2010 Fairbanks Visitors Guide

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2 2010 Summer Visitors Guide

Whether you’ve flown, cruised or driven the notorious Alaska Highway here, welcome to the Golden Heart City of Fairbanks, the hub of Inte-rior Alaska.

The Summer Visitors Guide is a labor of love for the staff of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and we have put forth our best efforts to offer you an introduction to life in the far north.

Inside, you will find the best bets on what to see, do and experience during your visit. Most of us Alaskans are full of opinions on what you

should take in during your visit, and we’ll be quick to share those opinions with you — just ask any sourdough you meet. Welcome, and enjoy your stay and our city.

— Gary Black, 2010 Summer Visitors Guide [email protected]

Cover photo of wild Alaska roses, which are prevalent in Interior Alaska, by Eric Engman, News-Miner photog-rapher.

A Fairbanks welcome

Alaska Railroad .................. 19Anderson ........................... 14Aurora borealis .................. 44Botanical gardens .............. 57Chena Hot Springs ............. 61Chicken .............................. 78Community Museum ........... 29Creamer’s Field .................. 15Dalton Highway .................. 72Delta Junction .................... 64Denali Highway.................... 11Denali National Park .. 8, 9, 10Downtown shopping ............ 32Downtown walking tour ....... 33Eagle ................................ 76Eating in Fairbanks ............ 42

El Dorado Gold Mine .......... 39Elliott Highway ................... 71Ester .................................. 13Fairbanks’ history ................. 3Farmers market .................. 31Fishing ................................. 5Fox ..................................... 62Golden Days ....................... 70Gold panning ...................... 63Golf .................................... 37Large Animal Research ...... 58Midnight Sun Festival ......... 26Midnight Sun Game ............ 36Midnight Sun Run ............... 27Museum of the North ......... 56Nenana .............................. 12

North Pole .......................... 67Outdoor activities ................. 4Pioneer Park ...................... 24Riverboat Discovery ........... 40Shakespeare Theatre ......... 51Steese Highway ................. 66Summer Arts Festival .. ...... 59Summer mushing tours ...... 35Tanana Chief ...................... 38Tok ..................................... 75Trans-Alaska pipeline ......... 46WEIO .................................. 23Wrangell-St. Elias ............... 77Valdez ................................ 79Visitors center ................... 53Yukon Quest ....................... 22

Staff Report

The founding of Fairbanks was, well, an accident.

Trader E.T. Barnette was trying to get a load of goods to the gold fields up the Tanana River when the steamer Lavelle Young got hung up in the shallows upstream from the Chena River.

Barnette, his wife and his stock of goods were left on the banks of the Chena in August 1901 until he could find a way to continue his journey. The following July, however, Italian immigrant Felix Pedro struck gold in the hills just a few miles away. Barnette stayed and the fledgling town he founded was named after Charles W. Fairbanks, an Indiana sena-tor and future vice president.

Because the gold was bur-ied deep underground, the rush was slow to materialize and the city wasn’t founded until 1903. By 1906, $6 mil-lion in gold was produced in the region. By 1910, nearly $30 million had been pro-duced from Cleary, Ester and Fairbanks creeks, almost two-thirds of the gold mined in the region.

Link to OutsideFederal construction of

the Alaska Railroad made large-scale gold mining pos-sible in the 1920s.

The railroad provided year-round economical trans-portation of goods to Fair-banks and it brought coal to Fairbanks, to be used in the power plant that provided energy for gigantic float-ing gold dredges. The Fair-banks Exploration Co. built

power lines, mining camps and an industrial complex that became the economic backbone of Fairbanks until World War II. By then, the advance of aviation had again revolutionized trans-portation in Alaska.

Fairbanks not only became an important center for flights within Alaska, but a key stop on round-the-world flights for pilots such as Wiley Post and Howard Hughes.

Building basesMilitary planners recog-

nized that Fairbanks was centrally located between Tokyo and New York. Years of prodding led to the deci-sion in 1937 to set aside 6 square miles near Fairbanks for a cold weather test sta-tion to train pilots and mechanics.

The events of Dec. 7, 1941, gave new urgency to the work at what became known as Ladd Field. Fair-banks emerged as a military

outpost, and cold-weather training took a back seat to a more strategic goal. The United States agreed to help the Russians fight Hitler by supplying airplanes and other equipment. Fairbanks became the transfer point for nearly 8,000 aircraft picked up by Russian pilots. The military has remained a vital part of the local economy, supplemented by the expan-sion of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the oil boom on Alaska’s North Slope.

The building of the trans-Alaska pipeline brought thousands of construction workers to the town along the Chena and new residents looking for opportunities.

Today, nearly 32,000 peo-ple live within Fairbanks city limits and 97,000 people are estimated to live in the Fair-banks North Star Borough, which covers 7,361 square miles — or is about the size of New Jersey (which has a population of 8.8 million.)

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You may not have the time or gumption to climb Mount McKinley or float the Yukon River during your trip to the Last Frontier, but there are plenty of other outdoor adven-tures you can tackle during your visit to Fairbanks and Interior Alaska.

News-Miner outdoors edi-tor Tim Mowry mapped out a checklist of 10 things visitors should do during their trek to the Interior. You may not be able to accomplish all of them, but try to check one or two off the list before you leave.

Happy trails.

1) Take a hike.The best way to get a feel

for the country is to walk across it. That’s not always easy to do in Alaska, but for-tunately there are several hik-ing trails in the Interior that lead the way to spectacular, panoramic views of Alaska’s heartland.

2) Catch an arctic gray-ling.

They’re not as big and tasty as the salmon and halibut Alaska is famous for but arctic grayling are the bread and but-ter of fishing in the Interior. They’re one of the prettiest fish you will ever see and are known for their cooperative nature. The Chena River, which flows through downtown Fairbanks, is one of the best grayling fisheries in the state. Anglers beware, however, it is restricted to catch and release.

3) Visit a dog musher.Dog mushing is the official

state sport so you might as well get a sniff of it while you’re here. Whether you take an

organized tour of a dog lot or just track down a musher to check out his or her operation, a trip to a genuine Alaska dog mushing kennel is an eye-open-ing experience.

4) Ride the bus into Denali National Park and Preserve.

It means a long day on a bus but the sights that you may see are worth it. In addition to 20,320-foot Mount McKinley, bus riders have a good chance to see grizzly bears, wolves, Dall sheep, moose and caribou. There are tourists who see more wildlife on one bus ride into the park than some Alas-kans do in their lifetime.

5) Drive across the Dena-li Highway.

You might not want to men-tion this if you’re renting a car — most car rental companies don’t allow driving across the Denali Highway — but the 135-mile trip across the Denali Highway may be the prettiest, wildest drive in Alaska.

6) Go whitewater rafting in Denali Park.

You’ll spend almost as much time learning how to get into your dry suit as you will on the water, but once you hit the chilly gray glacial water of the Nenana River you’ll be glad you have it. The trip down the Nenana River, which features Class IV rapids, is a wet and wild ride.

7) Drive to the end of a road.

Isn’t that what Alaska is famous for? Well, the Interior offers the best chance of any-where to do it. Take your pick of a half dozen roads that come to an end. Drive up the 130-

mile Steese Highway to the Yukon River in Circle. Head up the 160-mile Elliott High-way, which ends in the town of Manley. You can always take a drive out the 55-mile Chena Hot Springs Road and take a soak in the springs. There’s also the 160-mile Taylor High-way to Eagle, which offers another chance to see the mighty Yukon. For the really adventurous, take a drive up the 414-mile Dalton Highway to Deadhorse on the North Slope.

8) Climb — or drive — to the top of a dome.

For Interior flatlanders, domes are the equivalent of mountains elsewhere in the state and there are any number to choose from. Both Ester Dome (2,323 feet) and Murphy Dome (2,930 feet) are located just outside Fairbanks and have roads leading to the top. There is also Wickersham Dome Summit (3,806 feet), about 30 miles north of Fair-banks in the White Mountains National Recreation Area, and Donnelly Dome (3,910 feet), located off the Richardson Highway about 120 miles south of Fairbanks.

9) Kill a mosquito.Actually, kill as many as

you can. There is no bag limit on mosquitoes in Alaska and, unlike moose, caribou and salmon, local residents have no qualms about Outsiders com-ing in and killing them. Swat away until your heart’s con-tent, or you run out of blood, whichever comes first.

10) Find a moose.Moose are one of the true

symbols of Alaska and they’re not all that hard to find if you keep your eyes open as you drive down the road, which is a good idea so you don’t hit one. Remember, though, don’t feed them and don’t approach them.

— Tim Mowry

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By TIM [email protected]

You won’t hook into the bright, shiny salmon in the Interior that anglers brag about in Southcentral or Southeast Alaska.

Neither will you find your-self posing next to a barn-door-sized halibut that are famous in the fishing ports of Homer and Valdez.

What you will find in the Interior is arctic grayling. Lots of arctic grayling.

“That’s what I tell people to focus on when they call me,” Audra Brase, area man-agement sport fish biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks, said. “We’ve got a lot of gray-ling, they’re a great fish to catch, they’re easy to catch and we’ve got road accessible rivers with grayling in them.”

And they are uniquely Alaskan.

“You don’t catch grayling in the Lower 48,” Brase said.

As the name implies, Arctic grayling survived in unglaci-ated areas of Alaska in the Yukon River valley and the North Slope. From there, they have spread throughout Alaska but are most common in the Interior. Their toler-ance of low dissolved oxygen levels allows grayling to survive long winters in areas where many other salmonids would die.

An elegant cousin of the trout, arctic grayling are dis-tinquished by their iridescent, sail-like dorsal fin, which is dotted with green and purple spots. The slate gray fish are famous for their voracious appetites and willingness to attack dry flies, making

Gone fishin’Arctic grayling rise to the top for Interior anglers

ARCTIC GRAYLING• Description: With its sail-like dorsal fin dotted with large

iridescent red or purple spots, the grayling is one of the most unusual and beautiful fish of Alaska. Colored slate gray, they have varying numbers of black spots scattered along both sides.

• Size: Usually 8 to 18 inches.• Diet: Grayling aren’t picky eaters, and they feed on all kinds

of insects. They are known for their voracious appetites and will-ingness to take a dry fly or chase a spinner.

• Tackle: A lightweight (4- or 5-weight) fly or spinning rod.• Flies/lures: Any number of dry flies — Adams, elk hair cad-

dis, Griffith’s gnat, mosquitoes, black ants, stimulators — or small spinners will attract the attention of grayling.

• Where to go: Chatanika River, Chena River, Delta Clearwater River, Salcha River, Tangle Lakes.

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them a favorite of fly fisher-men using lightweight tackle.

“They’re beautiful fish, and they’re aggressive feed-ers,” Fairbanks fly fishing instructor Shann Jones said. “Grayling don’t ever miss an opportunity to take a dry fly.”

Grayling range in size from 8 to 18 inches and can be found in most freshwater streams along the road sys-tem in the Interior.

The Chena River, which flows through downtown Fair-banks, is a blue-ribbon gray-ling fishery. The upper Chena River east of Fairbanks paral-lels Chena Hot Springs Road for several miles in the Chena River State Recreation Area and offers multiple access points to the river, as well as campgrounds to pitch a tent or park an RV.

“You can spend the whole day on the upper Chena and not see anybody,” Brase said. “You can have your bonfire on the beach, a picnic and enjoy the day.”

The Delta Clearwater River, located about 100 miles south of Fairbanks and acces-sible from the Richardson Highway, is another popular place to find big grayling. Fish up to 20 inches are com-mon in the Delta Clearwater, which serves as a summer feeding ground for grayling before they migrate to other rivers in for the winter.

Fly and spin fishing for arctic grayling is similar to fishing for trout. A four- or five weight fly rod or light spinning rod is all you need. Favorite flies include elk hair caddis, Adams, mosquitoes and black ants.

For spin fishermen, any number of small Mepps or Blue Fox spinners will attract the attention of grayling. If bait is allowed where you’re fishing, grayling will readily take salmon eggs.

As for taste, grayling have flaky white meat that is best if cooked and eaten as soon as possible. They do not keep well frozen. The best thing you can do is bring a frying pan with you and cook any fish you catch on the river-bank next to you.


FISHContinued from Page 5

IF YOU GO FISHING• Who needs a fishing licence?To fish in all Alaska fresh and salt waters, an Alaska sport

fishing license is required for all nonresident anglers 16 and older, and most residents from 16 to 59. A resident is a person who has lived in Alaska for at least one year. Alaska residents 60 and older are not required to purchase a sport fishing license but must apply for a Permanent Identification Card, which is a lifetime hunting, fishing and trapping license. Anglers under 16 do not need a license.

• How much do they cost?A resident sport fishing license costs $24 for a season. Non-

resident licenses come in many forms and prices, ranging from a 1-day license for $20 to a season license for $145. There are also 3-, 7- and 14-day licenses that cost $35, $55 and $80, respectively.

• What about king salmon stamps?Residents and nonresidents must purchase a king salmon

stamp to fish for king salmon. Like licenses, nonresident king salmon stamps come in many forms and prices, ranging from a 1-day stamp for $10 to an annual stamp for $100. A resident king salmon stamp is $10.

• Where do I buy a license and king salmon stamp?Licenses are available at Alaska Department of Fish and

Game offices, vendors around the state (i.e. sporting goods stores, hardware stores, gas stations, etc.), by mail from the ADF&G Licensing Section, 1255W. 8th Street, P.O. Box 115525, Juneau, AK 99811 or online at www.admin.adfg.state.ak.us/license.

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By KRIS CAPPSFor the News-Miner

When an Alaskan says “the

mountain is out,” there is no doubt which mountain is fill-ing the horizon. It is Mount McKinley, or “Denali” as most Alaskans call it.

The 20,320-foot massif is the tallest mountain in North America. It is often covered by clouds, but when visible, it is a magnificent sight.

The mountain is not the rea-son Denali National Park and Preserve was created, however. In 1917, the park formed to protect the wildlife. Eventually expanded to 6-million acres, the park is home to moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves and grizzly bears.

More than 650 species of flowering plants eke out a liv-ing here, along with a variety of mosses and lichens. Only plants adapted to long, cold winters and short growing seasons can survive in Denali’s subarctic climate.

In addition, Denali is home to 39 species of mammals, 167 species of birds, 10 species of fish, and one amphibian, the wood frog. There are no reptiles at Denali National Park.

But there are dinosaur tracks, discovered in 2005, showing for the first time that prehistoric creatures lived here.

Get to the park by train, by car, by bus, or by charter-ing a small airplane. A single, winding, primarily gravel road, winds through the mountains and across rivers for about 92 miles to the old mining com-munity of Kantishna, now a visitors haven.

The only way to get there is by taking a park bus.

Anyone can drive the first 15

miles of road to Savage River. After that, traffic is limited. This is deliberate. This park is managed for the wildlife, not for people.

Enjoying and appreciating the pristine wilderness of Dena-li National Park is easy. Visit the Denali Visitor Center or the Wilderness Access Center to pick up a trail map and check schedules of guided walks and other programs. There are a number of trails in the entrance area that are free for hiking anytime. They range in diffi-culty from easy to challenging.

The park also offers hik-ing, bicycling and backcountry camping. Experienced park rangers lead special hikes as well.

