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50Barnette Founded Fairbanks, but Gold Brought the People<!--mstheme--></font><!--mstheme--></i><!--mstheme--></b></h2> 51 <p><font color="#666600" size="5"><b><i>Captain Barnette</i></b></font><br> 52 Captain E.T. Barnette's goal in 1901 was to set up a 53 trading post in Tanacross, where the Tanana River crossed the Valdez-Eagle trail. But on 54 the way, he wrecked his own boat and was stranded at the village of St. Michael on the 55 west coast of Alaska. He persuaded the captain of the steamer Lavelle Young to take him 56 further up the Tanana River. Shallow water forced the boat up the Chena River. </p> 57 <p> 58 <img src="images/lavelle.gif" alt="LaVelle Young Sternwheeler" align="right" border="0" width="441" height="200">[<b><font 59 face="Arial" size="2">This photo of the LaVelle Young, from the 60 Erskine Collection, is courtesy of the<br> 61 UAF Archives.]</font></b></p> 62 <p>When (about seven miles from its mouth at the Tanana) the water 63 became too shallow, Barnette was deposited onto a high spot on the riverbank. It was 64 August, 1901, and the trading post became Fairbanks.</p> 65 <p><a href="felix-pedro.htm">Felix Pedro</a> and Tom Gilmore, miners in the 66 hills north of town, saw the smoke from the LaVelle Young and walked in. 67 It 68 was meeting the miners and learning that there were other prospectors in the area that 69 persuaded Captain Barnette to set up a trading post where he was until he could move his 70 goods to Tanacross, his original destination. </p> 71 <p>He never did move to Tanacross. Earlier that year Barnette had 72 promised <a href="judge-wickersham.htm">Federal Judge James Wickersham</a> 73 that he 74 would call the new settlement Fairbanks, in honor of Charles Fairbanks, a 75 Republican senator from Indiana whom the judge greatly admired. In return, Wickersham, who 76 was the most powerful government official in 300,000 square miles, promised to help 77 Barnette succeed.</p> 78 <p>Captain and Mrs. E.T. Barnette's trading post and home were the 79 first non-Native buildings in Fairbanks. The Trading Post formed the nucleus of early 80 Fairbanks, extending from First to Third avenues, and from Cushman to Cowles.</p> 81 <p><a name="gold"></a><font color="#666600" size="5"><b><i>Gold is Discovered</i></b></font><br> 82 In 1902, a year later, word of the gold in creeks around 83 Fairbanks started a stampede. <a href="felix-pedro.htm">Felix Pedro</a> 84 is 85 credited with that discovery. It was only the first explosion in a long 86 history of booms and busts in Fairbanks. Gold-seekers poured in and threw up homes and 87 businesses.</p> 88 <p>Wickersham kept his promise to Captain Barnette in April of 1903, when he decided 89 to build his government offices in Fairbanks. By November 1903, Fairbanks was an 90 incorporated city and Barnette was its first mayor.</p> 91 <p>The discovery of gold came 35 years after Alaska was purchased by the United States 92 from Russia for $7.2 million, but it was another 57 years before Alaska became a state.</p> 93 <p>Since the 1902 gold rush, Fairbanks has grown and been altered by many things - 94 chief among these war, effects of military spending and construction (including the Alaska 95 Highway and the Alaska Railroad), Statehood, a devastating flood, the discovery of oil and 96 the building of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.</p> 97 <p>Fairbanks survived food shortages in the winters of 1902 and 1903, a flood in 1905, 98 and a fire that wiped out downtown in 1906. Each time, the pioneer spirit and 99 determination of Fairbanks' settlers rebuilt the city, improving it each time.</p> 100 <p>
100By 1905, gold production had risen to $6,000,000 a year. Fairbanks had electricity 101 and sewer service, a powerplant, a three-story skyscraper, saloons, stores, police and 102 fire protection, and a thriving "Red Light" district.</p> 103 <p>One important historic building is <a href="episcopal-church.htm">St. 104 Matthew's Episcopal Church</a> which was built in 1905 along with a hospital--the 105 first in Fairbanks--which admitted its first patients in 1904. When the church burned in 106 1947, it was replaced with the current simple, log building patterned after the original. 107 Today, St. Matthew's also is owner of the historic Kellum house just east of the church.</p> 108 <p>Fairbanks' early development peaked around 1906-1909, and the population was about 109 5,000. By then, the town had four churches, a school, three banks, and two hospitals. Five 110 buildings in the 1100 block of First Avenue date from this time.