The Alaska Highway and the Northwest Staging Route

Before the Second World War erupted in 1939, the United States was concerned about its ability to defend Alaska. There were already plans for a road through Canada to Alaska, with three routes proposed including one along the Pacific coast and another that would connect Dawson Creek to Fairbanks, Alaska.

The Alcan Highway, later renamed the Alaska Highway, followed the Northwest Staging Route, which was a line of airfields that was used to fly aircraft from the United States to Alaska. The airfields of the Northwest Staging Route were already in place in 1941.

The Northwest Staging Route was also planned before the war and included major airfields built in Grande Prairie, Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, Watson Lake, and Whitehorse. Once the airfields were in place the Northwest Staging Route played a critical role in the Lend-Lease Program that the United States had with Russia during the Second World War. It became the route for delivering military aircraft manufactured in North America to Russia for the war effort. The use of the Northwest Staging Route peaked in 1943 when about 450 aircraft were transferred to Russia each month using its airfields.

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 9 December 1941 and the United States joined the Allies in the war, the plans to rapidly construct the Alcan Highway were advanced. There was a fear that the Japanese could attack Alaska because of its poor defence at the time. A highway would allow the military to reach Alaska to defend it.

An agreement was reached between Canada and the United States that allowed for the massive movement of American troops and equipment north to start the construction of the 1,500 mile Alaska Highway. Construction was rapid, as the road was complete in October, eight months after it was started.

The Highway was a mud road in many places, with wet muskeg areas in which the trucks would become mired. Truck convoys using the road after it was first built could only travel around 30 miles a day. It would take about a week to travel from Dawson Creek to Whitehorse. The road was continuously upgraded, and by the time it was a functioning highway it had to be completely rebuilt.

In communities like Dawson Creek, which had a population at the time of fewer than 700, the arrival of 10,000 American troops to build the Alaska Highway was more than it could handle. There were not enough hotel rooms and the town well was run dry in a few days. The pipeline built by the Americans to supply fresh water from a lake went by the town and was of no benefit.

One of the most devastating events of the Alaska Highway construction occurred in February 1943 when a livery stable, which was used to store dynamite, exploded. About 20 people were killed and over 100 were injured. The downtown business area was devastated by the explosion and was eventually rebuilt by the Americans.

The Alaska Highway had a positive impact, as many from the Peace River country found regular work on the project. This was a welcome change for those who had been struggling during the Great Depression.

In 1946, Canada took possession of the Alaska Highway and had to invest heavily to improve it for public use. The Alaska Highway was completely open to public use in the early 1960s.

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