Table of Contents:
NOT SO ANCIENT
FAIRBANKS TODAY.
SHOULD SEE FAIRBANKS
OUTSIDE FAIRBANKS.
Fairbanks is the largest population center in Alaska’s interior. But it is large only in comparison. It is large via Alaskan standards. There are 95,000 residents in the whole borough, although, in the city limits, there are less than 32,000. So despite being big, it has a small-town feel.
Ancient Fairbanks.
Going back to around 14,000 B.C., groups began following animals (food) from Asia. But Asia is on the other side of the Pacific. Back then, Asia and North America were one body of land.
Some scientists believe the Bering Land Bridge was connecting Asia with North America at that time. Then, as the continents begin to drift, the land bridge sinks beneath the Chukchi and Bering Seas’ waters. Others believe that during the glacial epoch, the ocean levels fell enough to expose the land bridge. But most agree that the people of western Alaska and eastern Siberia have much in common biologically.
Some migrate south. Those remaining in the Alaska area break into different tribes. Eventually, there are distinct first people tribes. They include the Ancient Beringian, Alaskan Athabaskans, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eskimo, Iñupiat, Yupik, and Aleut.
Over the years, they acclimate to the climate and environment and develop their own cultures and languages.
“Alaska” comes from the Aleut word Alaxsxaq or Alyeska, which means the “mainland.”
Alaskan Athabaskans.
Signs indicate that the Athabaskans tribes were in the Fairbanks area. However, there is no known permanent Alaska Native settlement here. An archaeological site near the University of Alaska Fairbanks reveals a Native camp dating from 3,500 years ago. It appears to be on even older remains. The evidence points to this being a seasonal camp versus an established village. This is common for many of the tribes of early Alaska. Depending on the season, they would go where the food sources were. The cold winter temperatures would not lend themselves to any agriculture or even seed or berry gathering.
Just east of town, near Fort Wainwright, they have uncovered relics dating more than 10,000 years old. Arrowheads found in Fairbanks match similar ones found in Asia. This supports the belief that humans first came to North America via the Bering land bridge.
Not So Ancient
The area that will become Fairbanks will not see Europeans until circa 1901. An occasional fur trapper, but no Europeans on a large scale.
Not being on a coast accessible from seagoing ships, it remains unknown.
Even then, you could say they find it by accident. The steamboat Lavelle Young, while attempting to negotiate shallow water on the Chena River, runs aground. She was attempting a detour to the Tanana river heading for Tanara Crossing.
Gold prospectors working in the area north of the river see smoke from the steamer and investigate. In the group is Italian immigrant Felice Pedroni (AKA Felix Pedro) and his partner Tom Gilmore.
They meet one of the passengers, Captain E. T. Barnette, on his way to Tanana Crossing to set up a trading post. Tanara Crossing was where the trail from Valdez to Eagle, Alaska, on the Yukon River would cross the Tanara. An important route to the Goldfields of the Klondike. In 1899 the US Army began widening this local native and trader path. This allows stampeders easier passage to the Klondike.
Barnette was going to cash in on the prospectors and a potential railroad along the trail. However, having found traces of gold in the Fairbanks area, Felix Pedro has other ideas. He convinces Barnette to set up his trading post at this site. He also buys several months of supplies from Barnette.
A Town Begins.
Barnette has a trading post and a cabin built near the present-day First Avenue and Cushman Street site. He names it Chenoa City.
That winter, Barnette makes the acquaintance of district judge James Wickersham and befriends him. Wickersham convinces him that befriending a US Senator will help his business dealings. He suggests up-and-coming Indiana Governor Charles W. Fairbanks. Being the main source of money in Chenoa City, Barnette convinces the other settlers to change the name to Fairbanks.
There’s Gold in Them There Hills.
