Marked For Home

Fairy Tales will tell you it is always good to be able to find your way home. Hansel and Gretel left markers of bread that were a great idea until they were consumed by wild animals. Consider the lesson learned because in the adult world, markers left to guide the way home are made with materials that will stand the test of time.
The Inuit people of the North built stone markers called Inuksuit to point out features important to their civilization. There were specialty ones as well, turaaqtilt, that were meant to point you home in the best direction. These Inuksuit can still be found dotting The Alaskan Highway speaking to you in an ancient form of communication for anyone still capable to read it.

For those who can no longer decipher their meaning, a more modern way of marking home was started by a U.S. Army soldier during construction of The Alaskan Highway during World War II. Carl K. Lindley posted a sign marking his home and travelers have been leaving their own signs in the town of Watson Lake ever since.

The Watson Lake Signpost Forest appears to be as dense with signs as the forests along the highway are with actual trees. The signs are markers to our civilization and how far we have spread. The travelers who have left the signs that now totals over 61,000 remind us that no matter where we go in the world, it is always important to remember where we’ve come from.