A sad comment appeared on one of my posts last night. Aaron OrKaden wrote “Hey folks. Sadly, this great man just passed a few days ago. I’m honored to be one of his grandkids. He will be sadly missed.” The sad comment appeared on the following post about Aron’s grandpa, Marl Brown. Everyone who has driven the Alaska Highway during the past forty years, knows Marl. And they all know the world is a lesser place without him.
In 1957 the Canadian Army stationed Marl Brown on the Alaska Highway; put him to work fixing its new vehicles. But Marl fell in love with the old vehicles scattered along the road, rusted hulks with trees growing through them. The waste bothered him, so he devoted his life to rescuing them. Sixty odd years later you can visit Marl and his collection in his incredible British Columbia museum.
Fifteen years earlier soldiers and civilians, in a wartime emergency, had dug the Alaska Highway out of the mountains of British Columbia. They broke equipment doing that. And they didn’t have the luxury of time to make major repairs. When they couldn’t quickly put a bulldozer, grader, or truck back into service they simply shoved it out of the way and kept going.
Fifteen years later other men on the road saw junk, Marl saw historic treasure. In the 70’s he decided to collect it in a museum in Fort Nelson to share it with those who travelled the Alaska Highway. He founded the Fort Nelson Historical Society and they set about raising money to build a log building. It took time. To the horror of his wife, Marl even auctioned off his locally famous long beard—agreed to let the high bidder shave it.
The museum finally opened in 1987. Since then the town has moved its most historic buildings to the museum site—an Anglican Church, the old post office, a trapper’s cabin and a blacksmith shop. But pride of place goes to the old vehicles. Twenty-one automobiles sit in a car shed—two more than a century old and still running.
The Caterpillars and trucks from the Alaska Highway Project scatter among the buildings. The sight of them hammers home the immensity of the epic job they helped do.
The single most important attraction, though, is octogenarian Marl Brown. His Beard grew back snow white to match his shoulder length hair and he walks the site, answering question, charming and entertaining the thousands of visitors who pass through each summer, crossing the Alaska Highway off their Bucket Lists.
And then there’s his unique bicycle…
Following are other comments made on the original post.
- Jaime Pacheco says:
I spent 15 years in Fort Nelson, and had the privilege of knowing and befriending Marl Brown. He is quite a character. I spent many hours working on a 1920 Willys Overland with him, and since moving away, he is one of few people I miss. If you are planning to travel the Alaska Highway, the Fort Nelson Museum is a must-see. Marl will turn 88 in July, so go see him while you have the opportunity to sit and chat with the most photographed man on the Alaska Highway.
- Anonymous says:
My 1949 Ford Prefect found a very good home there, as Marl saw it and fell in love and took it home great place to visit.
- Anonymous says:
Wow, now thats a name I haven’t heard for 30 yrs. Not sure if he still has the log cabin museum, my ex partner helped him with it way back
- Anonymous says:
I definitely need to try and meet Marl Brown, before it is too late for me or him…!!!