The following year, Felix Pedro finds the gold vein he was sure was there. Overnight, prospectors on the Valdez Trail detour to the settlement of Fairbanks. But, before they arrive, Barnette gets himself the job of recorder for the new Fairbanks Mining District. He will get a piece of many mines. Overnight there is a tent city, drift mines, dredges, and prospectors panning and sluicing.
With the mob of people came those who make a living off of mobs. Barnette’s monopoly on supplies booms. Saloons, boarding houses, and other services spring up.
Barnette has a busy 1903. First, he gets himself the position as the first postmaster of Fairbanks. Then he sells a majority stake in his store and opens up a bank. He also pressures his way into becoming the first mayor of Fairbanks. The port of Chena, south of Fairbanks on the Tanana River, begins receiving larger boats that cannot navigate the Chena.
Barnette’s buddy, James Wickersham, moves the seat of the Third Division court from Eagle to Fairbanks. He appoints his friend J. Tod Cowles as Fairbanks Justice of the Peace.
Senator Fairbanks becomes Teddy Roosevelt’s vice-president.
By 1905, Fairbanks is producing more than six million dollars in gold. (185 million in 2020 dollars.) The town boasts St Mathew’s church, a hospital, and a bridge across the Chena. The same year construction begins on the Tanana Mines Railway to shuttle supplies and miners between the goldfields and the port of Chena. Barnette buys the local paper.
The Winds Change.
In the summer of 1906, much of Fairbanks goes up in smoke. The same year, Barnette faces the first of several lawsuits that will come against him.
Circa 1910, Felix Pedro mysteriously drops dead. An autopsy years later indicates poisoning as the cause. The main suspect is his wife.
A year later, Bernette’s bank fails. He leaves town in the dark of night with $50,000. Although a judge in Los Angeles will find him innocent, he cannot return to Alaska.
In the same year, the gold from panning and slicing dries up. As a result, the Fairbanks and Alaska gold rush comes to an end.
Big Business.
In the 1920s, The Fairbanks Exploration Company arrives with big earth-moving machinery. Gold dredges will do the heavy digging for approximately 30 years until 1942’s World War. Estimates say the dredges uncovered more than 3.5 million ounces of gold during this time. Unfortunately, after the war, the gold industry did not bounce back. Workers could make better wages in other industries, so few mines could re-open. The few that did could only hold on until the late 1950s. Today, the machinery left behind are tourist attractions.
Fairbanks in the World War II.
Advances in aviation add a whole new angle to the second World War. With hostilities in China dating back to the 1930s, Congress establishes a Panama-Hawaii-Alaska defense triangle circa 1939. They would build naval bases at Sitka, Dutch Harbor, and Kodiak. 18 Large airfields, plus many support and emergency fields, would spring up between 1939 and 1942.
The Japanese bomb Alaska soil six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. They attack the U.S. Naval Operating Base at Dutch Harbor and U.S. Army Fort Mears in the Aleutian Islands. They also occupy some of the Aleutian Islands to the west.
Fairbank’s Ladd Army Airfield would play a major part in the war both in Europe and the Pacific Theater. Circa 1942, as part of the Lend-Lease program, the U.S.A. would pass more than 8,000 U.S. aircraft to Russia. The planes would fly to Fairbanks from different factories in the lower 48. From Fairbanks, Russian pilots would fly the planes to Siberia and Russia’s Western Front with Germany.
The Canol pipeline reaches from Canada’s Northern Territory to Whitehorse in the Yukon. Its mission is to supply oil to all the airplanes and warships. In 20 months, 25,000 men (and about 150 women) put in 1,800 miles of pipeline, finishing in 1944. Pipes would carry the oil to Fairbanks, Skagway, Haines, and Watson Lake from the Whitehorse refinery. With the end of the war in September 1945, they shut down the refinery.
Alaska Gets Colder.
With the beginning of the Cold War with Russia, the enemy is much closer to U.S. territory. Ladd Army Airfield earns early prominence in the war. It has existing supply lines along the Richardson Highway and the Alaska Railroad. By 1953 the 626-mile Haines-Fairbanks Pipeline is transporting petroleum products, including Jet fuel, from Haines, Alaska.