Photography is encouraged at the park, but be careful when photographing wildlife. There are guideline on how close you should approach bears, eagles, caribou and oth-ers.

There are also guidelines for hiking, to help preserve the fragile tundra plans that cling to life during the short season on sunny slopes. Take special measures to enjoy wildlife from afar and to avoid chance encounters with bears.

For a close-up view of how the park operates, visit the Denali kennels, where a team of sled dogs lives year round. Dur-ing the summer, these working dogs welcome visitors and their handlers provide an informa-tive program on life with these hard-working dogs, who patrol

Denali during winter months.

Murie Science and Learning Center

Be sure to visit the Murie Science and Learning Center, an educational center used year round by students of all ages, researchers, and visitors. Dur-ing winter months, the MSLC serves as the winter visitor center.

The Murie Science and Learning Center supports research in Alaska’s eight northern national parks by providing funding, logistical support, housing, and access to data and Park resources. It is made possible through the part-nership of the National Park Service, Alaska Geographic and many others.

The main exhibit here is a wolf skeleton, painstakingly reconstructed by students from Cantwell School. The students butchered a dead wolf and cleaned the bones. Then, under the auspices of a National Park Service expert, they recon-structed the skeleton. Along the way, they learned about wolves. They made a movie about the project too, which is available for viewing at the exhibit.

Other exhibits describe the recent exciting discovery of dinosaur tracks at Denali. In the summer of 2005, a dino-saur footprint turned out to be that of a three-toed Cretaceous Therapod, estimated to be more than 70 million years old. Since

Denali National Park

R.A. Dillon/News-Miner

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Denali National ParkBy KRIS CAPPS

For the News-Miner

The 92-mile road into Denali National Park runs from the George Parks Highway to the former mining community of Kantishna. The first 15 miles are paved and open to the pub-lic. Past that point, however, vehicle travel is restricted on the narrow, winding gravel surface.

Buses shuttle tourists in and out of the park and drop off hikers and campers. Bus trips range from two to 12 hours and visitors can take either a tour bus or a shuttle bus.

Shuttle buses are less expen-sive and have fewer amenities, but travel farther into the park and visitors can get off and then back on, if seats are avail-able, whenever they want to go hike for awhile.

Visitors planning to hike, bike, camp, backpack or picnic in the park should take a shut-tle bus. The shuttle is available for folks who just want to enjoy the scenery. But be sure and bring along food and water. There are no convenience stores along the way.

Those who prefer a more deluxe trip can opt for one of the tours. A variety of lengths, prices and options are available. Fees vary in addition to the park entrance fee.

Visitors on the Tundra Wil-derness Tour can purchase a DVD of their own tour. Record-ed footage of the animals and experience from their very own tour will be offered beginning May 15.

Reservations for shuttles and tour buses can be made by

calling (800) 622-7275 or www.reservedenali.com. You can also make a reservation in person at the Wilderness Access Center reservation desk, up to two days in advance.

The third option is the Kantishna Experience, a one-day, 12-hour roundtrip to Kantishna that includes a full lunch. Cost is $155 plus the entrance fee. This is the only program providing expertise by a National Park Service ranger on the trip.

Permits are required to hike into the backcountry and are available at the Backcountry Information Center, adjacent to the Wilderness Access Center.

Established campgrounds welcome visitors in the entrance area and at the end of the park road at Wonder Lake. To make camping reservations in advance, call (800) 622-7275.

What to wearWeather at Denali can

change in an instant. Summer temperatures range from 33 to 75 degrees, and it is not uncom-mon for snow to fall in July. Park rangers suggest visitors dress in layers and bring a rain-coat that can serve as a wind-breaker. Mittens and a warm hat are a good precaution.

Don’t forget mosquito repel-

lant. Alaska mosquitoes are notorious, especially in certain areas of the park, like Wonder Lake.

Getting into the parkAll access to the park is

restricted past Mile 15 at Sav-age River to the park’s shuttle buses and tours run by conces-sionaire Doyon/ARAMARK. Check the website at www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit for schedules and details.

Visitors have five options to make a reservation for a bus.

1. Visit the park website, www.reservedenali.com.

2. Fax the reservation form, available at www.reservedenali.com to 907-264-4684.

3. Mail the form to Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture, 241 W. Ship Creek Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501.

4. Call 800-722-7275 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Alaska time.

5. Make a reservation in person at the Wilderness Access Center Reservations Desk, up to two days in advance.

Fees depend on length of the trip. Campers can take the bus to their site for a fee. Tour buses are designed to be more comfortable with a more struc-tured program. All fees are in addition to the park entrance fee of $10 per person or $20 per vehicle.

Outdoor opportunities await Denali’s visitors

By KRIS CAPPSFor the News-Miner

Riding a bus into Denali National Park is not the only way to enjoy the wilderness and its surrounding area. Check out opportunities out-side the park boundaries.

About a mile from the park entrance is a strip of hotels, restaurants and gift stores that offer every comfort imaginable. Other restaurants and campground are located a few miles south of the park entrance, where

most of the area’s year-round residents live.

There are many easy to moderate hiking trails near the park entrance and the park offers ranger-guided hikes. Check for details at the Denali Visitor Center and the Wilderness Access Center.

Seven miles south of the park entrance, the Denali Education Center offers com-munity programs throughout the summer that are worth investigating. See the sched-ule on post office bulletin

boards or at www.denali.org. All programs take place at the Charles Sheldon Center.

Before you get to Healy, you’ll reach Otto Lake Road. Turn left. Just a mile or so west is Denali Outdoor Cen-ter headquarters. This com-pany offers scenic camping, raft and kayak trips down the Nenana River, bicycle rentals and kayak lessons. See www.denalioutdoorcent-er.com or call (888) 303-1925 or (907) 683-1925.

Exploring outside Denali

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then, many more tracks have been found. Research at Denali includes projects involving stu-dent scientists. For many years, elementary students from Denali Borough School District participate in ALISON — Arc-tic Lake Ice and Snow Observa-tory Network — by tromping down to Horseshoe Lake all winter to collect scientific data.

Continued from Page 8

The park

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By ASHLEY BRIGGSFor the News-Miner

Take a leisurely drive on the Denali Highway through one of the most scenic, unspoiled areas in Interior Alaska.

The 135-mile mostly gravel road passes through alpine tundra and taiga for much of its route, with breathtaking views of snow-covered peaks and glaciers. It links two of Alaska’s major byways, the Richardson Highway and the Parks Highway at Paxson and Cantwell. It is closed between October and mid-May.

Completed in 1957, the Denali Highway provided motorists with access to Denali National Park and Preserve (the road through the park is called the Denali Park Road and is usually only accessible

by tour bus or a special per-mit.) In 1971, after the paved Parks Highway offered more convenient access to the park, the Denali Highway became a tourist byway into the back-country.

Glaciers have left their mark on the region and the road travels along eskers and moraines and around shallow kettle ponds.

Be sure to have a full tank of gas, as there are no gas sta-tions along the route. Several lodges offer food and minor repairs. Campgrounds and information areas are avail-able along the way and include Tangle Lakes Campground, the Delta National Wild & Scenic River Wayside, the Clearwater Wayside and Outhouse, and the Brushkana Creek Camp-ground.

Leaving Paxson, the first 21 miles of the highway are paved. The route then becomes gravel and extends to the foothills of the Alaska Range. Drive slowly, as the road is nar-row and can be bumpy.

Travelers can see peaks such as Mount Hayes (13,832 feet), Mount Hess (11,940 feet) and Mount Deborah (12,339 feet).

Also along this stretch is the Tangle Lakes Region. The land this first section of road crosses separates two scenic rivers, the Delta and the Gulkana. At the Tangle Lakes campground, boaters and paddlers can make their way to the Tangle Lake by way of the Round, Lower and Long lakes.

Tangle Lakes is famous for its history and is popular today with birders.

The Denali Highway

Home of the original "Serum Run" to Nome

and the famous Nenana Ice Classic.

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Come Come See See Nenana! See Nenana!

Best Wishes, The Coghills of Nenana

P.O. Box 470, Nenana, AK 99760

R O U G H W O O D S I N N Quality Dining

Rustic Decor

Clean, Quiet Rooms

Fishing Guide

Satellite TV Wi-Fi Available

Main Street, Nenana (907) 832-5299

[email protected]

High Quality Service

Open Year

Round Remodeled

13365918 5-1-10VG

& C A F E

ALFRED STARR CULTURAL CENTER Preserving Local Athabascan History & Art

•!Alaska Claims Settlement Act

• Historic Displays • Artist Workshops • Talk with Local

People & Artists

One of Alaska’s Foremost

GIFT SHOPS Featuring

Locally Made Athabascan

Hand-Crafted Gifts (907) 832-5527 • www.nenana.org

Open 7 Days a Week

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Bed & Maybe Breakfast Bed & Maybe Breakfast (from $89)

On National Register of Historic Places Above

The Nenana Depot Museum REASONABLE RATES

FEATURING SATELLITE TV & INTERNET AVAILABLE

Reservations (907) 832-5272 [email protected]

Your Host: Joanne Hawkins

Ulu Shop, Art Lovers Gallery & Hand Crafts Sweets & Treats Shop King & Queen Sizes

Bargain Corner (907) 832-5272


By GARY [email protected]

Nenana’s strategic location at the confluence of two rivers fortifies the small town’s big role in Alaska.

Just 65 miles south of Fairbanks, it sits on the Parks Highway along the Tanana River near the mouth of the Nenana River. Toghotthele Hill, an Athabascan word meaning “mountain that parallels the river,” is a local landmark, and the site has a long history as a Native gathering place.

The construction of the Alas-ka Railroad around 1915 dou-bled the area’s population. The railroad crosses the Tanana River on the Mears Memo-rial Bridge, the second-longest single span bridge in the coun-try at 706 feet long. President Warren J. Harding drove the golden spike to commemorate the railroad’s completion on July 15, 1923.

In August 2008, Gov. Sarah Palin dedicated the Shirley Demientieff Memorial Bridge on the Parks Highway in honor of the community and Native activist from Nenana.

Today, the town’s population

is approximately 450 in win-ter but grows by about 150 to 200 in summer when the river swims to life with boats and barges. While visitors cannot tour the barges, they can watch the loading and unloading of food and supplies as the vessels prepare for voyages to Interior villages.

“All those barge lines are what Nenana has depended on for income because we are the gateway to the Interior,” Joanne Hawkins, owner of Tri-pod Gift Shop, said. Hawkins has lived in Nenana since 1972.

The River Daze festival in

Nenana, gateway to the InteriorFun and history collide in Alaska Railroad town

Photo courtesy Joanne Hawkins

The Tripod Gift Shop, 404 N. Parks Highway, (907-832-5556) has spots for RVs and tent camping behind the store. Tripod also has a working fish wheel on display and picnic tables if you want to enjoy a leisurely lunch. Tour groups that make reservations with Tripod owner Joanne Hawkins, seen here with a Nenana visitor, will get a free city tour. “I’ll just hop on the bus with them and take them through town,” she said. And if you’re lucky, you might get some of Joanne’s entertaining music.

Please see NENANA, Page 13

"Best Burger in Town" 3630 Main Street

Ester, Alaska 99709 goldeneaglesaloon.com

12365310 5-1-10VG

NENANA VISITOR CENTER Open daily Memorial Day to Labor Day

(907) 832-5435 Sponsored by Nenana Ice Classic

Alaska’s Biggest Guessing Game Since 1917 AVERAGE ANNUAL PAYOFF OVER $300,000

Tickets May Be Purchased at the Visitors Information Center in Nenana

(No mail orders)

13365915-5-1-10VG


June celebrates river life and the return of salmon runs and fish camps. This year’s day-long event sponsored by the Lion’s Club of Nenana includes boat sprint races, a precursor to the Yukon 800 boat race, and arts and crafts vendors. River Daze is the first weekend in June.

The town hosts a large Fourth of July festival in which motorcycle riders from across Alaska converge and ride en masse into town. The Fourth of

July fest also includes a num-ber of children’s events.

Nenana’s greatest claim in Alaska lore stems from the Nenana Ice Classic, the annual lottery created by railroad workers in 1917 to guess when the ice covering the Tanana River would break up in the spring. Nenana is only place in Alaska where you can buy tickets year-round for the Ice Classic, even in summer.

Its second-greatest claim is the storied trek to stop a diphtheria outbreak in Nome in 1925 — the basis for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. It began when the serum

was unloaded from a train at the Nenana depot and sled dog teams took it overland to Nome. Today, mushers and snowmachiners in the Serum Run ’25 follow the original trail to continue the message of the importance of inoculations and other health issues and to keep the history of the Iditarod alive. Several Iditarod and Yukon Quest mushers live in the area.

Main street and the vicinity includes some new and estab-lished businesses.

NENANAContinued from Page 12


Ester could be considered a Fairbanks suburb, but locals prefer to keep it strictly inde-pendent.

Just a jaunt down the Parks Highway, the laid-back com-munity (the “People’s Republic of Ester” as they like to call it) was once a thriving gold rush town in the early 1900s found-ed on Ester Creek.

Miners discovered gold there in 1903. By 1907, Ester City had a population of about 200. In 1929, the Fairbanks Explora-tion Company began mining on Ester Creek, and in 1933 they built a mess hall for their camp. That camp later became the Ester Gold Camp. In 1958, Fair-banks Exploration, then known as the F. E. Mining Company, sold the property to local entre-preneur Don Pearson.

Flash-forward to 2010 and the community is still around,

eking out a colorful, quirky existence.

The burg is home to a col-lection of artists, recreational mushers and snowmachiners who are more than eager to chat it up with visitors. Its small, dirt streets are dotted with log homes ranging from simple to grand, adorned with what seems to be acres of flow-ers and packs dogs — lots of dogs, most of which are wel-come at the local hangouts, like the Golden Eagle.

The Eagle is one of the favorite watering holes in Ester, where you can grill your own burger and peruse the vast photos on the walls which span decades of history. Note: don’t drop your burger or it’s likely to become dinner for someone’s pet before it even hits the floor.

The Ester Gold Camp and Malemute Saloon, both closed this season for renovations, usually offer glimpses of mining life from the early 1900s.

The community boasts its own newspaper, the Ester Republic, published by Deirdre Helfferich. Deirdre and her hus-band, Hans Mölders, also own Ester Designworks, and Hans is noted for his woodworking. The Ester Republic Press is located at studio No. 2 in the Annex, 2922 Parks Highway. The Annex also hosts art displays and gallery openings for Alaska artists. Call 907-457-6668 for a list of artists, openings, sched-ules and events.

The community also hosts the John Trigg Ester Library and has hosted several fund-raisers for a new building.

One of the most interest-ing publications to come out of Ester is the Women of Ester calendar, featuring spreads of the locals. Ask around for a copy, which can provide an interesting perspective of life in Ester.

Quirky Ester invites youFairbanks neighbor contains vibrant arts community

Please see ESTER, Page 14

A l a s k a R a i l r o a d . c o m

Make your journey more memorable with great adventures like day cruises, rafting and guided hikes.

Ask about the Alaska resident special – 20% o! retail rail fares!

! e Best Way to See Alaska is on the Railroad!

1-800-544-0552 • (907) 265-2494

Alaskavacations

begin here.


By REBECCA [email protected]

About 55 miles southwest of Fairbanks is a small town with a big taste for bluegrass music.

