Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 29, 1992 ~ Page AS ALASKA HIGHWAY: Diary of a fami This year’s 50th anniversary of the® Alaska’ Highway brought "back memories to a tat of people, -“One of those people is Aun . -'Fownes of Terrace. “>. With the Alaska Milepost mag- azine in hand, she and husband Alberta accompanied . by son “Rénald, daughter-in-law Anita “and grandchildren Sheryl, Lynn and Michael took the trip. * They began in Dawson Creek July 14,. 1973, turning off at Watson Lake and finishing in “Terrace. Below are excerpts of “diary kept by Anita Fownes. The Fownes Jr. and Sr. caravan ‘Jeft Dawson Creek July 14 at 9:15 ‘a.m.,.bound for the Alaska High- away, Mileage reading 70,334; gas 59 cents a gallon. “At Kledo. campsite, Mile 335, _ there were campsites aplenty so we set to making our chicken din- "mer It was only minutes before we chad four wooly black bears sniff- ing at our camper door. - With eight loaves of bread ina styrofoam container outside the door, one paw made short work of the corner of it and devoured wo. loaves. before a fellow camper shooed him away. July 17 “We camped at Wiebe’s Wild- “nemess Resort (near Muncho “ ‘\ Lake). The term ‘store’ in this part.of the country consists of a few: canned goods, milk at 65 cents a quart, hamburger (frozen) $1.45 a pound and the alternate of frozen wieners. In other words, “what they. can do without in the restaurant (hey will sell to the campers. 7 With eight loaves of bread in a styrofoam container outside the door, one bear paw. made short work of. _ the corner of it and devoured two loaves. a on had a shower for 75 cents and considers himself back into ~ the human race.’ - There ‘is relaxing time during . “the day, about an hour in the ‘morning and two in the afternoon unless the children want compa- n 7 ‘Bvenings I I sit in the trailer read- ing, while encouraging, coercing, - ‘threatening and pleading for the “> ‘three (children) to ‘‘go to sleep”. ~ July 19 “At the Liard Hotsprings. I would like to. submit to the ‘provincial government to send a toilet seat to the campsite for the ladies toilet as it is corroded ‘down to the rusty metal. The hotsprings are one-quarter mile along wooden planks over run-off and foliage. A land route became essential - and in March 1942, American ; troops and equipment began con- “struction of whal is now known as the Alaska Highway. “1s 1,645 miles long, starting in Dawson Creck and ending in Fairbanks, Alaska. The project look cight months, with crews meeting Nov. 20, 1942 at Contact Creek, British Columbia and at Beaver Creek in the Yukon. At construction peak of the single-lane highway, the project involved 11,500 troops, 7,500 civilian workers and 11,000 picces of equipment, There were 223 bridges buiit during original construction. , Along the way, the highway had an influence on the popula- tlon scattered along its length and by war THE FOWNES FAMILY of Ann and Albert Fownes, daughter in law Anita and grandchildren Sheryl, Michael and Lynn pause ata road sign. Their journey began July 14, 1973 in Dawson Creek and ended early the next month after turning south at Watson on the lifestyle of those who lived there before construction. The highway became the ‘re- sponsibility of civilian agencies ip Alaska and Canada following ‘construction. Many changes were made, eliminating dangerous clirves and other challenges. It’s now a popular tourist route and the route south from Watson Lake down Hwy37 joins up with Hwy16 at Kitwanga,. But the original stretch remains as lhe important connector be- tween Alaska, the Yukon and the test of North Aimerica. Lake to connect with Hwy37, Diary excerpts came from a trip journal kept by Anita Fownes and were provided by the Fownes family, as were the photographs. Historical in- formation courtesy Public Acknowledgements Works Canada, Alaska High- way Rendezvous ’92 (B.C.), Yukon Anniversaries Com- mission and the Alaska Divi- sion of Tourism, LETTERS TO THE TERRACE STANDARD Salmon not from ‘| hatchery Dear Sir: Regarding the article on Page A3 of The Terrace Standard, July 15, on native fisheries ‘and the fish wheel they are propos- ing to use.. Tt was stated they will be har- vesting pink and “‘hatchery- enhanced’’ sockeye, ‘There are no hatcheries on the Skeena system for sockeye salmon, If you are referring to the fish from the Babine area, these are reared naturally in man-made spawning channels, not in. a hatchery, There are two streams with these channels — Fulton River (the largest) and Pinkut or 15 Mile Creek. There used to be a hatchery on Babine Lake but it was abandoned many, many’ years ago. I believe a well run hatchery, free of bureaucratic bungling and managed by someone other than the fisheries depart- ment would work well on the Babine. Too often there is a surplus of spawning salmon for which there is no room in the chan- nels. The fish die in the lake without spawning. They could be trapped and the eggs put in hatcheries. This would mean more fish for the commercial, native and sports fisheries. ; Don Cooper Terrace, B.C, We want more but do less Dear Sir: . There was a time in Canada when people got ahead by working, harder, working SPARE oe He arg giving, ‘hag ahead Today Canadians ~~ ‘at least some — want more money for less work, and: more benefits for less effort and-concession. It seems that the pulp and paper people are going to in the cnd get something more: it would be foolhardy to think othervise, =. Let's take a look. Even if they get everything they ask for, what is the cost to the rest of us? I’ve heard that it is cost- ing us all something. Those who work in other industries which supply the pulp and paper indusiry, not to mention the rest of the people in B.C, who indirectly pick up the tab through = lost = government revenue. . It may be just another point of view to many, but a valid point of view nonetheless: Canada has not yet arrived ‘at lotal prosperity. I hope that it never will, When it does people will just keep wanting more and more for less and less. When that happens Cana- da will suffer the symptoms of such a disease. Not much un- like what we are seeing now!! Jobn Whitmore Terrace, B.C. About Letters The Terrace Standard wel- comtes letters to the editor, We ask that they be signed and a phone number be included. Letters are subject to editing Jor reasons of length and for are thrown away. ‘The Start is for people learning how to read, - Noise There is a new law at Lakelse Lake. Loud ‘parties will not be allowed. People who. live there say there is too much noise at night. The RCMP charge people. : Oo ‘The fine. can. be ‘$100 or it can be as. high as can now | | 8 000. It is that time of year again. Riverboat Days starts tomorrow night. There is a show of old cars at city hall. Opening ceremonies also p.m. on Saturday. -It takes place on Lakelse Ave. Have fun take. place then, The time is 7. Don’t forget the parade. The parade begins at 11 a.m. Are you hungry? There is a pancake breakfast. It takes’ place Saturday morning in the park by the library. And there are fireworks. This happens Friday night atilp.m. ° The fireworks will ZO. off: at Ferry Island. good taste. Unsigned letters} . ta a a te et