The Alaska Highway Heritage Project Welcomes You! The Alaska Highway stretches 2,237 km north and northwest from the Peace River area near Dawson Creek, BC, through the Yukon capital of Whitehorse, and up to Delta Junction in Alaska. It crosses political and cultural boundaries as it passes through several ecological regions, near four provincial parks and […]
Read More
The Alaska Highway Heritage Project The Alaska Highway Corridor is a place rich in history, culture and heritage. First constructed in 1942, the Alaska Highway now serves as the major transportation corridor through northeastern British Columbia and Southern Yukon. It is a top destination for outdoor adventure and wildlife watching, and is known for its […]
Read More
History of the Alaska Highway Corridor The Alaska Highway Corridor crosses provincial, territorial, international and cultural boundaries as it winds through northern British Columbia, southern Yukon and up into Alaska. Its geography, geology, flora and fauna encompass arable lands at its south end and sub-Arctic conditions in the north. The human footprint in the Corridor […]
Read More
The Liard River Hot Springs are located within Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park, and are the second largest hot springs in Canada, and ranked among the top five hot springs in the country. Traditionally used by Athapaskan and Kaska peoples, the hot springs are still known as a gathering place for travellers to exchange stories.
By 1942, when the American military determined that a road was needed through northwestern Canada to Alaska, four proposed routes were considered. The route chosen in the end was an unofficial fifth proposed route that followed the already established Northwest Staging Route, a chain of airfields built through northwestern Canada.
The Second World War was a period of continuing racial prejudice. Many officers in the US Army believed that African Americans should be kept out of combat missions and should not congregate in bases located near American towns. This made the option of using African American men for highway construction in a remote area appealing to the military.
Two kilometres north of Teslin is the Teslin River Bridge that spans the Teslin River – a major Yukon river. The 446.95 m (1,466.4 foot) long cantilever bridge is the only original (PRA construction) steel bridge left on the southern Yukon stretch of the Alaska Highway.