The quaint and quirky town of Anderson sees its 600-plus population nearly double each summer during the Anderson Bluegrass and Country Music festival, which draws crowds that would put a Grateful Dead concert to shame.

A diverse range of bluegrass, Celtic, jazz and country music bands come out for a fun-filled

three days of music, camping and other festivities, creating the atmosphere one of the larg-est family gatherings in the Interior.

This year’s festival is slated for July 30 through Aug. 1 at Riverside Park.

The park offers complete facilities with host camp-grounds, restrooms, show-ers, RV dumping, electrical hookups, telephones, barbecue pits and covered pavilions and shooting ranges.

Anderson was created in 1962 with the construction

of the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System at Clear Air Force Station.

The town is off the six-mile access road running west of the Parks Highway at Mile 283.5.

Bring your harmonica, washboard, jugs and kazoos (and don’t forget bug spray) for a live concert along the river-side.

Wear whatever you wish: tie-dye, Birkenstocks or your favorite garb — so long as you wear your dancing feet because you’re bound to have a good time.

Anderson grooves

Ester resident Judie Gumm and her staff of four create stellar jewelry at her shop, Judie Gumm Designs (907-479-4568 or judiegumm.com), 3600 Main St.

The Alaska Village Arts Gift Store (490 Jeannette Way,

907-456-8090, www.alaskanvil-lagearts.com) is owned and operated by Rod and Ivet Hall. The store’s focus is on well-made and unique arts and crafts from Alaska. In addition the shop has some carving and knife making materials for sale.

Ester has a well-used com-munity park maintained by the Ester Community Associ-ation’s Park Committee and

other volunteers. The park has an ice rink that doubles as a basketball court in the sum-mer, a children’s playground, a picnic pavilion and a soccer field. The park, situated next to the Ester Volunteer Fire Department, is the site of numerous soccer games, Ester Football League games, a Fourth of July picnic, musical gatherings and other events throughout the year.

ESTERContinued from Page 13

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Full schedule and events listing at www.creamersfield.org

Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival Fri., Aug. 20th - Sun., Aug. 22nd

Guided Nature Walks leave from the Farmhouse Mon - Fri, 10am

& Wed. evenings - 7pm Additional walks can be arranged for groups of six or more with a minimum of one week advance notice.

Farmhouse Visitor Center & Giftshop

Summer Hours: M - F 10am - 5pm

Sat & Sun 10am - 6pm

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! Denali Park ! Denali Princess Lodge

! Fairbanks ! 3453 College Rd.

near UAF &

695 Chena Pump Road Chena Pump Plaza

Super Premium

small batch

ice cream made in

Alaska since 1986

907.479.7813 www.hotlicks.net

I c e C r e a m / M i l k S h a k e

s

Staff Report

Each summer, visitors and Fairbanksans alike flock to Creamer’s Field Migratory Refuge to take in the sights and sounds of this 1,800-acre beauty.

The refuge, located at 1300 College Road, is a few minutes’ drive from downtown Fair-banks and includes a host of activities for all ages.

Creamer’s Field offers miles of trails for visitors to explore. The Boreal Forest Trail takes explorers through an Interior Alaska forest. Other trails include the Wetland For-est Trail and the Farm Road Trail. Guided nature walks are offered throughout the summer. Call 459-7307 for dates and times. Visitors also can stop by the bird viewing stations by the parking lot to

check out the day’s feathered guests. Each day, visitors can see some of the hundreds of birds that stop by Creamer’s during their annual migration, as well as those who stay year-round like owls and ravens.

Sandhill cranes, mallards, and geese can all be seen in the refuge fields during the sum-mer.

Creamer’s Field began as a dairy in the early 20th cen-

tury, and remnants of its past remain, such as the Farmhouse Visitors Center. The farmhouse, staffed by the nonprofit Friends of Creamer’s Field, now houses nature and historic exhibits and resources for visitors.

Creamer’s FieldIF YOU GO

• What: Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge• Where: 1300 College Road, located by the Department of

Fish and Game• Contact: Call 450-7307 for more information.


Eric Engman/News-Miner

Sandhill cranes, Canada geese and numerous water-fowl are common sites at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge.

F i r s t B a p t i s t C h u r c h F i r s t B a p t i s t C h u r c h F i r s t B a p t i s t C h u r c h

Sunday School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:45 a.m. Worship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study/Prayer . . . 6:30 p.m.

Schedule

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(907) 456-4923 "Where we want to be your family."

805 6th Ave., Fairbanks, AK 99701 www.firstbaptistfairbanks.com

Pastor Mark Howdeshell

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Journey Christian Church

Come & Join Us!

Sunday worship at 10 a.m. Regal Cinemas on Airport Way

455-4433 www.journeyalaska.org

907-457-5522 • 907-457-2167

18365819-5-1-10 101 City Lights Blvd., Fairbanks, AK 99712

Worship Services Saturday at 7 p.m. • Sunday at 9 & 11 a.m.

www.fairhillchurch.com

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University Community Presbyterian Church

Summer Worship - 9:30 a.m.

Childcare Provided

College Rd.

UCPC X

University Ave.

Hot Licks Ice Cream

3510 College Rd. Fairbanks, AK 99709

Rev. Sandy Faison 907-479-6728 [email protected]

www.ucpcfairbanks.org


By MARY BETH [email protected]

Christian missionaries fol-lowed closely on the heels of gold seekers heading into the new Fairbanks gold camp at the beginning of the 20th cen-tury.

Evangelists, preachers and priests joined the stream of miners, prospectors and trad-ers stampeding into Fairbanks in early 1903 after rumors of a rich gold strike spread through-out Alaska and the Yukon.

Among the first to arrive was an Episcopal priest, the Rev. Charles E. Rice, who was accompanied by a young Athabascan, Esias Joseph, who guided Rice from Circle to the Fairbanks camp.

According to Episcopal church records, Rice and Joseph left Circle City on the Yukon River on March 13, well-prepared for the journey. The pair encountered a blizzard and

a snow-drifted trail, and the 200-mile journey took 12 days.

Four days after their March 25 arrival, Rice was purported to have hosted the first service on March 29, 1903, at the Fair-banks Saloon, located at First Avenue and Cushman Street. It is said that the saloon pro-prietor respectfully covered the glasses and decanters with a white sheet.

James Wickersham’s account of the first service in his book “Old Yukon: Tales-Trails and Trials,” said the entire population of the new town turned out and that the service was conducted by Rice along with a Presbyterian min-ister, the Rev. C.F. Ensign.

Under the direction of Archdeacon Hudson Stuck, the Episcopalians built the first church in town and opened it for worship on Sunday, Oct. 16, 1904.

Presbyterians and Roman Catholic missionaries followed, and by the close of the year, services were held by all three denominations.

Both the Episcopalians and Catholics built hospitals in tan-dem with their churches.

S. Hall Young arrived in Fairbanks in July 1904, find-ing it a town of approximately 500 inhabitants living in tents and cabins, and quickly put up a Presbyterian church at Seventh Avenue and Cushman Street. The original church was moved to Pioneer Park in 1966, and it can be rented for wed-dings and interdenominational services.

The Rev. Francis Monroe, a Jesuit priest, arrived in Fairbanks the same year, and built Immaculate Conception Church on the corner of First Avenue and Dunkel Street. In 1911, the priest decided to move the church across the river, next to St. Joseph’s Hos-pital. After the Chena River froze, a crew of men and horses skidded the building to the opposite bank where it stands today and is known as “the little white church.”

Also in 1903, a Christian Science Reading Room was opened near Seventh Avenue and Barnette Street. The active community opened its first public church on Thanksgiving Day in 1906, and the church history states that two con-gregation members walked 12 miles in 50 below zero tem-peratures to attend.

Today, the First Church of Christ, Scientist is located at 811 First Ave., on the vacated homesite of Fairbanks’ founder, E.T. Barnette.

World War II and the build-ing of the Alaska Highway dramatically opened up Inte-rior Alaska, and with the new pioneers came a new influx of religious denominations.

Today, Fairbanks is home to followers of a wide variety of religions, including Christian-ity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and more.

Worshipping in Fairbanks

Worship Directory – Visitors are always welcome! Each Friday, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner publishes additional local faith news.

University Community Presbyterian Churc h

3510 College Road • 9:30 a.m. worship (907) 479-6728 • www.ucpcfairbanks.org

First Baptist Church of Fairbank s 805 Sixth Avenue - Downtown 456-4923

Sunday Morning: 11:00 a.m. www.firstbaptistfairbanks.com

Zion Lutheran Churc h (LCMS) 2982 Davis Road 456-7660 Worship with us Saturday 5:00 p.m. or Sunday 8:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

www.zionfairbanks.org

67

Bible Baptist Churc h 452-1407 32 Adak Ave. 328-1423

Off the Steese Highway at College Road E. Sun 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 6 p.m. & Wed 7 p.m .

Bible believing — Old fashioned singing Plenty of parking for RV’s

Free transportation from motels & campgrounds www.BibleBaptistFairbanks.com

Doug Duffett, Pastor (907) 388-9815

Bethel Churc h www.bethelchurchak.org

(Conservative Baptist) 479-4380 1310 Farmers Loop Rd. (2 mi east of Golf Course) Worship: Sat. 6 p.m.,Sunday 9:30 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Sunday School: 11:00 a.m.

The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints For m eeting times and locations i n Interior and Northe rn Alaska, please call 1-888-74 4-4748

F AIRBANKS A REA

Church of Christ 645 11th Avenue 456-4921

Sunday 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. &!6:00 p.m. Wednesday 6:30 p.m.

Christ Lutheran Church Farmers Loop & Iniakuk Avenue (ELCA) 479-4947

Sunday Worship: 9:30 a.m. www.clcfairbanks.org / [email protected]

Immaculate Conception Churc h 115 N. Cushman Street 452-3533

Mass: Sat. 5:30 p.m., Sun. 7:30, 9:15, 11:00 a.m . Weekday Masses (Mon. through Fri.) 12:10 p.m. Church is open weekdays 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Fairbanks Lutheran Churc h 1012 Cowles Street (ELCA) 452-3425

Sunday Worship: 8:30 a.m. Heritage 10:00 a.m. Celebration I I

www.fairbankslutheranchurch.org / [email protected]

Farewell Avenue Christian Church 100 Farewell Ave. [email protected] 456-6123

Sunday: Worship / Communion & Sunday School www.farewellave.com

Journey Christian Church Regal Cinemas Movie Theater 460-9290

Services 10:00 a.m.

Fairbanks Seventh-day Adventis t Church

1811 Farmer’s Loop Road 479-6070 9:30 a.m. Saturday, www.fairbanksadventistchurch.org

Denali Bible Chapel 1201 Lathrop Street 456-5157

Service: 10:30 a.m. www.DenaliBibleChapel.org

Hamilton Acres Baptist Churc h 138 Farewell Avenue Independent

Sunday 9:45 a.m., 11:00 a.m. & 6:00 p.m. Pastor Bruce Hamilton

Sacred Heart Cathedra l 2501 Airport Way Ph: 474-9032 Fx: 479-3327

Weekend Masses: May 30 - September 5 Sat. 5:00 p.m., Sun. 10:00 a.m. & 6:30 p.m.

Weekday Masses: Tue. – Fri. 5:30 p.m. email: [email protected]

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal Churc h 1029 First Avenue 456-5235

Eucharists: Sunday 8 a.m., 9:15 a.m. & 11:15 a.m. Wed. 9:30 am & 7 pm, Compline at 12 am Sun. - Fri.

www.stmatthewschurch.org

D ELTA J UNCTION A REA

Delta Presbyterian & Faith Luthera n Mile 26 6 .5 Richardson Hwy. 895-4322 Sunday Worship Service (all year) 11:00 a.m.

St. Paul Church Independent Traditional Methodist Worship Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Worship 11 a.m.

907 Union Dr., by Dog Mushers 479-7998 The Friendly Little Country Church

St. Raphael Catholic Churc h 1125 Old Steese Hwy. North 457-6603

Mass: Saturday 5:30 p.m. & Sunday 9:30 a.m.

N ORTH P OLE A REA

St. Nicholas Catholic Churc h 707 St. Nicholas Drive, North Pole 488-2595

Masses: Daily 9 a.m., Sat. 5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m. & Noon Reconciliation: Saturday 4 p.m. or by appointment

Northern Lights Free Will Baptis t 2365 Richardson Hwy. (11 Mile) 490-0022

Services: 10:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

H EALY A REA

Holy Mary of Guadalupe Catholic Churc h

Sunday 7:00 p.m. Healy Church 683-2535 Saturday Night Mass 6:00 p.m. at the

Wilderness Access Center Theatre (1mi. on Park Rd)

Valley Chapel - Assembly of Go d Mile 249, Parks Hwy. Healy 683-2303

Sun. Sch. 9:45 am,Church 11 am & 6 pm, Wed. 7 pm

Christian Science Church 811 First Avenue 456-2319

Sunday Service & School 10:30 a.m. Wednesday Evening Testimony Meeting 7:00 p.m.

christiansciencefairbanks.org


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ARCT I C RV & INTERIOR TOPPER Certified RV Technicians

The Largest RV Parts & Accessories Showroom in Fairbanks

Service & Repair For A Price That’s Fair

http://www.arcticrv.com • [email protected] 4 5 1-8356

3013 Peger Rd • Fairbanks, AK 99709 SERVICE FOR ALL MAJOR RV APPLIANCE MANUFACTURERS

18365835 5-1-10VG

See Alaska like the See Alaska like the See Alaska like the locals see it! locals see it! locals see it!

Arctic ATV Tours Fairbanks, Alaska 907-479-0027 or

907-378-2921 (mobile) [email protected] www.arcticatvtours.com 18

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Across the lake, the Black Diamond Resort Co. offers a fine restaurant, a nine hole golf course where you can tee off at midnight, a mini-golf course, all-terrain vehicle tours and horse-drawn car-riage tours. See www.black-diamondgolf.com or call 907 683-4653.

Other activities• Artistic director Todd R.

Norris wrangles a troupe of actors recreating Gold Rush-era life in the park at the Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre at McKinley Chalets, 238.9 Mile Parks Highway.

“Fannie’s Roadhouse” is based on the life of Fannie Quigley, who ran a roadhouse in the park.

The theater hosts two shows nightly at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., seven days per week, from May 13 to Sept. 16 and shows include dinner.

Call 907-683-8200, or visit www.denaliparkresorts.com, then click on activities and events. Tickets are $60 per person.

• Denali ATV Adventures offers excursions into the Bush with single, two-per-son or side-by-side ATVs for those with kids or for a spouse who doesn’t want to drive. Each helmet has an intercom so the guide can provide live, narrated tours. Call 907-683-4288 or e-mail [email protected].

• Horseback tours at Denali Saddle Safaris, (907) 683-1200 at Mile 3.9 Stam-pede Road, just north of Healy. Rides last from one hour to half-days. See www.denalisaddlesafaris.com.

• Earth-Song Lodge and Denali Dog Sled Expedi-tions also on Stampede Trail,

offers tours on the tundra of the Alaska Range and tours of its dog sled kennel. The proprietors provide slide shows of sled dog expeditions and offer a coffee house as well. See www.earthsong-lodge.com or call 907 683-2863.

