Sign Post Forest - Watson Lake, Yukon
Posted by: linkys
N 60° 03.836 W 128° 42.899
9V E 515866 N 6658565
Direction and mileage sign in front of the visitors center at the famous "Sign Forest" on the Alaskan Highway.
Waymark Code: WM905T
Location: Yukon Territory, Canada
Date Posted: 06/07/2010
Views: 7
This direction and distance sign is representative of what came from the original sign post being repaired in 1942 by G.I. Carl K. Lindley who was working on the construction of the Alaska Highway. Homesick, he added his hometown to the post, other G.I.'s added theirs and the rest is history, having grown to a veritable forest of signs. While the Sign Forest sports signs of nearly every description, this sign post with arrows remains true to what started it all.
While this is certainly not the first use of direction and distance arrows on a post, the sign placed here in 1942 could, no doubt, be credited with popularizing them in their many different forms and often unique locations throughout the United States.
Historic significance: The original sign post was put up during the construction of the Alaska Highway and when a G.I. added his hometown to the arrows, it started what has eventually become a forest of signs and is now a world-wide recognized tourist attraction.
Location nearest to where you live now: Edmonton
Date placed: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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