Watson Lake Signpost Forest

In 1984, Patrick and I took a trip to Alaska with my septuagenarian grandparents, Mae (Lydick) & Otto Norenberg.

Back in the 1970s, Grandpa started the long trek north, but had a medical emergency in Alberta. The trip was shortened when medical transport flew Grandpa back to the Mayo Clinic.

He and Grandma really wanted to get to Alaska, not just for the adventure, but to visit their daughter’s family in Anchorage, too.

Planning

During the cold months of winter, we planned our route, using The Milepost as our guide. Before the Internet, The Milepost was the essential planning handbook of mile-by-mile descriptions of amenities along the ALCAN (Alaska-Canada Highway). Even now, travelers swear by The Milepost because mobile phone service is often irregular.

We plotted the maximum number of miles we intended to drive each day.

The Milepost helped us to plan our fuel, our food and our fun.

Watson Lake

One of our intended stops was the Watson Lake Signpost Forest at mile 635. According to YukonInfo.com, the tradition of the Signpost Forest began during the Alaska Highway Project.

In 1942, a U.S. soldier recovered from an injury in Watson Lake. His commanding officer asked him to repair and erect the directional signposts. While completing the job, the soldier added a sign that indicated the direction and mileage to his hometown: Danville, Illinois.

Others followed suit and the trend caught on. Even today, visitors are encouraged to bring their hometown sign to Watson Lake.

Prior to our trip, Patrick carved a personalized sign for us to add to the “forest.” He used high-quality sign paint for durability.

Our Minnesota sign is balanced on top of the International Falls sign
Patrick & Karrie and Mae & Otto
June 17, 1984

Maybe we should have arranged ourselves as we were labeled on our sign:
Otto & Mae & Pat & Karrie

I wonder if our sign is still in the “forest.”
What was your longest car trip?
Did you ever vacation with your grandparents?