WATSON LAKE – An unusual forest that has lured thousands of visitors to the town of Watson Lake has received official recognition as a Yukon Historic Site.

The forest consists of signs, not trees.

The origin of the attraction in southeast Yukon dates back to 1942 when a U.S. soldier from Danville, Ill., added his hometown sign to a mileage signpost during the construction of the Alaska Highway.

Since then, tourists from around the world have added more than 75,000 signs.

The Watson Lake Sign Post Forest is located at the junction of the Alaska Highway and the Robert Campbell Highway.

The town invites visitors to place their own signs in the forest.

“You can bring one or buy a board here and make it yourself at the visitor’s centre,” says a notice on the town’s website (http://bit.ly/1oaBafG). The centre, which offers a look at the history of the Alaska Highway, is open daily until mid-September.

At the historical designation ceremony June 5, the forest was lauded by Yukon Tourism Minister Mike Nixon as a “treasured landmark.”

Mayor Richard Durocher said the town plans to allow more space so the forest can grow and to invest in its upkeep.

Source: The Canadian Press