“If you don’t know where you came from, you don’t know where you’re going,” said Anne Haycock, guardian of the South Peace History Society Railway Station Museum in Dawson Creek.
The building is the only structure in Dawson Creek that has been declared a heritage building, a fitting location to discuss Heritage Week, which runs until Feb. 24. The theme this year is Good Neighbours.
“Take the opportunity this Heritage Week to get out and learn more about our province's rich past and the contributions historic neighbours make to your community,” said minister of forests, lands and natural resource operations Steve Thomson.
“Our heritage isn’t the old. We’ve only been a city for 60 years but it’s so important that everybody remember where they came form and the people who worked so hard to get us where we are,” said Haycock.
In order to make sure that the community is aware of Dawson Creek’s history, The Peace Country Roots Group put up a display in the Alaska Highway House and the South Peace Historical Society will be educating community members of Dawson Creek on their heritage this weekend.
“This Saturday we were hoping to go to the [Dawson] mall … we just take all our stuff down there and just talk to the people and show pictures and ask questions and answer questions,” she explained.
Taking the time to learn the history of Dawson Creek also means remembering those who have spent their lives here.
“It honors the pioneers that are still here. We still have a fairly good component of population that have been living here all their lives and now we’re starting to get more and more people that were born here,” noted Haycock.
While there are parts of Dawson Creek’s heritage that are more famous than others, such as the building of the Alaska Highway, there are parts of Dawson Creek’s history that aren’t as well known.
“We’re trying to show the evolution of life here. It started out with trappers and a way of life out in the country and then formed the town and then we went through the war and the highway and then the 50’s and 60’s and now it’s a boom for us to have all this oil and gas stuff,” said Haycock.
