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Airport
Fort Nelson: Northern BC's Gateway to Alaska and
Yukon
by
Jerry W. Bird
There's
a land where the mountains are nameless
And the rivers all run God knows where.
There are lives that are erring and aimless
And deaths that just hang by a hair.
There are hardships that nobody reckons
There are valleys unpeopled and still.
There's a land - how it beckons and beckons
And I want to go back, and I will.
Robert W. Service
 Getting
there is often more than half the fun, especially
when you are traveling by highway in Canada's North
Country. Should you get behind an RV or a small
convoy of trucks loaded with logs or ore sacks,
keep your cool - I've been driving the Alaska
Highway since it officialy opened to the public -
and today's journey is a piece of cake compared to
our days of hairpin curves and hair raising
adventures. The steep grades and switchbacks at
Trutch and Steamboat Mountain were enough to
conjure up nightmares of the Arthur Hitchcock
variety, and I will never forget one midnight
dreary, when a huge evergreen tree fell in our path
uprooted by the fierce winds that whistel through
the Rocky Mountain Trench. I hope to cover that
epiosode someday soon.
 A
look at the map of BC and the Yukon Territory will
show you how strategically located Fort Nelson
really is, and the value of the airport to the
community and area.
I last visited Fort Nelson during the filming of
our Canadian Government sponsored video product
"Alaska Highway- the First 50 Years,", which
saluted the builders of the Pioneer Road, and
rekindled many memories for me, having been born in
the Yukon. The nearby Liard Hot Springs helped us
get rid of any road cramps and put back the spring
in our step. By the way, at Muncho Lake, which the
highway skirts for several miles, we encountered a
herd of Mountain Sheep who stubbornly held to the
center of the road and kept us amused for at least
20 minutes. BC scenes like our Muncho wildlife
parade are quite common in the area, so keep a
loaded camera handy at all times.
The local
hospitality was something else; Mavis Brown and her
husband were standouts for the hospitality they
showed us in their home, and for taking us to the
local interpretive center.
The
community's twice daily
Welcome
Visitors presentations
are well worth the time, as we got a feeling for
the area and its native culture.
Mavis' son
Earl Brown is a well known local photographer,
whose post cards you'll find at many roadside stops
along the way. We were also shown around the Alaska
Highway Museum, an attraction, where one could
easily spend day, with
its vintage cars, trucks and paraphernalia from the
Trail of '42. There's an old fashioned open top
mini car that we putted around in up and down the
highway like a couple of crazy school kids on a
romp.
My video script
spoke of how during World War II, Fort Nelson town
served as a vital link between Alaska and the
south. After the "highway" was built the community
expanded, as a realization of the area's vast
resources brought in the forestry and gas/oil
industries. Today, Fort Nelson is a modern,
thriving community of approximately 6000 people.
It's
always a happy return each time we stop at this
friendly northern community.
Air Highways
Magazine will be pleased to receive stories about
your travels in Fort Nelson and area.
From
Air Highways Journal
Fort Nelson,
named after Admiral Nelson, was established as a
fur trading post in 1805. Situated in the northeast
corner of the province the Fort Nelson- Liard
Regional District comprises 10% of the land mass of
British Columbia, with the town of Fort Nelson its
only municipality. Ribbed with thousands of miles
of rivers, dotted by hundreds of lakes and crowned
by the majestic Rocky Mountains, this vast 10% of
the province offers some of the most spectacular
scenery and abundance of wild life in North
America. The area is a world class resource base
for cross-country skiing, wildlife viewing,
photography, backpacking , wilderness canoeing and
a myriad of other activities. In addition, the Fort
Nelson region is famous for specialty pursuits such
as fly fishing and big game hunting.
The Fort Nelson
region has some of the most magnificent scenery and
landscapes in British Columbia. Eight provincial
parks are located here including Stone Mountain
Provincial Park (with Summit Lake and the famed
Wokkpash area )
Muncho Lake Provincial
Park (left) and Liard River Provincial Park, where
Liard Hot Springs harbors one of the world's most
unique ecosystems and year-round swimming. Fort
Nelson is located at Mile 300 on the Alaska
Highway, which was constructed by the United States
Army.
The economy is
based on natural resources but with an increasing
emphasis toward area services and tourism. In
addition to having the world famous "Alaska
Highway" as its main street, Fort Nelson is also
served by air and rail transportation. Local
landmarks of note are the World's largest
chopsticks plant, North America's largest gas
processing plant and one of the largest
plywood/sawmill/veneer plant operations in British
Columbia. Fort Nelson offers a wide range of
recreational and cultural amenities for such a
small community: a comprehensive library, a
community forest , a performing arts/ movie
theater, and a museum. In addition to a full
facility golf course, Fort Nelson has an indoor
pool, tennis courts and a multi-use recreation
complex which houses a curling rink/skating/hockey
arena and convention center.
Once the town
center, Old Fort Nelson is now an Indian
settlement. Willow, birch and fireweed have
swallowed up many of the settlement's abandoned
boats and buildings. Items relating to construction
of the highway can be seen at Fort Nelson
Historical Museum.
Fort Nelson offers
a Welcome Visitors Program of Alaska Highway travel
information four or five nights a week from June to
August.
INTERESTING THINGS
TO SEE:
Heritage
Museum
Community Forest
Welcome Visitor Program
Golf Course
Info Center
Town Square
Phoenix Theater
Travel Infocentre........
..See
our Airnews
Pages for
connections for a full list of
...Airport.
Profiles and Aviation
Information.
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