• Husky Homestead Tours. Another activity worth doing is visiting the champion dog sled kennel of four-time Iditarod Sled Dog Champion Jeff King on Goose Lake, just south of the entrance to Denali National Park. The 1 1/2 hour nar-rated tour and shares stories from the Iditarod race. See www.huskyhomestead.com or call 907 683-2904.

The Nenana River runs through the valley and sev-eral operators offer trips ranging from calm and sce-nic Class II with just a few ripples to exciting Class IV hold-on-to-your-hat waves. All companies provide dry-suits to put on over your clothes.

Options include:• Nenana Raft Adventures

— whitewater rafting trips through the Nenana River gorge, excursions on the calmer upper section of river,

and multi-day backcountry options. Call (888) 789-7238 or (907) 683-7238 or see www.alaskaraft.com.

• Denali Raft Adventures — two-hour, four-hour and all-day excursions on the Nenana River. Call (888)683-2234 or (907) 683-2234 or see www.denaliraft.com.

• ERA Helicopters offers flightseeing tours, some of which include glacier land-ings. See www.flightseeing-tours.com or call 907 683-2574 or (800) 843-1947.

Denali Air takes pas-sengers up in fixed-wing airplanes that take off from a private airstrip, 8 miles south of the park entrance. See www.denaliair.com or call 907 683-2261.

What to wearWeather at Denali can

change in an instant. Sum-mer temperatures range from 33 to 75 degrees, and it is not uncommon for snow to fall in July. Park rangers sug-gest visitors dress in layers and bring a raincoat that can also serve as a windbreaker. Mittens and a warm hat are a good precaution.

Don’t forget mosquito repellent. Alaska mosquitoes are notorious, especially in certain areas of the park, like Wonder Lake.

ACTIVITIESContinued from Page 10

Al Grillo/The Associated Press

The Denali Salmon Bake, or just the Bake as locals call it, is one of the most popular spots in the area to grab a bite to eat, drink, play darts or take in live music.

10364676-5-1-10VG

Forget-Me-Not Books

Thousands of used books to choose from

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www.literacycouncilofalaska.org

Supporting the Literacy Council of Alaska

Welcome to

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11365466-5-1-10VG

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Come in for a hearty BREAKFAST

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If you really want to sit back and enjoy Alaska, consider hop-ping on the Alaska Railroad for a day or even a week.

With more than 500 miles of track running from Seward at the south end to Fairbanks on the north end, the railroad cuts through three different moun-tain ranges — the Kenai Moun-tains, the Chugach Mountains and the Alaska Range — and offers unforgettable views that can’t be seen from an RV or tour bus but can from one of the railroad’s luxury domed cars.

“Most people enjoy the relaxed nature of railway trav-el, to be able to sit and view the scenery,” Alaska Railroad Corp. sales marketing manager Ruth Rosewwarne said. “It’s a whole authentic experience.”

The railroad features tours and stops in several differ-ent locations along the line, including Seward, Whittier, Girdwood, Anchorage, Wasilla, Talkeetna and Fairbanks.

From catching halibut and salmon in Seward to landing on glaciers in the shadow of Mount McKinley to seeing griz-zly bears in Denali National Park and Preserve to panning for gold in Fairbanks, the Alaska Railroad cannot only take you there but also book whatever tours you want.

It’s estimated that between 80,000 and 100,000 people trav-el on the Alaska Railroad each year, though it’s hard to pin-point a specific number because some travelers take multiple trips on the train, Rosewarne said.

The railroad can put togeth-er an entire rail vacation rang-

ing from five to 12 nights with prices ranging from $1,799 to $5,489 or you can pick and choose between a full lineup of shorter trips and day tours.

“The independent traveler is one of our strongest markets,” Rosewarne said. “Most of the services and most of what people want to see and do is on the Railbelt.

“We try to sell a little bit of everything,” she said. “A lot of people will fly into Anchorage, do a rail tour north and then come back to Anchorage and spend the night and then do a rail tour to the south.”

Traveling by train isn’t low budget or low class when it

The Alaska RailroadBY THE NUMBERS

• 614 — Miles of total track, including spurs, on the Alaska Railroad.

• 2,363 — Elevation in feet of Broad Pass, the highest point on the railroad.

• 916 — Length in feet of the longest bridge on the railroad across Hurricane Gulch.

• 296 — Height in feet the Hurricane Gulch bridge sits above Hurricane Creek.

• 1914 — Year the Alaska Railroad was established.• 6.1 million — Pounds of freight hauled by the Alaska Rail-

road in 2008.• 80,000 to 100,000 — Number of people estimated to

travel the Alaska Railroad each year.

RESERVATIONS/INFORMATION• Call 800-544-0552 or go to www.alaskarailroad.com.

Please see RAILROAD, Page 20

Airport Way & Peger Rd. • Fairbanks, Alaska • 459-1095 Visitor Information

Park Office: (907)459-1087 • 2300 Airport Way, Fairbanks, AK 99701 www.fnsb.us/PioneerPark • email: [email protected]

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Relive the past and explore the treasures of the Golden Heart.

PIONEER PARK PIONEER PARK PIONEER PARK

All Activities are in the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts-Bear Gallery, Theater or outside at the Gazebo. For info call Fairbanks Arts Association 456-6485

June 1 – August 31

• Gold Rush Town (Shops) • Pioneer Aviation Museum • Mini Golf & Carousel • Native Culture Exhibits • Kayak & Bicycle Rentals • Crooked Creek & Whiskey

Island Railroad • Square & Round Dance Hall

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comes to the Alaska Railroad. The addition of several 89-foot, double-decker luxury dome cars during the past two years has greatly enhanced the railroad experience for travelers who are willing to pay the extra cost for what the railroad terms its GoldStar Service.

The new, state-of-the-art

cars have upper-level outdoor platforms, an open air viewing deck and full bar to enjoy as you wind your way through the Alaska Range or around Tur-nagain Arm. The domed cars have proved so popular that the railroad added two more domed cars for the route from Anchor-age to Seward last year.

“That’s really enhanced that route,” Rosewarne said. “It’s so lush when you go through the Kenai Mountains and get off the road system.”

The Anchorage to Seward route is considered the most scenic section of track. The route travels along Turnagain Arm before heading into the Kenai Mountains and climb-ing up Turnagain Pass and descending into the Resurrec-tion Bay town of Seward.

The Anchorage to Denali route is probably the most-trav-eled section of track because of the popularity of Denali National Park and Preserve, Rosewarne said.


RAILROADContinued from Page 19

21Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Saturday, May 1, 2010

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By CHRIS [email protected]

While the Iditarod Sled Dog race gets most of the attention in the Lower 48, Fairbanks is

home to one of the longest and most grueling sled dog races in the world.

The Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race — more commonly known as

the Yukon Quest or simply, the Quest — began with a conver-sation between four mushers in a bar.

Roger Williams, Leroy Shank, Ron Rosser and Willie Libb were sitting at the now-closed Bull’s Eye Saloon in Fairbanks in April 1983 when they came up with the idea of a 1,000 mile race between Fair-banks and Whitehorse, Yukon, as a celebration of the Klondike Gold Rush era and the trans-portation route between the two cities.

The men wanted the race to be a true Alaska Bush experi-ence with fewer checkpoints and stages than the Iditaord.

The first race began Feb. 25, 1984, and was indeed as rugged as the organizers had planned with many trail mark-

What is your Quest?


Sam Harrel/News-MinerDavid Dalton of Healy crosses American Summit during the 2010 Yukon Quest Interna-tional Sled Dog Race.

Please see QUEST, Page 29

Thousand-mile sled dog race is billed as the toughest in the world

Act now for 2011 VISITORS GUIDE ADVERTISING

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• University of Alaska • Shopping Malls • Library • Fairgrounds

MACS – Metropolitan Area Commuter System MACS – Metropolitan Area Commuter System Arrives & Departs from the Arrives & Departs from the

Transit Center • 501 Cushman St. Transit Center • 501 Cushman St.

Info Hotline: 459-1011 Info Hotline: 459-1011 VanTran Scheduling : 459-1010 VanTran Scheduling : 459-1010

Check out our maps & schedules online: Check out our maps & schedules online: www.fnsb.us/transportation www.fnsb.us/transportation

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See Fairbanks – See Fairbanks –

RIDE THE BUS! RIDE THE BUS!

By JOSHUA [email protected]

From jaw-dropping to gri-mace-inducing to just plain silly, it’s hard to take your eyes off the action at the World Eskimo-Indian Olym-pics.

WEIO — pronounced “wee-oh” for short — is a four-day festival of competi-tion, arts and crafts and tribal ceremonies by Alaska Natives and American Indians. It runs from July 24-27 at the Carl-son Center.

There are 23 competitions that were developed as ways to train for the rigors of life in remote Alaska. The scissor broad jump, for example, is designed to teach agility when hopping along ice floes.

The challenges range from tests of balance to competitive

whale-blubber eating.One of the most popular

events is the high kick, in which competitors must leap to kick a ball dangling from a string. The record is 9 feet, 6 inches.

Another spectator favorite is the greased pole walk, origi-nally created to teach agility when crossing rivers on logs.

For those that can stomach it, tests of pain and endur-

ance can be rather spectator-friendly. The most infamous is the ear pull, in which two competitors each loop a string around an ear, face one anoth-er and lean backward. Most of the event’s participants need bags of ice to dull the pain after matches — and the occa-sional cloth to wipe away blood.

An arts and crafts bazaar and dance presentations also are a prominent part of WEIO.

A complete schedule of events is available at www.weio.org.

There are two sessions per day. The daytime session is free. Watching the nighttime events, including the finals for the most popular events the blanket toss, costs $10 for adults and $8 for elders and students.

WEIO wows with athleticism23Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

IF YOU GO• What: World Eskimo-Indian Olympics• When: July 24-27• Where: Carlson Center• Tickets: daytime ses-sion, free; nighttime ses-sion, $10 for adults, $8 for elders and students

12363487-5-1-10VG

Pioneer Park holds Fairbanks’ historic heart

By GLENN [email protected]

Fun and history meet at Pioneer Park, a 44-acre enter-tainment zone located at Air-port Way and Peger Road.

Originally called Alaska-land, the park offers a variety of activities relating to the his-tory of the Interior. The park is home to the area’s largest

Fourth of July celebration.The park is open daily from

noon to 8 p.m. from May 24 through Labor Day. Entry to the park is free, though some attractions charge admission. For more information, call 459-1087 or visit www.fnsb.us/pioneerpark.

Family activities• Crooked Creek and Whis-

ky Island Railroad — Trips around the park are available several times a day. $2 adults, $1 children. Multi-ride dis-counted punch cards also are available.

• Gold Rush Town — A dramatized gold rush town consisting of 35 pioneer cabins relocated to Pioneer Park from their original locations. Now renovated, some offer a variety of items including souvenirs, sweets and snacks.

• Miniature golf — Play 18 or 36 holes at the outdoor mini golf course. Call 452-7888 for more information.

• Red and Reola’s Carousel — An old-time carousel with painted horses and carnival music. Open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Museums• Bear Gallery — Located

on the third floor of the Pio-neer Park Centennial Center for the Arts. The museum includes exhibits from local artists and a gift shop. Free.

• Native Village — An out-door museum representing Alaska Native architecture and artifacts. Free.

• Pioneer Air Museum — A collection of aircraft memora-bilia managed by the Interior and Arctic Alaska Aeronauti-cal Foundation. $2 adults, free for children under 12 accom-panied by an adult, $5 family.

• Pioneer Museum — A collection of pioneer artifacts. Free, but donations are wel-come.

• S.S. Nenana Riverboat

Old-fashioned Fun24 2010 Summer Visitors Guide

Please see PIONEER, Page 25

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— Active for 21 years, the boat now hosts a historical diorama of the Tanana and Yukon riv-ers. The boat is listed as a national landmark.

• Tanana Valley Railroad Museum — Features the Tanana Valley Engine No. 1, the oldest operating steam locomotive in Alaska and the Yukon Territory, initially put into service in 1899. The train runs a half-dozen times during the year. Visit www.fairnet.org/agencies/tvrr/tvrr.html for more information. Free.

• Wickersham House — Dedicated to Judge James Wickersham, the first territo-rial representative for Alaska, the house is furnished the way it would have looked in the early 1900s. Free.

Entertainment• Gazebo Nights — An

hour of live music at the white gazebo near the park entrance. Starts at 7 p.m. every evening, June through August. Free.

• Golden Heart Revue — A musical comedy about pio-neer life in early Fairbanks. Shows are offered at 6:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. from May 18 to Sept. 11 at the Palace Theatre in Gold Rush Town. $18 adults, $9 children. Reservations required by call-ing 452-7274.

• The Big Stampede Show — A 45-minute presentation located at the Pioneer Muse-um. Presented several times a day. $4 adults; $2 children, under 4 free. Call 456-8579 for

more information.

Salmon BakeAlaska Salmon Bake sets

itself apart from other buffets by offering all-you-can-eat Alaska halibut, salmon, Bering Sea cod or slow-roasted prime rib.

In addition to the main course, the Salmon Bake expe-rience includes a salad bar, side dishes and deserts. But the Salmon Bake isn’t quan-tity over quality. The salmon sauce, beer batter and prime rib are perfected homemade recipes, and all the fish is

wild Alaska caught. The res-taurant is open from 5-9 p.m. daily from May 9 to Sept. 11 in Pioneer Park. Started in 1979, the Salmon Bake has beautiful gardens with Alaska Native carvings for diners who wish to eat al fresco. Be sure to visit the Pick ‘N Poke Gift Shop located next door. The gift shop offers souvenirs and Native crafts.

The all-you-can-eat dinner is $31 for adults and $15 for children and includes unlim-ited nonalcoholic beverages.

For more information, call 452-7274.

PIONEER Continued from Page 24

News-Miner fileThe Tanana Valley Engine No. 1 at Pioneer Park is the oldest oper-ating steam locomotive in Alaska.

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By REBA LEANFor the News-Miner

Up north, where the sun stays up all night, people find cause for celebration, too. The Midnight Sun Festival occurs on the summer solstice, which is June 20 this year.

The longest day of the year is host to a Fairbanks party of about 40,000 people with activities for all kinds all day long.

From noon to midnight, people can entertain them-selves with the 33 happening performances all through

downtown, including music and dancing or 173 booths, including Alaskan craft ven-dors and a petting zoo. Fun in the waters of the Chena River, a barbecue competition, a basketball tournament and break dancing are among the expected activities for visitors and residents alike.

The festival has changed since last year, but most mainstays will stick around.

“As long as it’s bright, cheerful and sunny, we’re OK,” said Kara Nash, the Downtown Association of Fairbanks events and market-ing coordinator.

Nash said that people can expect gold panning, sidewalk chalk art and the annual “Break Fest” break dancing competition.

The Midnight Sun Baseball

Classic also celebrates day. For $10, spectators can check out Fairbanks’ local Goldpan-ners baseball team. The Mid-night Sun game dates back to 1906, and is widely recognized for its 10:30 p.m. start on June 21 this year.

Coinciding with the longest day of the year is the Yukon 800 riverboat race. The Fair-banks Outboard Association runs the 800-mile race wind-ing down the Tanana and Yukon Rivers from Fairbanks to the village of Galena and back.

Before days start getting shorter and darker, Alaskans and visitors can find plenty to be happy about. With only a few hours of daylight in the winter, taking advantage of the long days during the Mid-night Sun Festival is a must.