</p> 111 <p>The <a href="masonic-temple.htm">Masonic Temple</a> was built by The 112 Tanana Commercial Co. in 1906 and sold to the local Masons in 1908 for a meeting hall. 113 (Fraternal organizations were popular in early Fairbanks). It was remodeled 114 extensively in 1916. The current false front looks very much as it did in 115 1916. </p> 116 <p><a name="wood"></a>The R.C. Wood house at 927 First Avenue is one of the oldest 117 homes remaining in Fairbanks. Banker R.C. Wood built it in 1908, and, although more recent 118 owners added onto the house, it has been well maintained. It is an example of an early 119 frame, rather than log, home.</p> 120 <p>The <a href="thomas-memorial-library.htm">George C. Thomas Memorial Library</a> is 121 another important feature on First Avenue, and dates to 1909. This was Fairbanks' only 122 public library for 68 years, until 1977 when the collection was moved to the newly built 123 modern Noel Wien Library.</p> 124 <p>As early Fairbanks grew along First Avenue, it was also growing down Cushman 125 Street. Near the corner of Cushman and Fourth Avenue stood <a href="palace-saloon.htm">The 126 Palace Hotel</a>, which has since been moved to Alaskaland.</p> 127 <p>Dates on this building are murky. Historical societies in Fairbanks date the hotel 128 from "as early as 1910 at its Cushman location, next door to Harry Cribb's hardware 129 and building materials store." But state that the hotel survived "in nearly its 130 original condition" the fire of 1906, that destroyed most of the downtown buildings.</p> 131 <p>The Palace Hotel is an example of commercial buildings in early downtown Fairbanks. 132 It is a simple, symmetrical structure of peeled logs chinked with cement and has different 133 window types throughout. It is thought that the windows were installed hurriedly at the 134 end of the building season, using left over windows from Harry Cribb's shop.</p> 135 <p>It was renamed the Chena Hotel in 1957, and in 1967 was moved to Alaskaland. Today, 136 many of the old Fairbanks buildings rest at the park and all are owned by the Fairbanks 137 North Star Borough.</p> 138 <p><font color="#666600" size="5"><i><b>Early Mining in Fairbanks</b></i></font><br> 139 Fairbanks survived as a mining town when others 140 disappeared, in part because of how hard it was to remove gold from the ground.</p> 141 <p>Early miners cut trees to build fires to thaw the ground, but in just a few years, 142 the trees were gone and miners ran into bedrock. In 1908 there were 18,500 people in the 143 Fairbanks mining district. By 1920 the town's population had shrunk to 1,100.</p> 144 <p>Mining revived when the F.E. Co. began <a href="gold-dredges.htm">dredge mining</a>, 145 something that required more capital than individual miners could afford. Until World War 146 II, mining remained an important industry .</p> 147 <p>War meant jobs and activity for Fairbanks. The military constructed airfields, 148 roads and communication systems. That meant construction and other jobs for local 149 residents, and sales for merchants. <a href="fort-wainwright.htm">Ladd Air Force Base</a>, 150 begun as a cold weather testing station (and later turned into an army post and renamed 151 <a href="fort-wainwright.htm">Fort Wainwright</a>) took on new roles.</p> 152 <p>The Cold War era brought renewed defense spending in Alaska as radar systems and 153 missile sites were installed and bases and posts expanded.</p> 154 <p>Alaska became a state in 1959, but began as a poor state. In Interior Alaska, 155 two-thirds of the labor force was employed by government in one form or another.</p> 156 <p><font color="#666600" size="5"><i><b>Flood Inundates Fairbanks</b></i></font><br> 157 The waters of the Chena River overflowed in 1967, flooding 158 Fairbanks. The disaster, in some ways, was an economic boon. Federal aid 159 helped businesses rebuild and residents received low-interest financing to restore their 160 homes or build new ones. Many homeowners found themselves with better furnishings than 161 they had before the flood!</p> 162 <p>The 1968 Prudhoe Bay oil lease sale brought the<img src="images/pipeline.gif" alt="Trans Alaska Pipeline " align="right" border="0" WIDTH="208" HEIGHT="142"> young 163 state its first riches. Pipeline construction and other oil-related activities swelled the 164 population with workers seeking wages of up to $1500 a week, and the population swelled to
