Steamboat mountain quite suddenly took the relatively flat British Columbia terrain and swept it into the sky. Soldiers had dealt with muskeg and rivers and forests of pine and spruce. Now Steamboat Mountain, towering three thousand feet above the surrounding valleys, introduced them to the Muskwa mountain range and the Northern Rockies.
Did the terrain take their breath away? Probably. But not for the same reason it takes yours or mine when we drive up Steamboat today.
The only route into the mountains went up Steamboat and the only way up Steamboat was around and around and endlessly up. Today a driver travelling up Steamboat climbs a 10 percent grade.
In 1942 the soldiers left a 25 percent grade.
The reward for climbing the immense mountain lies just a few miles beyond its peak. Beautiful Summit Lake lies at an even higher elevation than the top of Steamboat. The highest point on the Alaska Highway, the lake lies four thousand two hundred fifty feet above sea level.
The soldiers of the 35th Engineers celebrated July 4, 1942 at Summit Lake, Steamboat officially in the “rear view”.
A trucker named Cyril Griffith remembered driving that original road up Steamboat. Mud invariably covered the steep, crooked road and a trucker preparing to use it knew to be going as fast as possible when he started the climb. Even so, he would be in first gear within a few hundred yards, and he would crawl along in granny low for miles.
Worse than going up, going down created the pile of wrecks that littered the bottom mile and a half.
I been up Steamboat whet was it 26 miles to the Top up hill all the way 🤔
im impressed. I’ve never seen it at that grade.
Very interesting article, I have always wanted to go to Alaska but never got the chance.
Definitely needs to be on your bucket list.
I love This stuff,I find it so interesting.I was born in BC but live in NS.My parents had a farm just outside of a place called Pouce Coupe.This kind of history is so fantastic.Thankyou so much.
You are entirely welcome.