Camera: Nikon F801s     Lens: Sigma DL 4-5.6/75-300mm AF     Film: Kodak Ektachrome 100     Date: 03.09.1994

Old bridge over the Aishinik River near Haines Junction, Yukon

Sam McGee (yes, the one from Robert W. Service’s famous poem) and his partner, Gilbert Skelly, were road builders as well as prospectors. In 1903, they built a wagon road between Whitehorse and Kluane Lake. As part of the road building, they erected a simple wooden bridge over what was then known as Canyon Creek (today, the Aishihik River). The bridge was rebuilt in 1923 and in the 1940s the crossing was incorporated into the Alaska Highway. Because of the heavy traffic, a new bridge was eventually built 100m upriver. The old Aishihik River/Canyon Creek Bridge has since been restored by the Yukon government and retains a lot of original components from 1903.