165 74,000 people in the Fairbanks North Star Borough.</p> 166 <p>By 1978, it was bust time again. A recession triggered by the oil crash followed. 167 One quarter in 1979 showed Fairbanks unemployment at 20 percent.</p> 168 <p>Another boom followed. As oil revenues poured into state coffers, Alaska 169 legislators made billion-dollar decisions. Between 1980 and 1986, this state with only a 170 half million people had about $26 billion in revenue.</p> 171 <p>Today oil revenues are starting to decline and the question of the day is how 172 Alaska will prosper in the future. If it is true that history repeats itself, Fairbanks 173 can count on a cycle of boom and bust.</p> 174 <p><font color="#666600" size="5"><i><b>Building in Fairbanks</b></i></font><br> 175 Fairbanks has an unique architectural history. Building 176 styles developed far away from those of the rest of the United States, but elements of 177 popular styles from the Lower 49 are evident in many buildings.</p> 178 <p>The earliest buildings in Fairbanks were made of logs. In 1906, fire ruined much of 179 the original townsite, and only a few buildings survived. Replacements were frame homes 180 and stores using lumber produced at two local sawmills. For the first time, two-story 181 buildings appeared.</p> 182 <p>Commercial buildings were very simple frame affairs behind more elaborate 183 "false 184 fronts,'' such as those commonly identified with western frontier towns in the Lower 49. 185 Few of these commercial and industrial buildings remain. Most of the buildings left, built 186 before 1940, are houses or cabins.</p> 187 <p>
187Building practices were influenced by the materials available and the harsh climate 188 of the Interior. Many of the early homes were built with green lumber, which was 189 cheap and abundant, but often twisted and gave over time, resulting in cold, drafty 190 cabins. Winterization techniques, too, were often inefficient in Fairbanks, such as 191 double-hung windows without storm panes, which is common in warmer states.</p> 192 <p>Before 1950, commercial buildings often were insulated with sawdust, against 193 current building codes. Many had additions added with inadequate foundations, or were 194 built in areas subject to flooding. The result is that many of the historic 195 buildings in Fairbanks have foundations that have settled. Log buildings suffer the most 196 from the sagging foundations.</p> 197 <p><font color="#666600" size="5"><b><i>Downtown Character</i></b></font><br> 198 The <a href="historic-preservation-fairbanks.htm">Tanana-Yukon Historical 199 Society</a> works to preserve the old buildings, and they believe that "the 200 First Avenue 'Streetscape' is important historically because Fairbanks started and grew in 201 this area. Today, it is one of the few entire districts that still retains much of its 202 early character."</p> 203 <p>July 23, 1923, was an important day in Fairbanks. At 10 204 a.m. <a href="warren-harding.htm">President Warren G. Harding</a>, the 205 first chief executive to visit the territory, addressed a crowd at Weeks Field, in 206 celebration of the completion of the Alaska Railroad. It was to be decades later before 207 another sitting president visited Alaska.</p> 208 <p>Harding also spoke at the <a href="masonic-temple.htm">Masonic Temple</a> 209 on 210 First Avenue, and allegedly ate dinner at the <a href="#wood">R.C. Wood</a> 211 home 212 down the street. Weeks Field is gone now, replaced by the Arctic Bowl building and the 213 Fairview Manor Apartments, but the temple and the <a href="#wood">Wood</a> 214 house remain, as well as assorted other historic buildings.</p> 215 <p>There was a Fairbanks tradition to lay out the town in long, narrow lots running 216 from street to street. Rather than houses on one side of the street facing houses on the 217 other, most of the early homes in Fairbanks had garages or outbuildings at the rear of the 218 lot, facing the homes on the other side of the back street.</p> 219 <p><font color="#666600" size="5"><i><b>North of the Chena River</b></i></font><br> 220 The area north of the Chena River was once an island in the 221 middle of the river, bounded on the north by a slough which has since dried up. Called 222 Garden Island, is was home to market gardens and the railroad depot. As Fairbanks grew, it 223 became home to <a href="catholic-church.htm">The 224 Immaculate Conception Catholic Church,</a> the offices and warehouses for the 225 <a href="fe-company.htm">Fairbanks Exploration (F.E.) Company</a>, and the 226 subdivision of Slaterville, an early "bedroom'' community for 227 F.E. employees.<!--mstheme--></font></td> 228 </tr> 229 </table><!--mstheme--><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times"> 230 231<blockquote> 232 <p><!--webbot bot="Navigation" S-Type="arrows" S-Orientation="horizontal" S-Rendering="graphics" B-Include-Home="TRUE" B-Include-Up="FALSE" U-Page S-Target startspan -->
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