Party up in the Midnight Sun

Eric Engman/News-MinerBreak dancers stay loose between rounds by entertaining the crowd at the annual Midnight Sun Festival downtown on June 21, 2008.


Ready,Set,Go!


For those who believe that running or walking 10 kilometers in the middle of one of the longest days of the year would be hot, unpleasant and too long for enjoyment — they might be wrong. The Midnight Sun Run is one race that gets wacky, wild and a little wet.

Starting at 10 p.m. June 19, the route runs from the University of Alaska Fair-banks’ Patty Center to Pio-neer Park.

The third most popular race in Alaska takes 3,000 participants elbow-to-elbow through Fairbanks’ residen-tial areas and on bike paths. The course is mild and easy, but a fun time for all ages.

Before starting, racers must decide whether to take their times seriously or not. Although not required, run-

ners often dress up in outra-geous costumes for prizes at the end of the race. Costume-wearing individuals have a harder time winning than those who wear the standard shorts and T-shirt. Along the way, runners often encounter hose- or water-gun-wielding bystanders. A Couch Potato Award is usually given to the loudest supporters along the course. It is safe to say that this fun run is a little out of the ordinary.

Since 1983, Fairbanks has been host to the “farthest north 10K run.” The first year reported to have cos-tumes was 1984. The fastest men’s time of 29 minutes and 14 seconds was set in 1984, and in 1987, the women’s record time was made at 33

minutes and 57 seconds. In 1995, the course became what it is today.

The money raised at the event goes toward the Tanana Valley United Way and scholarships for local student athletes.

Fairbanks runs amok under the midnight sun

IF YOU GO• What: 28th annual Midnight Sun Run• When: 10 p.m. June 19• Where: Begins at UAF Patty Center, ends at Pio-neer Park• Registration: $30 on race day; $15 by preregis-tering at active.com, $20 after June 11• More information at www.midnightsunrun.us

By RENA [email protected]

A struggling global economy has people tightening their purse strings, but it also could net some stellar deals for trav-elers to Alaska this summer.

Some visitor services opera-

Discounts abound for those who can find them

Please see DISCOUNT, Page 28

John Wagner/News-MinerParticipants in the 26th Annual Midnight Sun Run parade down Tanana Loop in 2008.

49th Annual World Eskimo Indian Olympics

The WEIO Board of Governors invites you to attend WEIO 2010 in Fairbanks! TRADITIONAL GAMES, DANCING, ARTS AND CRAFTS!

The World Eskimo Indian Olympics is proud to host a drug & alcohol free event!

10366265 5-1-10VG

For more information, contact: WEIO Office: 907.452.6646 • Fax: 907.456.2422 • www.weio.org

Cell: Luke at 907.978.8084 • Email: [email protected]

WEDNESDAY–SATURDAY • JULY 21–24, 2010 Carlson Center • 2010 2nd Avenue • Fairbanks

ALL ARE WELCOME Children, Seniors & Dancers in Regalia ADMITTED FREE

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July 9–11 Carlson Center • 2010 Second Avenue

Location: Open field behind the Carlson Center Gates Open: 5:00 p.m. Friday • 11:00 a.m. Saturday & Sunday

Grand Entry: 6:00 p.m. Friday • Noon Saturday & Sunday Ceremonial Eagle Release: 2:00 p.m. Sunday Thanks to Bird Treatment & Learning Center

Guest Drum: Silver Cloud

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tors — from hotels to river rafting guides, from flight-see-ing businesses to tundra tours — could be offering some sweet deals.

Visitors looking for the most bang for the buck should surf the Web, suggested Deb Hickok, executive director of the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau. From the bureau’s comprehensive site, www.explorefairbanks.com, click on “Value Vacations” on the left for super deals.

“The best way to get infor-mation is from these types of websites and to go online and check their favorite places to see if they’re offering some-thing right now,” she said.

The Alaska Travel Indus-try Association has so many members with great deals that it has developed a special website to showcase those bargains. Look for two-for-one specials, price breaks and oth-er offers at www.alaskashot-testdeals.com

DISCOUNT Continued from Page 27

Sun spotsIt might seem hard to

believe, but Fairbanks expe-riences sunrise and sunset during the summer months.

While it doesn’t get com-pletely dark, the sun dips below the horizon but not more than 6 degrees during the weeks surrounding the June 21 solstice.

During that time, sunset is about 12:45 a.m. with sun-rise about 3 a.m. You can still read a book at midnight without artificial light. The main problem with more hours of daylight is we don’t know when to go home.

Mosquito bitesDon’t believe all the hor-

ror stories you have heard about Alaska’s mosquitoes. They are not the state bird and are not as bad people say. They are worse.

Scientists will tell you there are good and bad mos-quito years depending on spring weather. They are

wrong; mosquitoes are bad every year in Alaska.

Entomologists like to be scientific and talk about mosquito life cycles using words such as larvae and pupae. We don’t understand how you can have an “a” before an “e” at the end of a word so for our purpos-es we will refer to them as “wrigglers” and “tumblers,” respectively.

Basically what happens is mosquito eggs are deposited in standing water or moist areas — which is pretty much all of Alaska — we presume by female mosqui-toes but have no interest in checking. They do this in late summer.

Somehow these eggs survive the cold winters through a chemical process that includes the words “glycerol” and “supercool-ing.” We thought supercool-ing involves nuclear power plants and it scares us the term is bandied about when talking mosquitoes.

When spring rolls around, the wrigglers become tum-

blers, which become large, biting grown-up mosquitoes.

The best mosquito repel-lent is called DEET. Bathe in it.

Moose sightsWe hear the story often.

You been all across Alaska and haven’t seen a moose. You’re starting to doubt the very existence of the ambling ungulates.

Your best chance to see moose in the Fairbanks area is along Chena Hot Springs Road just north of town. The road runs 55 miles east to Chena Hot Springs. Past about Mile 15 there are swampy areas and many creeks and sloughs. Moose love to feed in swamps and sloughs. At Mile 26 is the Chena River State Recre-ation Area. It’s also a good place to keep an eye peeled.

To increase your chances, go early in the morning or later in the evening as moose are somewhat nocturnal. But remember, they are wild animals and can move fast when they want to.

QUICK HITS

456-6437 www.BigIFairbanks.com

Come join us for a pint in our historical location

Old fashioned fun in an ole fashioned pub! 60 years old and 3 years young!

Downtown across the bridge of flags on Cushman & Turner across from the News-Miner

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Staff Report

The Fairbanks Community Museum at 410 Cushman St. in historic City Hall, offers visi-tors a glimpse of Fairbanks past and present from the founding of the Golden Heart City in the Gold Rush era to modern-day exhibits on winter in the Interior.

The museum has exhibits on winter in Fairbanks from the first Winter Carnival in 1934 to the current Ice Festival and offers folks a glimpse at 101 things Fairbanksans do in winter.

There’s an exhibit on the Flood of 1967 when the Chena

River rose more than 6 feet above flood stage and the down-town area was buried in water, causing millions of dollars in damage and attracting nation-wide attention to the commu-nity.

Another exhibit features the Klondike Gold Rush and early Fairbanks. See how gold-seek-ers swooped into the Dawson City area of the Yukon and

finally filtered into the Inte-rior.

The Community Museum also is the home of Alaska’s official Dog Mushing Museum, which features the history of the sport from its beginnings, when dog teams were used to haul freight and carry mail, to modern-day racing.

Museum organizers are con-structing a new exhibit area that should open this summer.

Museum hours are from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. It also may be open on some Saturday’s and from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday.

There is no admission charge, but donations are accepted.

ers lost or misplaced. Some of the trail wasn’t even prepared in time because the trailbreak-ers’ snowmachine broke down.

Sonny Lindner, who won the first Quest in a little more than 12 days, was once quoted as calling the race “90 percent camping trip and maybe a little bit of racing.”

Quest organizers learned a lot from that race. When the first group of mushers left Whitehorse and headed to Fair-banks in 1985, the trail was marked much more clearly. The race continues to alter-nate its ending and beginning each year between the cities. This year, the race started in Fairbanks, and in 2011, it will end here.

By 1989, more than 40 rac-ers entered the Yukon Quest. Only two dozen mushers par-ticipated in the 2010 race.

The purse has also gone down a bit because of the sagging economy, from a high of $200,000 in 2007, to $150,000 this year. The higher cost of mushing supplies has also kept some mushers on the sidelines.

However, those that still enter, continue to set a high standard in the support. The 2010 winner of the race, Hans Gatt, reached Whitehorse in 9 days, 1 hour and 35 minutes, blowing away the previous record by nearly 23 hours.

QUEST Continued from Page 22

Museum shows Fairbanks, past and present• When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays• Where: 410 Cushman St. in old City Hall• Admission: Free

30 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Saturday, May 1, 2010

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By ERICA FRANICHFor the News-Miner

The popular Alaska Grown

merchandise — T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and more — worn proudly by many Fairbanksans is more than a fashion statement. It is a tes-tament to their support of a vital and prominent business venture: The sale of locally grown and produced food and products.

The Tanana Valley Farm-ers Market, like other com-munity farmers markets, is much more than a place to buy food. Time at the market is a time to appreciate hand-crafted art, smell handmade baked goods and socialize with Alaskans and Alaska visitors who believe in the importance of the market’s mission: to develop and pro-mote Alaska’s agricultural, horticultural and cottage industries, providing quality produce and products to the public.

Any Wednesday or Sat-urday during the summer season, 20 or more vendors are on hand selling Alaska Grown produce and plants and Made in Alaska and Silver Hand arts and crafts. These designators are sym-

bols of excellence given only to the highest quality products and produce. The excellence of those products is evidenced by the masses of shoppers always on hand. The loyalty of such patrons has helped the Tanana Valley Farmers Market become the oldest established farmers market in Alaska and the only one located in its own permanent building.

Whether it’s fresh veg-etables, freshly made bread or handcrafted jewelry you’re looking for, the market is

the place to find it. Favor-ites such as Basically Basil’s organic vinegars, Far Above Rubie’s goat milk or the ever-popular Pitasite falafels always draw crowds. A full list of vendors is available on the market’s website, www.tvf.market.com.

The market is open Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from May 8 through September.

Beginning May 30, the market will open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Eric Engman/News-Miner

Ted Sponsel picks out kohlrabi from the Rosie Creek Farm stand at the Tanana Valley Farmers Market at 2600 College Road.

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By AMANDA [email protected]

The downtown Fairbanks shopping district offers plenty of opportunities for spenders and browsers alike.

All manner of trinkets, bau-bles and gifts, from postcards to a fine furs, are available downtown along with jew-elry, vintage clothing, art and antiques.

Whether you’re looking or buying, a stop at the Arctic Travelers Gift Shop at the corner of Cushman Street and Second Avenue is a must. It’s one of the oldest gift shops downtown and offers a wide selection of merchandise appealing to a variety of tastes.

How about a baseball cap with an Alaska emblem or a handmade basket? The store also offers dolls, jewelry and knives.

Next door to Arctic Travel-ers is If Only—A Fine Store.

Popular with locals, this store goes out of its way to stand out from the crowd. You won’t find much in the way of tourist kitsch in here. The owners seek out unique, high-quality goods, often handmade.

“We have a really good fol-lowing,” saleswoman T’sha Gutierrez said.

The store’s offerings rou-tinely change but usually pens, stationary, books, and decorative household items

can be found. While you’re there, say hello

to Martha, Fairbanks’ folk art ambassador, a wooden figure on the sidewalk by the front door. Martha greets visitors every day during store hours in good weather and in bad and she likes to pose for pictures.

The Alaska House Art Gal-lery, several blocks to the south on Cushman Street, specializes in fine art and crafts, including Alaska Native art from every part of the state.

The gallery, located in a his-toric handmade log structure, is dedicated to preserving and promoting the art of Alaska.

In another historic building is The Craft Market on Fifth Avenue, specializing in native baskets, ulu knives, soapstone carvings, beadwork and ivory carvings.

For those who like to take their time poking around, there’s Elegant Memories, an antique store on Second Ave-nue next to Big Ray’s Store.

Owner Clay Davis takes pride in his selection of sterling silver spoons dating from the early to mid 1900s.

“They’re all from when the steam ships were coming up here,” Davis said.

The store offers a variety of antique items, including glass-ware, books and tchotchkes. Davis’ selection of Alaskana includes items made of ivory and jade.

While you’re downtown, don’t forget to check out the Co-Op Plaza, which holds a variety of stores, including Raven Mad gift shop, Ebony and Ivory Gift Shop, Cynde’s Boutique and the Inner Knit, a store that sells yarn.

Nearby, you can find The Fur Factory, which offers luxu-rious and warm hats, scarves, coats, mittens, slippers and mukluks.

Jewelry and clothing is the specialty at The Cat’s Meow on Lacey Street.

Across from the Chena River on First Avenue near the Bridgewater Hotel is a new vintage store, Chartreuse. This eclectic store specializes in vintage apparel, shoes and accessories.

A variety of fine jewelry stores, which carry handmade pieces fashioned from gold nuggets, can also be found downtown.

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By REBECCA GEORGEFor the News-Miner

If the streets and sidewalks of Fairbanks could talk, they’d share tales more than 100 years old.

With the help of a good pair of shoes, visitors can walk those same streets to catch a glimpse of Fairbanks’ past.

In a stretch of about 3 miles, the historic downtown Fairbanks walking tour offers 41 points of interest in and around the downtown area.

The tour includes historic cemeteries, churches, monu-ments and homes, with stories and explanations available at the Fairbanks Visitors Infor-mation Center located in the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center. The vis-itor’s center also has maps of the walking tour.

During the course of about two hours, the walking tour takes visitors to 41 locations, including:

• Immaculate Conception Church, the first Catholic

church of Fairbanks, founded in 1904 by the Rev. Francis Monroe. The church previ-ously sat directly across the Chena River but was moved twice with the help of volun-teers who raised the church from its foundation and rolled it across the frozen river on a horse-drawn sledge.

• The Masonic Temple, built in 1906, was once a host to President Warren G. Hard-ing, who spoke from the build-ing’s front steps in 1923.

• A plaque at the corner of First Avenue and Noble Street to commemorates the site of the home of James Wicker-sham, Interior Alaska’s first judge.

• The Lacey Street Theater showed movies for 40 years starting in 1936. It now hous-es the Alaska Ice Museum.

• A poor miner built a home for his wife, Mary Lee Davis, to keep her from mov-ing to Seattle in 1916. The home now is a historic land-mark.

• Fairbanks’ oldest frame

house, built in 1905 by the founder of the Tanana Valley Railroad, is known as the Fal-con Joslin Home. The house still sits in its original location at the corner of Cowles Street and Fifth Avenue.

• Courthouse Square is the site of the first courthouse and federal jail, built in 1904. The current building, built in 1932, served as the town’s central gathering area by housing a post office and a federal court.

• Clay Street Cemetery hosts more than 2,000 Fair-banks residents buried between 1903 and 1978. Mary Pedro, wife of Italian immi-grant prospector and Fair-banks founder Felix Pedro, is buried here. Pedro was the first to discover gold in Fair-banks.

Voice-guided tours in Ger-man, Japanese and English are available at the Mor-ris Thompson Cultural and Visitors center for free. More information is available at the visitors center.

