Cotter wore a bandana tied over his mouth and nose to protect from the spruce dust that was quickly gathering on his hands, arms and shoes as he dressed up the final section of the log before moving it with tractor-mounted hoist.

He's working this summer on cleaning and reassembling the logs into a small log cabin for Howard and Vel Shannon, owners and operators of the historic Buckinghorse River Lodge, located on the Alaska Highway halfway between Fort St. John, to the south, and Fort Nelson, to the north.

Since acquiring the remote facility 10 years ago, the Shannons have added several new log cabins to the historic operation, some which are rentals for long-term guests. But the cabin Cotter worked on this summer, which was originally constructed three years ago about 30 miles away, will eventually become the main residence for the couple, Howard Shannon said.

“When we bought the place, it was pretty run down. We've been building up the infrastructure,” he said.

That includes rebuilding after a fire two years ago consumed a 50-by-80-foot repair shop, which also housed the property's diesel-fired generator plant and other building materials and appliances that had been recently purchased for construction of new cabins and renovations to the existing lodge.

“Did you see that big pile of junk by the drive? That's where our shop was,” said Shannon, a soft-spoken man, who formerly worked as a mechanic in Fort St. John. “Two years later, we're just getting back to where we once were.”

That includes purchasing two new diesel-fired generators, each capable of producing 75 kilowatts of electricity at a time.

“We use one at a time, so we have a backup if one quits. Especially in the winter, we have about 25 minutes to get it back on before things start to freeze up.”

He misses having a large shop to pull vehicles into to work on, especially for stranded motorists traveling the Alaska Highway.

“I've helped change tires at minus 40, pull out a stuck truck. Whatever the time, we'll get up and go out,” he said.

Howard Shannon and his wife have worked to develop repeat clientele with the trucking industry that drives the Alaska Highway, focusing attention on the restaurant, which now provides about 60 percent of their business revenue.

“Look at the food,” he said, gesturing to a plate with a thick BLT sandwich and bowl of homemade clam chowder. “It's pretty well known through the U.S. and Canada as one of the better places to eat on the Alaska Highway. When we took over, about 40 guys were stopping here on a regular basis. Now it's about 1,600 truckers.”

The couple's business includes at least one building that was part of the original Buckinghorse River Lodge, first built in the 1940s during construction of the Alaska Highway. A bunkhouse that served as the barracks for Army workers now provides part of the restaurant's dining area.

“It has the original fir wood floor,” Shannon said. “We've tried to keep it as original as possible, but it's not very efficient to heat.”

In addition to the restaurant, limited lodging accommodations, fuel sales and gift shop, Buckinghorse River Lodge will soon have a RV park, Shannon said.