Many of the more than 10,000 servicemen and women assigned to Fairbanks would remain after World War II. Circa 1960, they rename Ladd Airfield as Fort Wainwright.
Fairbanks Today
Fairbanks certainly benefits from tourism, including cruise guests, even with an inland location. Many cruise guests book a pre or post-cruise land program, including Fairbanks. In the winter, guests worldwide come to spot the Northern Lights and see ice carving.
But tourism is not a leading industry in Fairbanks. Instead, the largest industries are Retail Trade, Health Care and Social Assistance, and Public Administration. Other industries include education, construction, and mining.
There are things to keep you busy in Fairbanks, especially in the warmer months. The January high is around 1°F. The June and July highs are in the low 70s.
The Tanana Chiefs Conference is a nonprofit organization representing member tribes of native communities throughout the Interior. Their programs include health clinics, public safety, education, and employment. Their services area is just slightly smaller than the size of Texas.
What is in Fairbanks for Me?
See and Hear.
Take a stroll along the Chena Riverwalk, which stretches from downtown to Pioneer Park. Here you will see many locals, many with dogs. The walk connects several parks. Keep your ears open for birds along the river.
Taste & Smell.
A walk around town offers many different eating and drinking opportunities. You may smell a smokehouse offering reindeer sausage or Alaskan salmon grilling over Alder wood. You may smell the products of the city’s craft breweries or local distilleries mixing with coffee roasting.
Feel.
Several blocks in downtown Fairbanks look like they have not changed since Alaska became a state in 1959. You only have to drive a few miles in any direction to be out in a green space. That means potential wildlife sightings.
Take a riverboat and hear about the old days. Learn about the old narrow gauge railroad, or just relax on a park bench.
There may be better ways to spend a day or two, but this one doesn’t suck.
Should-see Fairbanks.
Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center.
This is more than an information desk. It has local culture and exhibits. This is the best place to start your exploring. There are also National Park Service Rangers with information on
Moose Antler Arch.
Just outside the visitor’s center near the river is this arch consisting of more than 100 moose and caribou antlers. Think Instagram time.
Griffin Park.
Walk under the arch, and you are in Griffin Park. This green area (in summer) has several places to sit and relax or people watch.
Lend Lease Monument.
Inside Griffin Park, this statue depicts a Russian and American pilot circa WWII. They represent Fairbank’s strategic part in the Lend-Lease program during WWII. It was responsible for moving 8,000 aircraft and numerous other supplies to the eastern front from the Lower 48.
Chena River Viewpoint.
Also in Griffin park is one end of this pedestrian bridge over the Chena River. In the summer it offers views of the river. You can also watch the dogsleds race across the ice in February during the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.
Golden Heart Plaza.
This riverfront gathering place next to Griffin park features a clock tower and a statue of the Unknown First Family. It makes a great meeting place.
Chena Riverwalk.
This 3.5-mile paved path along the river is a great way to stretch the legs, possibly see some wildlife. Or use it to get from one place to the other. Stretching from Pioneer Park to downtown, it runs past the six sites listed above.
Fairbanks Ice Museum.
On second Avenue, a block from Golden Heart Plaza, is this unique Museum. Inside the old Lacey Street Theatre building, tour ice carving displays. An award-winning ice sculpturing artist also does demonstrations during the summer months.
Fairbanks Community Museum.
Just down 2nd Ave from the Ice Museum is this museum featuring artifacts from the city’s history, plus local exhibits. The building, now on the National Register of Historic Places, was Fairbanks City Hall until 1994.
Fairbanks Children’s Museum.
A 3-minute walk from the Community Museum is this interactive museum for the little ones. There are numerous hands-on exhibits to wear them down.
Pioneer Park Area.