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By CHRIS [email protected]

By now the snow is long gone, making it far too warm to enjoy Alaska’s unofficial state sport, dog mushing in its purest form.

However, there are still sev-eral options in and around Fair-banks this summer to give you an idea of all that the sport entails.

• Mary Shields, the first wom-an to finish the world-renowned Iditarod sled dog race, shares her stories from the trail on a two hour summer tour.

The tour begins daily at 7:30 p.m. and is designed for adults and children older than 8. The cost is $28 for adults and $20 for children under 12. Reserva-tions are required and group size is limited. Shields also offers customized tours during the day for groups of 10 or more. Round trip transportation is available for $17 per person.

For more information visit www.maryshields.com or call (907) 455-6469.

• The “Winningest Musher in the World,” Jeff King also offers a daily tour of his Hus-ky Homestead and dog kennel, just outside the Denali National Park entrance.

King, who has won the Idi-tarod four times, and said that this year’s race was his last, has about 75 dogs at the kennel.

The tour is $49 for adults and $29 for kids 12 and under. The tour is not recommended for children under 3. For more information, visit huskyhome-stead.com.

• Chena Hot Springs Resort is a ways out of Fairbanks, but it’s worth the drive to enjoy the wide range of activities, includ-ing a dog kennel tour and a dog cart rid around the resort.

The dog kennel tour is $20 for adults and $10 for kids 6-12. Children five and under are free. The dog cart tour lasts about 20 minutes and costs $60 per per-son. For more information check out www.chenahotsprings.com.

• The sled dogs at Denali National Park are instrumental in helping rangers get around. In fact, they’re the only sled dogs in the country that help protect a national park.

Sled dog demonstrations are given everyday at 10 a.m., 2 p.m.

and 4 p.m.For more information, and to

meet the park’s sled dogs, check out http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/kennels.htm.

• The Miller family are life-long Alaskans who have been running sled dogs for more than two decades.

The family, which has even been featured on the BBC, offers demonstrations May through October, seven days a week. Res-ervations are required to see the Sun Dog Express crew in action for this 1-1 1/2 hour tour. The price is $75 for up to three peo-ple, with additional guests cost-ing $25 each. Group demonstra-tions for eight or more people are also available for $175.

For more information visit http://www.mosquitonet.com/~sleddog/ or call (907) 479-6983.

Summer mushing

Johnny Wagner/News-Miner

Musher Marvin Kokrine’s appropriately named dog Blue waits to run in the 19-mile mid-distance heat of the Alaska Dog Mush-ing Association Challenge Series Race.

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By JOSHUA [email protected]

You’ve never seen base-ball like this.

Fairbanks celebrates the national pastime in a way as unique as the city itself — playing at midnight with-out any artificial lights.

The Midnight Sun Game begins at 10:30 p.m. June 21, the longest day of the year, at Growden Memorial Park.

Playing baseball into the morning hours without arti-ficial light has been a Fair-banks tradition since 1904.

The summer-solstice spec-tacle began 105 years ago from — what else? — a bar bet.

The game was played with local teams until the Alaska

Goldpanners were formed in 1960 and took the hosting duties. The Goldpanners are a summer-league team of college players that has seen more than 200 young men go on to play professionally.

Barry Bonds, Tom Seaver and Dave Winfield are some of the most famous former Goldpanners.

Visiting teams come from across the country and occasionally from across the globe.

This year, it’s the Military All-Stars, a squad comprised of men from the U.S. armed forces.

Growden has field lights, but they’ve never been used for the Midnight Sun Game. Rumor has it they’re not even plugged in.

Sometimes the game can last as late as 2 a.m. It has been called off for rain, but

never for darkness.Tickets are $10 and can

be purchased at www.gold-panners.com. More infor-mation on the Military All-Stars can be found at www.heroesofthediamond.com.

Early entry passes are available, and seats are first-come, first-serve.

Not in town for the sum-mer solstice?

The Goldpanners’ home schedule begins June 18 and ends July 27. The Athletes In Action Fire also play games at Growden from June 23 to July 31.

Most games are at 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.alaskabaseballlegue.com.

Midnight Sun Game

IF YOU GO• What: 105th annual

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pitch at 10:30 p.m. (Gates open at 9 p.m., passes for 8 p.m. entry are available)

•Where: Growden Memorial Park

•Tickets: $10, available at www.goldpanners.com

John Wagner/News-Miner

The annual Midnight Sun Baseball Classic at Growden Memorial Park starts at 10:30 p.m. on summer sol-stice and is played entirely without arti-ficial lighting.

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By JAMES [email protected]

The golf season in Fair-banks might be short, but it makes up in intensity what it lacks in length. There are plenty of options if you’re in town and itching to play a round.

This winter, a lack of heavy snow means local courses likely will be opening the first week of May. But because conditions dictate when the first golfer tees off, be sure to call the clubhouse or pro shop of the course on which you want to play.

All courses offer punch cards that allow for multiple rounds of golf, and some sell seasonal memberships as well.

Various discounts are available.

North Star Golf Club

The North Star Golf Club, 330 Golf Club Drive, is the northernmost United States Golf Association-rated course.

The clubhouse can be reached at 457-4653 or online at www.northstargolf.com.

Its hours of operation expand as the amount of daylight increases, peaking at the summer solstice, when the course is open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Greens fees are $20 for

nine holes and $30 for 18. Carts are $25 for 18 holes. Club rental is $20 per round, but there is a visitors spe-cial that includes 18 holes, a towel, logo ball, cart and club rental for $69.

Fairbanks Golf Club

Fairbanks Golf Club can be found at 1735 Farm-ers Loop, and it is typically open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., but as with North Star, the hours lengthen with summer daylight.

The driving range is open, and the course likely will open for play the first week of May.

Fairbanks Golf Club charges $20 for nine holes and $30 for 18. Cart fees are $10 per person for nine holes and $15 per person for 18. The pro shop can be reached at 479-6555.

Chena Bend Golf Course

This golf course is located on the grounds of Fort Wain-wright and has been called one of the best in Alaska. To obtain a gate pass, stop by the post visitors’ center at the front gate, where Airport Way meets the Steese High-way.

You’ll need a driver’s license, proof of insurance, and your vehicle’s registra-

tion to obtain a day pass to drive onto the military post.

The course is open Mon-day-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

It opens on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays at 6:30 p.m., and a coin-oper-ated driving range is open 24 hours per day.

For civilians, nine holes are $34 and a round of 18 is $42. If you have a military ID, the cost is cheaper and varies according to rank.

Call the clubhouse at 353-6223 for more information.

Indoor GolfIf the weather is lousy

or you just don’t feel like heading out, Indoor Golf and Batting Cages at 160 Old Steese Highway might be a solution.

For $25 per hour per golf-er, you can use your clubs to hit into a display screen that charts the path of your ball and allows you to play simu-lated courses from around the world.

For more information about Indoor Golf, call the office at 455-4368.

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By DANNY [email protected]

Sometimes, a customer gets to take the wheel on the Tanana Chief.

It’s not that you’ll guide the stern wheeler for its entire two-hour round-trip on the Chena River to the confluence of the Tanana River. Rather, customers are allowed to visit the wheel-house, and captain Rusty Nigl might let one or a few take the wheel.

However, a customer’s turn at the wheel usually lasts for no more than five minutes, said Susan Kramer, sales manager of Greatland River Tours, which operates the Tanana Chief.

“He’ll tell them to go right or go left, and he’ll also let them know if there’s a rock or branch coming up,’’ Kramer said. “He’ll explain, too, that it can’t go super fast because it’s a stern wheeler.’’

Kramer said half the visitors on the Tanana Chief

visit the wheelhouse. The replica of stern wheelers that moved through Interior Alaska waterways between 1865 and 1955 has a capacity for 150 people, including 96 in its downstairs area.

The Tanana Chief, which has operated since 2000, is docked on the Chena River and can be seen off the Parks Highway if you’re heading southeast, when the high-way becomes the Mitchell Expressway.

One way of getting to the Tanana Chief is to take Air-port Way west to Sportsman Way. Turn right on Sports-man and then left on Boat Road, and take Boat to Rose-bud Lane and turn right.

The stern wheeler oper-ates from May 22 to Sept. 111. It features one cruise

per night, starting at 6:30 p.m. and returning to dock between 8:30 and 9 p.m., depending on how the cur-rent in the Chena is moving, Kramer said.

There is one run on Sun-days, starting at noon and scheduled to be back at the dock by 2 p.m. The brunch cruise is $36.95.

The dinner cost $49.95 for adults and $37.50 for kids 4-12. It includes each a prime rib and salmon buffet dinner.

There is no narration dur-ing the cruise.

“Most people, when they’re eating dinner, don’t want to be disrupted,’’ Kram-er said. “What they want is to see the homes and the wildlife along the river.’’


Tanana Chief Riverboat cruiseRelaxing eveningtours along the Chena River

News-Miner

The Tanana Chief stern wheeler operates from May 22 to Sept. 111. It features one cruise per night, starting at 6:45 p.m. and returning to dock between 8:30 and 9 p.m.

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Staff Report

Finding gold in the 19th cen-tury was hard work. Back then prospectors chipped away at the ground with pick axes and slowly washed the dirt away from the gold — if any — in their pans. Gold miners can still do that, but the El Dorado Gold Mine has made it a little easier for the rookies.

El Dorado is located in Fox, about a 20-minute drive north from Fairbanks on the Steese Highway. A tour of the mine gives visitors the chance to see how early miners practiced their trade, see a permafrost tunnel and take a train ride on a replica of the Tanana Valley Railroad. The route is near the gold rush train route that took

freight and passengers from the Tanana and Chena rivers to more than a dozen gold camps in the Interior. The tour begins with the locomotive. Passengers hop on and travel through a permafrost tunnel and past the steam winch that once carried the buckets of paydirt from the ground to be processed. The conductor is fiddler Earl Hughes, who entertains rid-ers by playing such songs as the “Wabash Cannonball” and other favorites. While in the tunnel, visitors get a quick les-son on underground mining.

The passengers then arrive at the gold camp and are greeted by Yukon Yonda and her husband, Dexter Clark. The duo gives a demonstration on mining techniques and swaps

old mining stories. The mine also educates visitors about modern gold mining and its importance to Alaska’s econ-omy. After the two-hour tour ends, everyone gets a shot at panning for gold. It is suggested visitors dress in layers and wear comfortable shoes and a jacket.

Dates are May 11 through Sept. 17. Tickets are $34.95 for adults, $22.95 for children, and free for those under 3. Trans-portation options: A shuttle ride is available from the River-boat Discovery, River’s Edge RV Park, River’s Edge Cottages, Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, and the SpringHill Suites by Mar-riott hotel, downtown near the visitor’s center. www.eldorado-goldmine.com. (866) 479-6673 or (907) 479-6673.

El Dorado Gold Mine


Staff Report

Learn about Interior Alaska, from the past to the present on the Riverboat Discovery. The sternwheeler riverboat travels

the Chena and Tanana rivers twice daily and gives passengers a glimpse of what life was like along the rivers from the pre-gold rush days to today’s fast-paced society.

The Riverboat Discovery is owned and operated by the Binkley family, who have been offering riverboat tours since

The Riverboat Discovery

Please see DISCOVERY, Page 41


IF YOU GO• May 11 to Sept. 17• 8:45 a.m. and 2 p.m.• Adults $54.95; Children

$37.95; under 3, free

Sam Harrel/News-Miner

The Riverboat Discovery I, left, leads the River-boat Discovery II, right, and Riverboat Discovery III down the Chena River during a summer cruise.

1950. The 3 1/2-hour cruise takes passengers back 100 years when rivers were the main mode of transportation for people and supplies in Inte-rior Alaska. Many Interior com-munities still rely on summer barges plying the Tanana and Yukon rivers to deliver fuel and other supplies to sustain them through the long winters.

The adventure begins at Steamboat Landing, a replica gold rush town complete with a gift shop, museum and ice cream parlor.

As the cruise winds down-river passengers will see a Bush pilot take off and land a small airplane on the river. These hardy, pioneering airmen trans-formed travel in rural Alaska, delivering medical supplies, food and mail among other items to the most remote areas.

Passengers will see historic cabins along the riverbank and hear a short talk on dog mush-ing, including a demonstration, with a stop at the late Susan Butcher’s Trail Breaker Ken-nels.

The sternwheeler also stops for a one-hour land tour of a replica Athabascan village. Native Alaskan hosts regale vis-itors with stories of Alaska life and their culture and history.

Passengers experience an Athabascan fish camp complete with a fishwheel and tech-niques of catching and drying salmon.

At the confluence of the Chena and Tanana rivers, pas-sengers will see the demarca-tion line where the clear waters of the spring-fed Chena River meet the silt-laden waters of the glacier-fed Tanana River.

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You’ve made it all this way to Alaska, and you’re hungry. Next stop: Food.

Sure, we’ve got the usual brands of fast food and chain restaurants, but you want something that tastes like Alaska. You’re on the hunt for moose burger or bear roast or a nice caribou steak.

Good luck with that.State regulations prohibit

businesses from selling wild-caught game, so you can’t saunter into the nearest res-taurant and order a moose burger rare, hold the mayo. The reason is the safety fac-tor.

“You can’t harvest wild animals for sale,” said Ron Klein, a food safety and sanitation program manager with the state’s Department of Environmental Conser-vation. “A restaurant can’t serve it unless it’s from an approved source. For meat, that’s a USDA or state-inspected slaughterhouse.”

And while you’re perus-ing the dinner menu, don’t let the Alaska reindeer and bison or occasional yak take you by surprise. Those come from state-sanctioned farms that have been given the OK, both health wise and com-mercial-producing wise.

Try the fishAlaska seafood, though,

is what you should really sink your teeth into. In Fair-banks, almost every restau-rant serves Alaska-caught seafood, which includes salmon, cod, halibut and crab. That dinner choice has been commercially caught and prepared, and is a big boost to the state’s economy and the “eating local” con-cept.

Almost every restaurant in town proudly serves Alas-ka-caught fish, so you can’t go wrong with ordering the king salmon or beer-battered Alaska halibut. If you’re unsure if your salmon steak is local, just ask your server.

Buy it localDon’t fret because bear

sausage is not on the menu. There are still plenty of ways to taste the bounty of the

Last Frontier.Our daylight-filled sum-

mers are a gardener’s dream, and many restaurants in Fairbanks take advantage of locally grown or Alaska-grown produce.

“At our restaurants, we buy a lot of lettuce, toma-toes, herbs and vegetables. We also buy a lot of Alaska fish,” said Darryl Allan, who writes a monthly food col-umn for the Fairbanks Daily

Go grab some grubEating local is the house specialty

Please see FOOD, Page 43

The Associated Press

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News-Miner and is food and beverage director for Foun-tainhead hotels. “We try to buy fresh year-round.”

Like many foodies in Fair-banks, Allan’s staff at Foun-tainhead takes advantage of the Tanana Valley Farmers Market, 2600 College Road. The farmers market is open on Wednesdays and week-ends and offers only Alaska-grown food.

“We try to make it out there every week, sometimes twice,” he said.

The advantage of res-taurants buying local is the fresh factor — produce picked in Southern Cali-fornia or Mexico can spend weeks on a barge getting to Alaska.

“Locally grown or Alaska grown is really fresh,” Allan said. “And it is also nice to get to know the farmers per-sonally.”

