Learning About Historic Rancheria Lodge

There's nothing we like better than exploring a new campground when we arrive.  Located at Historic Mile 710 --

-- 120 kilometers east of Watson Lake, in the Yukon Territory --

-- Rancheria Lodge & Campsites is situated on the Rancheria River --

-- and boasts an interesting history.  In 1946, the British Yukon Navigation Company started a bus service from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Whitehorse, Yukon. The company financed the construction of four highway lodges along the route to provide gas for their trucks and busses and refreshments for passengers. The early highway lodges varied greatly in appearance. These included hastily converted army barrack buildings, stout two-story log structures and a framed wall tent for serving lunches.  Rancheria was one of the first lodges to open. The original lodge was constructed of logs.  As the business grew, the building was enlarged using materials salvaged from the nearby abandoned highway construction camp. This was common practice at a time when lumber was expensive and hard to come by.  The highway lodges served simple meals and offered sanctuary from severe weather and road conditions. Many of the early lodges were destroyed by fire, usually caused by wood heat, faulty wiring, or temperamental generators. Also, many lodges closed down as the road improved, and there was less need for frequent stopping places.

Rancheria is one of the few original Alaska Highway lodges still operating today.

To look at it, you wouldn't know it had such a storied history:

However, the campground had come with a favorable recommendation from our friends Duane and Jean Mathes, who live in Alaska, so we looked past the considerably ramshackle appearance and turned our attention to the campground itself:

The compound boasts a beautiful lake with mountain views, as well as picturesque, wooded sites along the Rancheria River:

Kathy found some interesting tanks to cuddle up to:

And Baxter found a Spring Trail for us to hike:

First, however, we had to warm up our coffee:

One of our first discoveries was a pile of what looked like lumber or palettes.  They were labelled "Core Boxes:

A closer inspection revealed that each of these wooden "boxes" had several round channels in which gravel, sand and rocks were filled.  We realized that they were core samples from gold mining activities - and there were stacks of these boxes all over the property!  The owner related to us that two mines lease portions of the property, which was originally one of the original construction camps for the crews working on the Alaska Highway, and then, when the road was completed, became a Provincial Park campground.  But, eventually, the campground went into private hands and is now owned by the family that operates the lodge.

The facility boasts a chalet-like cafe, which looks as if it would be very cozy in the winters, when we are told the temperatures have fallen to as low as MINUS 57F!

Because there are few facilities or services along this stretch of the Alaska Highway, the owners stay open all year and provide food, shelter and occasional rescue services for truckers and others that use the highway year-round.

The cafe boasts a rustic lounge complete with Elvis memorabilia and a resident moose:

We felt thoroughly at home.  After chatting with the owners for an hour or so, we tucked into a delicious dinner --

-- and put ourselves to bed, planning a grand hiking adventure the next day - ASSUMING that the rainy weather would give us a break.  But more on that in the next blog entry.