by the cairn and touch a piece of history.
February 26, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
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View a larger image on flickr.com
Anyone who lives here in Dawson Creek is used to driving carefully through downtown so as not to run over the frequent tourists jaywalking into the middle of the intersection to have their photo taken on our world famous Mile O Post.
Its quite common to see local residents offering to take the photo so that everyone gets in the picture. I wonder how many photos of our post exist... Do you have one?
The Mile O Post is one of the most recognizable and frequently photographed landmarks in the country. It symbolizes the beginning of the Alaska Highway and lists the distances to major destinations along the highway in miles.
- Fort St. John 48
- Fort Nelson 300
- Whitehorse 918
- Delta Junction 1398
- Fairbanks 1523
The original post sat a couple of blocks away at the traffic circle, but apparently someone ran into it in 1946 so it was replaced and moved to the center of town especially for visitors to our community.
Make sure you touch a piece of history when you come to Dawson Creek and have your picture taken at the Mile "O" Post. Don't hesitate to ask one of us to take the photo, we're always glad to do it.
"Rolling out the red carpet..."