Most restaurants proudly serve Alaska-grown pro-duce and usually sport that information on their menus. Again, if you’re unsure if your salad came from a local source, ask before you order.

Cook it yourselfFor those of you taking an

extended stay in Fairbanks, you might want to fire up the grill outside your RV and cook it yourself.

Several meat processors in Fairbanks and the Inte-rior offer Alaska-caught or

raised meat the public can purchase.

Jeff Johnson opened Homegrown Market in Fair-banks about two months ago with the idea of providing only Alaska-grown products. So far it’s been a success.

“Eating local is better for you,” Johnson said. “It’s sustainable, it’s local and it helps the local economy.”

Plus, Johnson said, locally raised meats and produce taste better than something that’s been shipped up from the Lower 48, spending weeks to get to Fairbanks.

His shop, located at 3568 Geraghty Ave., offers only local products, such as grass-fed beef from Snow Clover Farm in Two Rivers, pork from farms in North Pole, Copper River seafood from Cordova and dairy products from Matanuska Creamery in Palmer.

The shop also offers a huge selection of Alaska-made jams, jellies, sauces, mustards and locally grown grains.

If all else fails …If you truly want to taste

Alaska for yourself, go catch it or pick it.

Berry-picking is an art for some folks, and Alaska is rich in blueberries and cran-berries. Ask any local for his or her favorite berry-picking spot, but don’t be surprised if you don’t get an answer. Berry-pickers are notorious for keeping their prized pick-ing grounds to themselves.

Fishing it out of our riv-ers is another great way to taste Alaska, but be sure to know the laws and regula-tions about fishing.

Many rivers are catch-and-release only, and the state is strict on visitors hav-ing the proper licenses.

FOODContinued from Page 42

FRESH AND LOCAL

Jeff Johnson’s Home-grown Market sells only Alaska-grown items, includ-ing:

• Snow Clover Farm – Two Rivers: grass fed beef

• Misty Mountain Farms – Delta Junction: grain fin-ished angus

• Elsberry Farm– North Pole; Dream Acres – North Pole: pork

• Copper River Seafood — Cordova: salmon, crab, halibut

• Matanuska Creamery — Palmer: milk, cheese and ice cream

• Circle H Ranch – Fair-banks; Papa’s Eggs – North Pole: cage free

• Various local farmers: carrots, potatoes, seasonal produce

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The brilliant, vibrant

and lively colors that dance across the northern skies inspire wonder in the hearts and minds of even the most hardened longtime Alaskans. The aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights as they are also commonly called, are a sight to behold, and one of the many wonders of the land of the Arctic.

A reliable local source of information regarding the phenomenon is the Univer-sity of Alaska Geophysical Institute, which provides a wealth of information, an aurora forecast and a place to sign up for aurora alerts. Visit www.gedds.alaska.edu/auroraforecast. The Geo-physical Institute provided answers to some common aurora questions:

Q: What is the aurora?A: The luminous glow in

the sky, called aurora, is the result of energetic particles entering the upper atmo-sphere. This specific glow is different than other forms of brightness in the sky, such as scattered sunlight or light-ning. Magnetism within the Earth’s atmosphere guide the energetic particles, most often electrons, along field lines to the high-latitude atmosphere. As they pen-

etrate the upper atmosphere, the chance of colliding with an atom or molecule increas-es the deeper they go. When a collision occurs, the atom or molecule takes some of the energy of the energetic par-ticle and stores it as internal energy while the electron continues on its path at a reduced speed. The release of that stored energy by an atom or molecule, achieved by sending off a photon, pro-duces light.

Q: What makes the col-

or in the aurora?A: The composition and

density of the atmosphere and the altitude of the aurora determine the possible light emissions. The atmosphere is made up of varying levels of oxygen and nitrogen. Some-times the photos emitted by the energetic electrons, creat-ing aurora energy, are strong enough to split the molecules

of the air around them into oxygen and nitrogen mol-ecules and atoms. This pro-cess gives them the signature colors of nitrogen and oxygen atoms. Oxygen atoms typical-ly emit green and red colors.

The colors we often see are a mixture of all auroral emissions. Just as the white sunlight is a mixture of the colors of the rainbow, the aurora is a mixture of colors. The overall impression is a greenish-whitish glow. Very intense aurora can get a pur-ple edge at the bottom, which is a mixture of blue and red emissions from nitrogen mol-ecules.

Q: What is the altitude

of the aurora?The bottom edge is typi-

cally at 60 miles altitude, but it extends over a large altitude range. Very intense aurora from high energy electrons can be as low as 50 miles. The top of the visible aurora peters out around 120-200 miles but sometimes high-altitude aurora can be seen as high as 350 miles.

Q: How often is there

aurora?A: There is always some

aurora at some place on Earth. You just can’t always see it.

When the solar wind is calm, the aurora might be too high and faint to see. In order to see aurora, the sky must be dark and clear,

Who turned on the Lights?The skinny on the aurora borealis

SUMMER AURORA

Photosymphony Produc-tions, a audio and visual aurora slideshow is shown nightly at Lacey Street The-atre, 504 Second Ave.

More information: www.photosymphony.com

Please see AURORA, Page 45


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which means in the land of the midnight sun, the phe-nomenon is invisible during the bright summer months.

Summer visits should not despair: Local photographer LeRoy Zimmerman spent much of his career docu-menting the aurora at its best from desirable locations throughout the state.

He created a visual slide-show, set it to symphony music, and has offered the auroral experience to audi-ences since 1983.

“It’s the longest running aurora photography show in the state,” Zimmerman said of the spectacle, called

Photosymphony. He displayed his show

at the Ester Gold Camp for more than 20 years, took a one-year hiatus when the camp closed, and restarted the show, in digital form, at the Lacey Street Theatre in 2009.

Zimmerman said Photo-symphony does more than offer the visual beauty of the aurora in the pictoral slide-show; the classical symphony music helps create an emo-tional response, Zimmerman said.

“You can see the aurora (in may pictures) but what I am trying to do is to help you feel it. That is what you can’t put into words or cap-ture with a picture alone,” he said.

Photosymphony runs

every day at 8 p.m. in the Lacey Street Theatre. Infor-mation is available at www.photosymphony.com.

John Hagen/News-MinerWith Dog Musher’s Hall in the fore-ground, the aurora borea-lis lights up the sky over Fairbanks in a winter dis-play.

AURORA Continued from Page 44


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Oil pipeline fuels state’s economy, and you can touch it

Staff Report

The trans-Alaska oil pipe-line snakes across 800 miles of Alaska wilderness, crossing forests, tundra, three moun-tains ranges and hundreds of rivers and streams.

Since it was built in the 1970s at a cost of $8 billion — reportedly the largest pri-vately funded construction project of its time — more than 16 billion barrels of oil has gushed through the

48-inch pipe to the Port of Valdez, where it is loaded into tankers bound for refineries on the west coast.

Oil is the lifeblood of Alas-ka’s economy and some have compared the building of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline to the Klondike gold rush.

Every state resident bene-fits from oil. Royalties paid by oil producers provide money to operate state government and contributions to a collec-tive savings account known as the Alaska Permanent Fund.

In 2009, every qualifying man, woman and child in Alaska received $1,305 from Permanent Fund investment earnings, and they have the trans-Alaska oil pipeline to thank.

The pipeline is operated by the Alyeska Pipeline Ser-vice Co., which borrows its name from an Aleut word for “mainland.” The pipeline ser-

vice company is owned by a consortium of oil companies.

Pump stations throughout the pipeline help carry the oil through the line, which is built in a zigzag configuration to allow for expansion and contraction from temperature changes and pipeline move-ment during earthquakes.

Pipeline inspection gauges, known as pigs, are routinely launched into the pipeline to clean it and inspect it for cor-rosion.

About half the pipeline is buried underground but the rest is elevated above ground because of permafrost, which is permanently frozen soil. Vertical supports hold the pipeline above ground to keep it from melting the perma-frost.

The pipeline can be seen from various areas in Fair-banks and along the Dalton and Richardson highways.

An official pipeline view-ing area is located along the Steese Highway near Fox.

Visitors can touch the pipe-line there and read about it on visual displays. A gift store is also located at the viewing area.

All Grillo/The Associated PressThe trans-Alaska oil pipeline snakes across the Alaska tundra through the Brooks Range about 150 miles from Prudhoe Bay carrying North Slope crude oil about 800 miles to Valdez, from where it will be shipped to west coast refineries.

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News-Miner file photoDawson City, Yukon, is a gold-rush boom town that hasn’t lost its charm, even though it’s well past its prime.

By JEFF [email protected]

The lure of gold brought nearly 100,000 would-be prospectors to Dawson City more than a century ago, and the small Canadian city on the banks of the Yukon River continues to relive the Klondike Gold Rush today.

Although mining claims have dwindled and the popu-lation has shrunk to about 2,000 residents, Dawson City still offers visitors a glimpse of the town that became the focus of a gold-fueled stam-pede in 1896.

That’s the year when the colorfully named trio of Dawson Charlie, George Carmack and Skookum Jim discovered gold in a nearby creek, triggering a flood of strike-it-rich visitors to an

Get a taste for gold

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Please see DAWSON, Page 49

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Whitehorse wasn’t much more than a particularly high hurdle during the frantic days of the Klondike Gold Rush.

The biggest city in the Yukon Territory, located about 550 miles from Fairbanks on the Alaska Highway, has come a long way since then. Named the capital of the province in 1953, Whitehorse has blos-somed into a city of more than 25,000 people.

The area first gained noto-riety — and its eventual name — for the treacherous white-caps in the area on the Yukon River. The rough water, said to resemble raging white horses,

destroyed the boats of many prospectors headed north to Dawson City.

Those whitecaps are gone today because of a dam built in 1958. In their place, the city has blossomed around an economic base that includes mining, transportation, gov-ernment services and tourism.

• The Heritage Walking Tour can give an overview of Old Whitehorse, and leaves regularly from Donnenworth House, 3126 Third Ave. The guided tours feature humor-ous storytelling and historic details, and are held during the summer months. The hour-long tours are available at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

• A variety of local muse-ums and exhibits are in and around Whitehorse, includ-ing the Beringia Centre, which details the ice age in the Yukon; the Old Log Church Museum, with exhibits on early Yukon mission activities; the MacBride Museum, with information on the Gold Rush, natural history, Mounties in the north, and First Nations cultures; the Transportation Museum, showing Gold Rush and Alaska Highway history; the Copperbelt Railway and Mining Museum; and the gallery at the Yukon Arts Centre.

The Whitehorse Visitor Information Centre, located on Second Avenue, includes tourist services that include interactive programs, films, and directions to local attrac-tions.

• The S.S. Klondike is a dry docked sternwheeler in downtown Whitehorse, serv-ing as a reminder of the city’s past as a river transportation hub. The old riverboat, which

The Yukon’sbiggest

little cityOnce overlooked, Whitehorse has

come into its own

Please see YUKON, Page 50

News-Miner file photoThe S.S. Klondike is dry-docked in White-horse, Yukon. The former sternwheeler is now an attraction open during the summer.

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area that was once a sleepy summer fish camp for local Natives.

Almost none of them found much gold, but the ensuing boom caused the city to explode to a popula-tion of 40,000 people.

Much of Dawson City still retains the turn-of-the-cen-tury flair from the era, and the town has been named a national historic area by Parks Canada. Dozens of old buildings have been reno-vated or stabilized.

A visit to the historic town can still offer plenty of interest, especially during the summer months. Some of the highlights include:

• Daily tours of the city core are available starting at the visitor information center in the summer time, highlighting the history of a town that was the Yukon’s capital until 1953.

The tour includes several homes of literary interest, including dwellings that once housed Jack London, Pierre Berton and Robert Service.

London, who came to the Klondike at age 21 for an unsuccessful attempt at min-ing, was later inspired by the North in his many short stories and books.

Service, who gained fame as a poet, lived in a two-room log cabin in Dawson from 1909-12.

• Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall features

an old-fashioned gambling environment and shows by can-can girls. From May to September, the live enter-tainment is accompanied by slot machines, blackjack tables, roulette wheels and poker tournaments.

• Dredge No. 4, which was built in 1912 to mine a Bonanza Creek claim, is the largest wooden-hull bucket-line dredge in North America.

The dredge, located about 8 miles outside of Dawson City, offers hour-long tours through Parks Canada sev-eral times a day during sum-mer months.

• The Dawson City Muse-um in the Old Territorial Administration Building on Fifth Avenue, offers a look at old Dawson City with gal-leries and a weekly lecture series. The Danoja Zho Cul-

tural Centre offers a look at First Nation history in the area, including gallery tours, special performances, exhibi-tions and films.

The Front Street center is open from June to Septem-ber.

• The Palace Grand The-atre offers nightly shows during the tourist season, featuring characters of the Yukon in amusing song-and-dance skits. The reconstruct-ed theater was originally built by Arizona Charlie Meadows in 1899.

• Particularly brave visitors can sample an infa-mous Sourtoe Cocktail at the Sourdough Saloon. An authentic mummified human toe is placed in a beverage.

To become a member of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club, a customer must drink it and let the toe touch their lips.

DAWSON: Got the guts to try a Sourtoe?Continued from Page 47

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was renovated in 1937, is open daily for tours.

• Whitehorse boasts the longest wooden fish ladder in the world, where salmon pass on their way to spawning grounds. The Whitehorse Fish Ladder and Dam,

upstream of the Robert Camp-bell Bridge, offers a glass observation center, allows visi-tors to see salmon, grayling and trout.

• About 18 miles outside Whitehorse, Takhini Hot Springs offers a rustic retreat with trails, soaking pools and a campground.

• The Frantic Follies Vaudeville Revue offers Gold Rush variety entertain-ment, with nightly shows from mid-May to mid-September at the Westmark Whitehorse. For information, go online to www.franticfollies.com, e-mail [email protected] or phone 867-633-4363.


YUKON: World’s longest wooden fish ladderContinued from Page 48

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During the summer, drama can always be found at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’

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take a lighter route and switch it up with a repertory of two comedies. This year, Artistic Director Bruce Rogers chose to do two Shakespeare classics — “Measure for Measure” and a Shakespeare rock and roll twist to “The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Musical),” written by John Guare and music by Galt MacDermot. “Measure for Measure” is considered either a comedy or one of the Bard’s “problem plays,” because it is sort of in between a comedy and tragedy.

The two shows will be per-formed on alternative nights, and a crowd of 100-200 usually attends. They start on July 15 and run until Aug. 1, playing at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Graham Watts of the United Kingdom will direct “Measure for Measure.” He has worked with the FST many times throughout the years and across the world, including in New York City’s Washington Square Park. Brandon Michael, who directed this year’s Fair-banks Light Opera Theatre’s production of “Sweeney Todd,” will be directing “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.” Michael also is FST’s business manager.

In the winter months, the FST doesn’t hibernate. Some of its busiest times are with the annual “Bard-a-thon,” where round-the-clock Shakespeare works are read aloud. The free public readings last a whole week, and all ages are invited. FST productions go all year — this year already featured “The Tempest” and “Antigone, or I really wish you hadn’t done that” by Sophocles and

THEATREContinued from Page 51

IF YOU GOThis year, the Fairbanks

Shakespeare Theatre will be putting on “Measure for Measure” and “The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Musical).” The two shows will be performed on alter-native nights, starting July 15 until Aug. 1, playing at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays.

