Wikipedia:Today's featured article/April 17, 2008



Dawson Creek is a small city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. It covers an area of 20.66 km2 with a 2006 population of 11,615 people. Dubbed "The Capital of the Peace", it is a service centre for the rural areas south of the Peace River and the seat of the Peace River Regional District. Dawson Creek turned from a small farming community to a regional centre when the western terminus of the Northern Alberta Railways was extended there in 1932, and the US Army used that terminus as a transshipment point in 1942 during the construction of the Alaska Highway. Most of the city's development occurred between 1942 and 1966 when highways and railways were built connecting the farming area of the Peace River Country to the rest of BC through Dawson Creek. Dawson Creek derived its name from the creek of the same name that runs through the city. The creek was named after George Mercer Dawson by a member of his land survey team when they passed through the area in August 1879. The city, at the southern end of the Alaska Highway, is known as the "Mile 0 City" and is also home to a regional fall fair and heritage interpretation village. (more...)

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