Sunday, 14 July
The Journey from Hinton, AB, to Grand Cache, AB
Overnight temperatures hovered in the high 30s, while daytime highs barely reached 60°F. Winds ranged from 9 to 21 mph, with afternoon gusts peaking at 28 mph.
We had to drive 284 miles to reach our next campground.
Shortly after leaving our campground, we turned north onto AB-40. The drive began in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, featuring rolling hills and lush forests. The highway wound through dense woodlands and open meadows, with elevated stretches offering sweeping views of distant mountain ranges. The terrain gradually became hillier, with scenic vistas showcasing the surrounding wilderness. As we neared Grande Cache, the landscape shifted to more rugged terrain, with higher elevations and breathtaking mountain views.
Grand Cache
We stopped 91 miles from Hinton at the Grande Cache Tourism & Interpretive Centre.
Grande Cache has a population of just over 3,000 people. It was created in the late 1960s to open the area for the development of coal mines, so it is highly dependent on the coal industry and experiences boom-bust cycles. In recent years, efforts have been made to diversify the economy with industries like a wood chip plant, a federal prison, and wilderness tourism.
The center had excellent exhibits and displays featuring the Ice Age, dinosaur tracks, Aboriginal heritage, fur trading, full animal mounts, tree and geological descriptions, and local industry. They had several old buildings outside, including some old lookouts. A small trail took us past various paintings highlighting important local historical events. There were also displays of a cache, a spirit house, and a Wickiup, a teepee made with wood.
Grand Cache, AB, to Grand Prairie, AB
Departing Grande Cache on AB-40, the highway traverses the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, characterized by rolling hills and dense boreal forests. The highway meanders through valleys and alongside rivers, with occasional elevation changes offering scenic vistas. This segment is known for its abundant wildlife, so we needed to remain vigilant for animals crossing the road.
As we progressed northward, the terrain gradually flattened, transitioning into the Peace Country’s agricultural landscapes. The dense forests give way to open fields and farmland, with expansive views of the horizon. Approaching Grande Prairie, the environment becomes more developed, with increased signs of human habitation and infrastructure.
Grand Prairie Tourist Information Center
We stopped to see the enormous 40-ft tall metallic sundial outside the Grand Prairie Tourist Information Center. After getting pictures and verifying that it was accurate, we went inside to find out that the museum had been moved to a different location. There was a gift shop with fun t-shirts and a dome at the top of some stairs that looked out at nothing.
Grande Prairie is the seventh-largest city in Alberta and Canada’s northernmost city with a population of 50,000 people. It was established in 1880 due to the fur trade war between the Hudson Bay Company and independent fur traders. In the Second World War, it was part of the Northwest Staging Route for the construction of the Alaska Highway and a major stopover point for military aircraft during the war.
Beaverlodge
In Grande Prairie, we took AB-43 north through rolling hills and open plains with a mix of agricultural land.
About 26 miles from Grand Prairie, we stopped to see the Giant Beaver Sculpture in Beaverlodge, Alberta, near their Cultural Centre.
The beaver is 18 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 10 feet high, sitting atop a 20-foot-long log. The sculpture weighs 3,000 pounds and was created with 90 gallons of polyurethane, approximately 13 gallons of paint, and 18 blocks of foam. The statue was unveiled on July 21, 2004, to celebrate Beaverlodge’s 75th anniversary of incorporation. It was officially named “Justin Beaver” in 2022.
Beaverlodge, AB, to Dawson Creek, BC
When we crossed into British Columbia, we transitioned to the Tupper Highway (BC-2) and Pacific Standard Time for the last 25 miles of our drive.
Mile 0 Campground
This campground is located at Mile 1.5 on the Alaska Highway and adjacent to the Walter Wright Pioneer Village, a Mist Park, and a Garden with a collection of historic farming equipment. The South Peace Historical Society manages all of these.
It was a basic campground with gravel roads and pads mixed with grass and gravel. The site was level side to side, making it easy to level the camper. There was a mix of seasonal campers and travelers.
Monday, 15 July
Breakfast
In the morning, the caravan met at a restaurant, where they bought our breakfast. The Dawson Creek Chamber of Commerce then gave us a presentation on Dawson Creek and the ALCAN highway.