This 44-acre city park is 8 minutes by car (40-mins walking) west of Golden Heart Plaza along the Chena. The park features many museums and displays depicting early Alaskan history. Park admission is free, but several sites within the park have admission fees. Some of the sites include:
S.S. Nenana Sternwheeler Riverboat.
The centerpiece of Pioneer Park is this 1933 sternwheel passenger boat. It is one of only three passenger sternwheelers still in the U.S. under steam power. Today, it is a National Historic Landmark. She was in use until 1955, carrying supplies and people into Alaska’s interior.
Pioneer Air Museum.
Also, in Pioneer Park, this is a should-visit for the flying enthusiast. The collection includes dozens of vintage planes and helicopters used in Alaska’s interior aviation history.
Pioneer Museum.
Another Pioneer Park museum, this one explores life on America’s last frontier. The collection includes artifacts and photos from Alaska’s early days. The Big Stampede Show is an audiovisual presentation telling the history and hardships through art.
Tanana Valley Railroad Museum.
Adjacent to the museums is this train museum celebrating the Tanana Valley Railroad and its history. Engine No.1, the oldest working steam engine from the railroad, is on display alongside other vintage vehicles. Short train rides take place on select days in the summer.
The Folk School Fairbanks.
This Pioneer Park school teaches classes in the disappearing folk arts. Woodworking, agricultural, textile, and other subjects are passing on traditional skills to new generations. In addition, a small store sells hand-made items.
Kitty Hensley House Museum.
Now a gift shop and visitors center in Pioneer Park, this is a traditional house from the early 1900s. The home museum includes many traditional artifacts from that period.
James Wickersham House.
Another house in the park is this one, the oldest home in Fairbanks, once belonging to Judge Wickersham. The house resides on the National Register of Historic Places and is managed by the Tanana-Yukon Historical Society.
Across the Chena.
Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum.
In the middle of Alaska’s interior is this fascinating transportation museum. Although they include photos and information on Alaska’s transportation history, this collection is international. The collection has more than 95 pre-World War II automobiles, with a minimum of 65 on display at all times. These include horseless carriages, steamers, speedsters, classics from the 30s, and more. In the summer months, you may see them driving about the grounds.
Friends of Creamers Field at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge.
This 2,200-acre bird sanctuary is a 10-minutes drive from downtown or 5-minutes from the Auto Museum. On the grounds once belonging to the Creamer family Dairy, since 1910, migratory waterfowl have been visiting. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game manages the area. The Friends of Creamer’s Field, a nonprofit organization, provides educational and interpretive programs. They also operate the Visitor’s Center in the original farmhouse. The spring migration begins in late April. The fall migration can begin in mid-August.
Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary.
Adjacent to the Creamer’s Field, this Wildlife Sanctuary is home to an impressive variety of local wildlife. You may spot more than 100 bird species, a variety of mammals, insects, and plants. In addition, there is a walking path with benches.
U.A. Museum of the North.
The museum collection on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus dates from the university’s charter of 1917. Today, the museum is the largest repository of artifacts and specimens from across Alaska. They include paleontological, ethnographic, and archaeological artifacts. The museum also includes an art gallery, gift shop, and temporary exhibits.
Georgeson Botanical Garden.
The 5-acre garden is on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Here students participate in various research and educational programs dealing with subarctic (high latitude) horticulture. The gardens are open to the public from Memorial to Labor Day.
Fairbanks Outside of Town.
Gold Dredge 8.
Today, Gold Dredge 8 is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and a National Engineering Landmark.
But between 1928 and 1959, it would be a non-stop workhorse uncovering buried veins of gold.
A replica of the Tanana Valley Railroad takes you from the visitors center to the dredge. A mining museum stop follows the dredge visit. The site is approximately 20 minutes north of town. I recommend hiring a car.
Trans-Alaska Pipeline Viewing Point.
Nearby the dredge is a pull-off from highway 2, where you can easily see a section of the pipeline. The pipeline runs 800 miles and is 4 feet in diameter. There are a few signs with more information.
Large Animal Research Station.
