Alcan Highway
Alcan Highway
90 minutes - $24.95
DVD includes the three episodes described below.
Alcan Highway
30 minutes - 1975
Historic 1942 film of the Army Engineers' construction of the Alcan Highway is featured in this trip with Lynden Transport Incorporated on the 1500-mile Alcan Highway from Dawson Creek to Fairbanks, with stops at Fort Nelson, Watson Lake, Contact Creek, Whitehorse, ghost town Kluane, Beaver Creek and Tetlin Junction.
Here's an excerpt from the program, by writer/narrator Don McCune: “The Alcan Highway is the miracle road hacked out of the wilderness as a military expedient between Dawson Creek and the Interior of Alaska, when the Japanese invaders held the islands in the Aleutian chain. Faced with a land invasion through Alaska, the United States realized the need for an overland highway and a string of air bases to the arctic. It was started in March, three months after Pearl Harbor. The wilderness that up until then had been penetrated only by a few Indians or an occasional trapper, now resounded with the growl of crawler tractors and the roar of trucks. The objective was to punch a road through 1400 miles of the most rugged terrain on the continent and to do it as quickly as possible.
Plunging northward with all the reckless determination of a bull moose, the Alaska Highway is a strong taskmaster, especially for those who tackle it driving an eighteen-wheel truck. We'll ride along with them on a winter run over one of the most fascinating and dangerous highways in North America. Fueled by pipeline fever, the rush was on to the far north slope with cargo pouring in from the lower 48 states, creating what was to be the biggest shipping project in history.”Originally aired under the title “Eighteen Wheels North”.
Sourdough Rendezvous
30 minutes - 1972
Contestants from Yukon Territory and Alaska meet in Whitehorse in 1971 for sled dog races, backpacking contests, and sled-dog pulls to celebrate the coming of Spring. It's still an annual celebration.
Looking Back: The Life Of Don McCune
30 minutes - 1993
This KOMO-TV special, hosted by Dick Foley, looks at Don McCune's remarkable 50-year broadcast career with clips from The Captain Puget Show, Challenge and Exploration Northwest. Includes interviews of film crew and family, and some humorous out-takes from Exploration Northwest.
Even though Don had retired from KOMO 12 years earlier, KOMO TV produced this the week Don died in response to the flood of calls from fans.