Alaska Hotel, Dawson Creek

Description

On the back of the card:

A “Deluxe Evolutionary” establishment!

55 paces south of the historic Mile Zero post that marks the beginning of the Alaska Highway, sat the most recognizable landmark in Dawson Creek, B.C. – the Alaska Hotel.
The original hotel, the “Dew Drop Inn,” opened in 1931, with six guest rooms. It was eventually expanded to 35 rooms when the U.S. Army came to the area to build the Alaska highway in 1942, before the city was officially formed in 1958. For some time, the Alaska Hotel housed the only pub in the area, and it was the popular spot for the soldiers to hang out.
The Alaska Hotel has been a social and cultural hub over the years, a place of feasting and fun, entertainment and art, music and dance, a meeting place where stories and memories abound, including the tradition of patrons stapling a bill to the wall with their signature on it to commemorate their visit.
From 1989 on, it was owned and operated by Heidi and Charles Kux-Kardos. The historic guesthouse, with its “famously flamboyant facade” holds a nostagic place in the hearts and minds of those who have lived in and visited Dawson Creek.
Mary Parslow painted this image of the Alaska Hotel in 2010 to celebrate this remarkable iconic building.
Sadly, the hotel burned to the ground September 14, 2012, leaving Dawson Creek residents teary eyed, but grateful for its history and contribution of character to their community.