Alaska and Yukon History Along the Highway

David W. Leonard is Project Historian—Northern Alberta, Historic Sites
and Archives Service, Alberta Community Development, the author of
Delayed Frontier: The Peace River Country to 1909, and the co-author of
The Lure of the Peace River Country: A Fost

In the follow-up to Alberta History Along the Highway, Ted Stone leaves
his more familiar territory of Alberta to explore two arteries central
to the history of northwest Canada: the Klondike Trail between Skagway
and Dawson City, and the Alaska Highway between Dawson Creek and
Fairbanks. Much has been published about both routes, so the reader
should not expect to encounter new historical information, insights, or
interpretations. Rather, Stone has concentrated on shaping existing
material into a useful historical guide for travelers along both
highways. It centres on points of interest found along the roadways,
with occasional glimpses into other roadways, such as the one to Kluane
Park. Thumbnail sketches and anecdotes spice the journeys.

Section 1 begins in Skagway, now somewhat restored and much-replicated
to emulate the ethos of the late 1890s. Stories of the Chilkoot Pass and
the White Pass Railway take readers through Montana Mountain and
Carcross to Whitehorse. From there we head northwest past Carmacks and
Pelly Crossing to the major restoration project of Dawson City, where
many of the colorful tales recounted by writers from Robert Service to
Pierre Berton are retold. Section 2 begins with “Mile 0” of the
Alaska Highway at Dawson Creek, and follows the now entirely paved road
for 2414 kilometres to its termination at Fairbanks. Stories about the
epic building of the road and its subsequent development are again
presented. At Whitehorse, the Alaska Highway intertwines with the
Klondike Trail; in this book, many of the stories about the Klondike
appear in the Alaska Highway section, and vice versa.

Alaska and Yukon Along the Highway is an interesting and useful, if not
detailed, guide for those wishing to explore Canada’s northwest.