Page 87 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

ALASKA HWY 1, WATSON LAKE TO Watson Lake AK Hwy Interpretive Centre
WHITEHORSE & TOK, AK photo by:
VC Travel Guide

Watson Lake
Location: “Gateway to the Yukon” Milepost
635 just inside the Yukon border on the 60th
parallel; Junctions of Alaska Highway 1 and
Campbell Highway 4, near the junction of the
Stewart-Cassiar Highway and the B.C. border;
300 miles southeast of Whitehorse. Population:
Approximately 1,700. Visitor Information: The The Northern Lights Space and Science Centre is Visitors will find complete services available in
Alaska Highway Interpretive Centre in the a unique facility featuring the amazing phenomena Watson Lake. There are motel/hotels, campgrounds,
Watson Lake Recreation Centre; Email: vic. known as the Aurora Borealis. Boasting state-of-the- R.V. parks, restaurants, bakery and library with
watsonlake@gov.yk.ca. Chamber of Commerce: art panoramic video and surround-sound systems, the northern videos. And if cold lakes do not appeal, the
Watson Lake Chamber, PO Box 591, Watson Centre incorporates interactive displays explaining indoor heated pool located next to the Community
Lake, YT Y0A 1C0; Phone: (867) 536-8022; the science and folklore of the Northern Lights as Hall is open all summer. In addition, water fun can be
Email: wlchamberofcommerce@northwestel. well as the Canadian space program, which played had by all at the Lucky Lake Waterslide Park.
net; Website: www.watsonlakechamber.com. an important part in early aurora research. The Trout, grayling and northern pike abound in the
spectacular dancing colors are showcased in Yukon’s waters of southern Yukon. The public campground on
“Watson Lake Wye” began as a humble trading Northern Lights, a video that is broadcast in the Watson Lake has a boat launching area where visitors
post in the late 1890s and was named after Frank NLC’s domed 100-seat theatre daily throughout the can easily put-in for fine trout fishing, and for the
Watson, who trapped and prospected in the area. In summer season. During the winter season, Watson more ardent sports fishermen there are several fly-
l897 at the age of 14, Frank and his father set out Lake puts the Northern Lights Centre to good use in fishing lodges a short flight from the community.
for the Yukon in search of gold. Fighting their way for community events, space science education and Several big game outfitters are also headquartered
through unmapped country, they arrived on the upper movies. here. Local outfitters offer guided trips for hunting,
Liard River to the shores of Fish Lake, named by
the native Kaska Indians for its abundance of fish.
When his father returned to California in 1900, Frank
stayed behind to work their claims and later married
a Kaska woman. The lake retained his name when
construction began on the military airport in 1941 and
the Alaska Highway, completed in 1942.
Former trading posts in the region date back to the
early 19th century, but they didn’t endure. It wasn’t
until 1887 and the Cassiar Gold Rush, that a new
trading post and store was erected at the current site
of Lower Post, just south of Watson Lake.
Present day Watson Lake is the key transportation,
communications and distribution center for mining
and logging activities in southern Yukon, northern BC
and a portion of the Northwest Territories.
Watson Lake is well known for its famed collection
of signposts started by a homesick soldier while the
Alaska Highway was under construction. Through
the years, the “Signpost Forest” has grown to over
72,000 signs as tourists from around the world have
continued to erect signs from their hometowns.
Located in the Watson Lake Recreation Centre,
the Alaska Highway Interpretive Centre is the first
stop in the Yukon for northbound travelers. Besides
providing visitors with full information about the
Yukon, the Centre brings the fascinating history
of the Alaska Highway to life, beginning with its
construction. A series of photo murals and displays
and a three-projector audiovisual presentation
dramatizes the entire history in a unique way with
sound and visual effects. Stop in and say hello to
Rene, Trudy and Lelah! Open 8 AM to 8 PM mid-
May to mid-September.
In addition to the Alaska Highway Interpretive
Centre, the Recreation Centre features a community
hall, squash courts, fitness room, a youth centre,
bowling alley, hockey arena and curling club.

85