L.A.R.S. is a 134-acre research station and part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In addition to studying the behavior and domestication of muskoxen and reindeer, they also offer visits. Tours are daily in the summer and only a few days each week in the winter. Make reservations.
There are many other activities for tourists in Fairbanks. A modern sternwheel riverboat offers river cruises. Musher kennels offer dog cart tours as there is little snow for sleds in the summer. In addition, there is rafting, helicopter flights, visiting reindeer, fishing, and more.
Fairbanks in the Winter.
Aurora Borealis.
The Northern lights are actually taking place year-round. However, to see them, you need a dark, clear night. In June – August, when the majority of travelers visit, this is almost impossible. With sunrise around 3:00 am and sunset not until midnight, the sky never gets dark enough.
The “season” in Fairbanks takes place between mid-September and late April. Solar activity, which drives the color show, is historically high around the March Equinox. Around the autumnal equinox in late September, solar activity can kick up as well. On extremely clear nights, you can see the lights from Fairbanks. However, like stargazing, light “pollution” really dims the show. Either with a tour company or on your own, get out of town.
World Ice Art Championships – Ice Alaska.
This ice sculpting contest is the largest of its kind globally and attracts more than 100 sculptors from multiple countries. The contest has several competitions ranging from a single block to multiple block creations. Taking place over several weeks in March, it attracts large crowds.
Ice Art Park.
A very seasonal park for kids, during February and March, they have ice slides. There is also a Christmas drive-through during the holidays and sometimes summer events.
Dog Sledding.
If you want the “sledding experience” in the summer, you sit in a cart or find a glacier. Snow is not a problem in Fairbanks from the end of September until April. By October, they usually measure in feet, not inches. Unfortunately, the high temperature (before windchill) between December and February is usually below 6°F. There are several mushing operators near Fairbanks.
Yukon Quest.
Taking place every February, when weather conditions can be their worst, this international dog sledding race starts in Canada’s Yukon. Then, 10 to 16 days later (on average), it ends in Fairbanks 1000 miles via sled, to the west. In comparison, the Iditarod from Anchorage to Nome is in March and 60 miles shorter. Therefore, planning and reservations for this are essential months in advance.
Way Outside of Fairbanks.
Denali National Park and Preserve.
Denali is much closer to Fairbanks than Anchorage, and you can reach it by car in approximately 2+ hours. The Alaska Railroad also offers passenger service to the park, which takes approximately four hours each way. Once you reach the park, you must take the park’s tour via school-bus-like vehicles. Make reservations. The full-day programs can run for 8 hours or more. You may want to overnight the night before or after just outside the park’s entrance.
The Arctic from Fairbanks.
You can drive five hours each way to step foot in the Arctic Circle, approximately 198 miles to the north.
The Geographic North Pole is an additional 1650 miles from the Arctic Circle.
The town of Utqiaġvik (once known as Barrow) is a four-hour flight each way from Fairbanks. This is the most northern community in the United States. It is still 1,122 nautical miles south of the North Pole. Potential polar bear sightings can happen near Utqiaġvik in the spring and fall. There are other excursions to see Polar Bears along the Beaufort Sea. You can never guarantee wildlife sightings, and these trips are not for people with weak stomachs (planes, boats, bumpy terrain.)
North Pole Alaska.
This village, 12 miles outside of Fairbanks, has nothing to do with the arctic. However, there is a large holiday store (tour buses welcome), and you can send letters from Santa.
Fairbanks Summary.
Like every major town in Alaska, Fairbanks seems to be a gateway. Via train, plane, or car, it is the gateway to Alaska’s interior.
Unlike the “cruise” ports in S.E. Alaska who only have a five-month tourist season, Fairbanks receives guests year-round.
The winter season is 180 degrees from the summer season. The amazing Northern Lights, dog sledding competitions, and ice carving are nothing like summer’s transportation, museum, and natural beauty options.
So plan more than a day in Fairbanks and really see what it has to offer.