Dawson Creek
After the presentation, we met at the Mile 0 signpost for a group picture. Once we were finished, we headed to the nearby Northern Alberta Railway (NAR) Park, which houses the Dawson Creek Art Gallery in an old grain elevator and Railway Station Museum.
We then walked around the old downtown area and saw murals and the Mile 0 Monument.
Old Kiskatinaw Bridge
We then drove to the Historic Kiskatinaw Bridge, located about 30 km north of Dawson Creek on a former alignment of the ALCAN highway.
The U.S. Public Roads Administration built it in 1942-1943 during the construction of the Alaska-Canada Highway. The bridge is a three-span, timber truss structure that spans 190 feet and sits 100 feet above the Kiskatinaw River. Approximately 500,000 board feet of creosoted British Columbia fir were used in its construction. Due to a large change in grade between the span the bridge covers, the bridge needed to curve nearly 90 degrees. The bridge was bypassed in 1978 because weight limits prevented some of the larger trucks that regularly used the highway from safely crossing it.
You can no longer drive across the bridge, but I could walk across it and take close-up pictures of the bridge and the river valley.
Pouce Coupe Historical Museum
After leaving the Kiskatinaw Bridge, we headed to the Pouce Coupe Historical Museum.
Established during the Klondike Gold Rush (1898), Pouce Coupe grew to be the service center for the region, with a federal government office in 1915 and a provincial government office in 1921. The first school opened in 1917, the Alberta Red Cross opened a hospital in 1921, and the Pouce Coupe Light and Power Co. was established in 1931. The Northern Alberta Railways had trouble procuring land near the city, so it was bypassed, and a station was built in 1931 in the nearby smaller village of Dawson Creek. In 1942, the population of Dawson City surpassed Pouce Coupe as the US Army unloaded thousands of men and construction materials to build the Alaska Highway. Businesses and offices moved to Dawson Creek, and today, Pouce Coupe is a small municipality that sits in the shadow of Dawson Creek.
When we arrived at the Pouce Couple Historical Museum, it was closed on Mondays. After walking outside the museum, a docent came out of the building and invited us to come in. He then gave us a guided tour of the museum that he was very evidently proud of. He had lived in the city all his life, so he could provide a first-person viewpoint of much of the history through hearsay or direct knowledge. We had not had a personal guide through a historical museum before, and he spent several hours walking through the various artifacts.
Pouce Trestle Bridge
He then has us follow him in our truck to the wooden trestle bridge that spans Bissette Creek southwest of town. There were no signs and limited parking at the corner of Railroad and Bissett. It was a 200-meter walk down a path to the bridge. A chain-link fence blocked access to the bridge, but we were able to get close enough to smell the timber. The Northern Alberta Railway built this massive bridge, which is no longer used, in 1930.
Walter Wright Pioneer Village
We visited the Walter Wright Pioneer Village when we returned to the campground. The village is a collection of original buildings carefully moved from the surrounding countryside and historic replicas that were painstakingly rebuilt. It The village was built to represent a street of pioneer days (1912-1945). Eleven historic buildings are on the site, including three schools, two churches, a blacksmith shop, and three pioneer log homes. To complete the picture, donations of artifacts, vintage vehicles, and farm machinery tell the story of the area’s first settlers. There is no admission cost, except donations, which are accepted. The South Peace Historical Society maintained the buildings and artifacts.
One of the buildings had a special exhibit on the Alaskan Highway.
Caravan Social Evens
The caravan had a social between 4 and 6 p.m. at Sudenten Hall near the Walter Wright Pioneer Village. Those with an even caravan number were supposed to bring a treat.
The Sudetens (for whom the hall was named) are a German-speaking ethnic group from the Sudeten Mountains region. Because of persecution in the early 1900s, three million of the 3.2 million Sudeten Germans were expelled, detained, murdered, or fled the country. Many came to Canada because it was the only country willing to accept so many refugees at one time. This building was one of the community centers built by the local Sudeten community.
It was donated to Pioneer Village in 1990 when they could no longer maintain it. Inside is a pictorial display, artifacts, and factual narrative about the Sudeten people, their history, and their culture. It is now used as a community space that is available for rent.