Sign Post Forest

Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon, is a famous Alaska Highway roadside landmark made up of a vast, ever-growing collection of signposts contributed by travelers from their hometowns and journeys. It began in 1942 during highway construction when Private Carl K. Lindley of the 341st Engineers, assigned to repair a damaged directional sign while on light duty, added one for Danville, Illinois, marked 2,835 miles. Others soon copied the idea, and the site expanded into rows of posts and panels covering a couple of acres, with more than 100,000 signs. It also serves as a gathering place for travelers, reflecting northern road travel’s distance, ritual, and improvisation.

Yukon · Canada