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By MATT [email protected]

The Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center is a new addition to down-town Fairbanks. The center is located at 101 Dunkel St. on the banks of the Chena River adjacent to Griffin Park and bike and walking paths. MTCVC offers ample parking, wireless Internet, restrooms, a 100-seat theater with free films daily on Alaska his-tory and culture, a historic pioneer cabin restored to its original 1905 period and a 9,000-square-foot exhibit hall featuring the people and land of Interior Alaska.

The visitors center is a partnership of four entities. Inside you will find:

Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau

There is much to do and see in Interior Alaska, and the folks at the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau will help you plan an itinerary of local attrac-tions that fits your schedule.

The staff is all locals and can answer questions and share personal stories of year-round life in Fairbanks.

Staff fluent in German and Japanese are available to assist international travelers.

The FCVB offers more than 400 brochures for attrac-tions, dining, shopping, camp-ing and outdoor adventures in the Interior and across Alaska.

Also available from FCVB are:

• Free courtesy phones for local and credit card calls

• Public computers for visi-tors to make travel arrange-ments and check e-mail

• Maps of Alaska and the Fairbanks area

• Daily listings of available accommodations

• Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily in winter, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily in summer

• For more information, call 456-5774 or visit explore-fairbanks.com.

Alaska Public Lands Information Center

For more adventure-some visitors, the Public Lands Information Center is dedicated to promoting knowledge and use of “natu-ral, cultural and historic resources on Alaska’s public lands.”

Morris Thompson center provides a helping hand to visitors

Eric Engman/News-MinerThe Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center is located at 101 Dunkel St. on the banks of the Chena River.

Please see CENTER, Page 55

The Bakery 69 College Road

Asiana Restaurant 2001 Airport Way

Aviator’s Steak House 731 2nd Ave.

Bamboo Panda 1235 Airport Way

Benny’s Grill 101 Santa Claus Ln., NP

Brewster’s 3578 Airport Way 354 Old Steese

Bruegger’s Bagels 36 College Road

Chena Hot Springs 56.5 Mile Chena Hot Springs Rd.

Chena’s Alaskan Grill 4200 Boat Street The Chowder House 206 Eagle Avenue

College Town Pizzeria 3549 College Rd

Co-Op Diner 535 2nd Ave.

Cookie Jar Restaurant 1006 Cadillac Ct.

Country Cafe 235 Santa Clause Ln., NP

Denny’s Restaurant 1929 Airport Way

The Diner 244 Illinois St.

Your family deserves the best. Treat them to smokefree air. Enjoy smokefree dining at these local restaurants.

The Edgewater 477 Pike’s Landing Rd.

Farmers Loop Market Food Court 245 Farmers Loop

Fire Wok Express 249 N. Santa Claus Ln.

The Food Factory 44 College Road

The Fudge Pot 515 1st Avenue

Geraldo’s Restaurant 107 College Rd.

Ichiban Noodle 400 College Rd.

Koreana Restaurant 1528 Cushman St.

L’assiette De Pomegranate 414 2nd Ave.

Lavelle’s Bistro In Springhill Suites

Lemon Grass Thai Cuisine 388 Old Chena Pump, Suite K

Lin’s Asian Bistro 1900 Airport Way

Model Café (Fairbanks Memorial Hospital) 1650 Cowels St.

Mom’s Kitchen 617 27th Ave.

Pad Thai 3400 College Rd. Pagoda Restaurant 431 N. Santa Claus Ln., NP

Panda Garden 29 College Rd., Suite 12

Pizza 4 Less 246 Illinois St.

Pizza Hut 1991 Airport Way 89 College Rd. 4005 Geist Rd. 257 Santa Claus Ln., NP

Quizno’s Classic Subs 3598 Airport Way 607 Old Steese Hwy.

Red Lantern Steak & Spirits 813 Noble

Regency Cove 95 10th Ave.

Round Up Steakhouse 2710 Cushman St.

Second Story Café 3525 College Rd.

Seoul Gate Restaurant 958 Cowles St.

Siam Dishes 338 Old Steese Hwy.

Silver Gulch Brewing & Bottling Co. 2195 Old Steese Highway, Fox

Subway 514 Old Steese Hwy. 3574 Airport Way 1800 Airport Way Mc Peaks, Badger Rd. Town & Country Mall, NP Wal-Mart 2301 South Cushman

Sweet Basil Thai Restaurant 1448 South Cushman

Taco Bell 87 College Rd. 1450 University Ave. 235 Santa Claus Ln., NP

Thai Cuisine Restaurant 537 St. Nicolas Dr.

Thai House Restaurant 412 5th Ave

Tracker’s Lounge 477 Pikes Landing Rd.

Two Street Station 535 2nd Ave.

Wendy’s Restaurant 1859 Airport Way 33 Saint Nicholas Dr., NP

Wok’ N’ Roll 3535 College Road

Wolf Run Restaurant 3360 Wolf Run

Zach’s Restaurant at Sophie Station 1717 University Ave.

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If you would like more information on quitting, call the Alaska Tobacco Quitline at 888-842-QUIT (7840).

Funded by the Alaska Division of Public Health in partnership with Tanana Chiefs Conference and Interior Alaska Coalition of Tobacco Free Advocates.


The information center has resources for hiking, camping and fishing, and can help with backcountry trip planning

The information center’s services include resource education programs, interpretive ser-vices and fee collection.

The center also has a reference library and sponsors daily films in the theater.

The center is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily Memorial Day through Labor Day.

For more information call 459-3730 or visit alaskacenters.gov.

The Fairbanks Alaska Public Lands Informa-tion Center is affiliated with:

Alaska Geographic bookstoreAlaska Geographic is a nonprofit bookstore

dedicated to “connecting people to Alaska’s parks, forests and refuges.” Browse Alaska read-ing material from children’s books to wilderness adventure, Alaska history to collections from some of the state’s finest photographers.

You’ll also find detailed maps of Alaska’s wild areas, DVDs covering a wide range of Alaska history and culture and Native arts and crafts.

The bookstore will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily during the summer months.

For more information, call 459-3710 or visit alaskageographic.org.

Tanana Chiefs Conference Cultural Programs

The Tanana Chiefs Conference, a consor-tium of 42 villages of Interior Alaska, promotes Native unity and self-determination.

TCC Cultural Programs hosts cultural pro-

grams and events Monday through Friday dur-ing the summer at the Morris Thompson Cul-tural and Visitors Center. For more information, call 459-3741, visit tananachiefs.org or stop by the visitors center.

DenakkanaagaThe Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors

Center also houses the offices of Denakkanaa-ga Native Elders organization.

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CENTERContinued from Page 53

News-Miner fileThe Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center offers plenty of resources to help visitors enjoy the beauty of Alaska.

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Staring down a stand-

ing 8-foot, 9-inch Alaska brown bear; swimming in the emotions of painters who expressed the beauty and power of Denali, the polar bear and other Alaska treasures; and gazing upon the most unique and truly Alaska outhouse you might ever see, you will experi-ence the essence of the state at the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

Boasting a collection of

1.4 million artifacts and specimens representing mil-lions of years of biological diversity and thousands of years of cultural tradi-tions, the UA Museum of the North is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state. Collections are divided into 10 disciplines — archaeology, birds, docu-mentary film, earth sciences, ethnology/history, fine arts, fishes/marine invertebrates, insects, mammals and plants — and are displayed in long-term and special exhibits.

The Gallery of Alaska

Greeted by the stand-ing brown bear, visitors can make their way around five regional galleries represent-ing the major ecological regions of Alaska. Learn of Alaska’s geological history; salmon harvests of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people; and see the beauty of tradi-

tional clothing of Southeast Natives in the Southeast Gallery.

The trans-Alaska oil pipeline, various waterfowl and artifacts representing the Russian-American influ-ence in Alaska’s history are featured in the Southcentral Gallery.

While gold rush his-tory and the aurora borealis appear in the Interior Gal-lery, a 36,000-year-old mum-mified Alaska steppe bison is a treasured highlight. The Gallery of Alaska leaves no historic or cultural stone unturned.

UA Museum of the North displays the essence of the Last Frontier

PLAN YOUR VISIT

• Summer hours run May 15-Sept. 15: Daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Admission: $10 gen-eral, $9 seniors, $5 youth. Free for museum members, UA students with ID and children under 7.

• Information: call (907)474-7507 or visit www.uaf.edu/museum

Sam Harrel/News-MinerThe University of Alaska Museum of the North sits on the west ridge of the UAF campus.

Please see MUSEUM, Page 57


Rose Berry Art Gallery

Handmade clothing from Native cultures, ancient ivory carvings, ceremonial masks and tools are part of the Rose Berry Art Gallery, covering 2,000 years of Alaska art.

The Place Where You Go To Listen

Anyone can see the aurora borealis, but only visitors to The Place Where You Go To Listen can hear and feel it. Created by local composer John Luther Adams, this wonder of light and sound is an ever-changing musical eco-system that converts real-time environmental elements

such as seismic vibrations, sunlight changes and the aurora borealis into musical rhythms and vibrations.

Alaska ClassicsSee a survey of Alaska’s

historical paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries, featuring works by Syndey Laurence, James Steward and others.

There also are various mul-timedia elements incorporat-ed into exhibits throughout the museum.

2010 special exhibit: ‘Then & Now: The Changing Arctic Landscape’

Alaska, along with the rest of the Arctic, has become a major player in the debate about global warming. In this special exhibition, experience the compelling, visual evi-dence of climate change. The display includes a comparison of early 20th century pho-tographs and contemporary views from the same vantage points. Personal narratives complement the visual effects to help visitors truly witness the extent of changes others have noted in this remote landscape.

SPECIAL EXHIBIT

• What: 2010 Special Exhibit: “Then & Now: The Changing Arctic Landscape”

• When: May 15 to Jan. 8, 2011

• Witness the compel-ling, visual evidence of cli-mate change in the North.

MUSEUMContinued from Page 56


You can’t visit Fairbanks without seeing

its world famous giant cabbages. While you’re at it, you might as well enjoy the beauty of Alaska’s most majestic fauna, observe wildlife in beautiful Interior habitats and tour some of the hardiest greenhouses and gardens around.

The Georgeson Botanical Garden is a nationally recognized botanical garden. Part of the University of Alaska’s renowned agri-cultural research and education programming, the GBG is dedicated to plant culture and conservation.

It is open to the public, offering informa-tion about and views of some of the Interior’s most productive agricultural endeavors.

Georgeson Botanical Garden shows off Alaska’s horticultural wonders

HOURS AND TOURS• The Georgeson Botanical Garden is

open daily 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 1 to Aug. 31

• Gift shop open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday through summer season

• Located at 117 West Tanana Drive on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus

Tours• Self-guided: Cost of admission, $2• Guided: $5 per person, minimum $75• Information: (907)474-6921 or

www.uaf.edu/snras/gbg

Please see GARDEN, Page 58

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GBG historyAccording to the GBG web-

site, the garden was born in part from a petition made in 1905 by Fairbanksans to the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an experiment sta-tion in the Tanana Valley. In August of that year, Charles Georgeson, director of Alaska Agriculture Experiment Sta-tions, explored Tanana Valley for possible station sites, even-tually selecting 1,393.97 acres located nearly midway between Chena and Fairbanks. George-son chose the spot because of its size and proximity to the transportation corridor and the availability of good soil for farming. In 1991, that UAF Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station became the Georgeson Botanical Gar-den.

Early on, the station focused on grains, grasses and pota-toes, with various vegetables, flowers, fruits and landscape ornamentals available. In the 1970s, horticulturist Dr. Donald Dinkel was in charge of the gardens, and he exuded great effort experimenting in everything from artichokes to zucchini. He also boosted the focus on annual flowers, which became popular with Fairbanks visitors.

Throughout time, the gar-den continually increased in popularity, and today more than 30,000 visitors enjoy the garden each summer, accord-ing to the GBG website. The transition from demonstra-tion garden to botanical garden was made not only to accommodate increased pub-lic use but also to continue the 98-year-old tradition of experimenting with horticul-tural crops, developing new cultivation techniques and sharing that information with Alaskans and Alaska visitors.

ToursTour season is open April-

May 31, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon-day through Friday and June 1 to Aug. 31, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Entrance fee is $2 per person. Visitors can take a self-guided tour, following signs and brochures. Guided tours are available to groups, $5 per person with a minimum of $75.

For information, call (907)474-6921. The GBG regularly hosts events and weddings. Visit the website for details, www.uaf.edu/snras/gbg.

More than faunaSculptures enhance the

beauty of the gardens. The GBG received its first sculp-ture, “Inflorescence,” in 1992. It was designed by Dr. Wendy Ernst and student artists Carol Desnoyers, Rachelle Dowdy and Heather Wells. The 4 1/2-foot bronze sculpture was funded as part of the Universi-ty of Alaska’s 75th Anniversary Celebration.

“Inukshuk” was created by Darleen Masiak. Located at the Kenton Hanscom Memo-rial Picnic shelter, it is a pile of rocks used by northern native Americans as a marker to help find the way.

“The Crab” was moved from the UA Museum of the North to the gardens in 2002.

GARDENContinued from Page 57

By ASHLEY BRIGGSNews-Miner Intern

The Arctic is a difficult place to live, but several species of animals have made it their home for thousands of years. Today, researchers are studying those animals to see how they not only survived, but thrived in the far north.

Located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Rob-ert G. White Large Animal Research Station is home to herds of musk oxen, caribou

and domestic reindeer. Thousands of tourists visit

every year to see the animals, which are used for research in nutrition, metabolic, physiolog-ical and behavioral studies.

Scientists estimate there are about 4,000 musk oxen in Alas-ka, descendants of the 33 musk oxen reintroduced to Alaska in 1930. They like extremely cold temperatures and usually are found as far north as possible.

The animals are protected by thick coats and a thick wool-ly underfur called qiviut.

There are nearly 500,000 caribou in Alaska.

Tours are given by present-ers who have a background in natural sciences and are trained in the biology of the animals.

They offer descriptions of the natural history and ecol-ogy of the animals, specialized adaptations and an overview of research. The tour is a 45-min-ute outdoor walk of about one-quarter mile and is conducted regardless of weather.

View musk oxen and reindeer at Large Animal Research Station

Please see LARS, Page 60


By BETSY [email protected]

As a visitor, one of the best ways to get the lay of the land is to immerse your-self in local arts and culture. In Fairbanks, there’s no easier way to do so than by visiting the annual Summer Arts Festival.

The Summer Arts Fes-tival, which includes two weeks of live performances and classes, began in 1980 as a one-week jazz celebration.

Throughout the years, organizers added different art mediums.

Now the event includes everything from visual arts and dance, to ice skating and literary arts.

This year’s festival runs from July 18 to Aug. 1 and offers live performances almost every night at the University of Alaska Fair-banks campus. These per-formances showcase Celtic and Motown music, cabaret and more. New this year, a professional-level chamber music orchestra also will perform.

For those who prefer a hands-on experience, the festival offers a variety of classes that run for one day, one week or two weeks.

New to the festival are mini workshops. Before this year, most courses were a couple weeks long and required a “serious time commitment” to those taking them, said festival Executive Director Terese Kaptur. The mini classes are a way for someone to try something once and see if they like it, she said. Each mini workshop is 1 day long and lasts 1-3 hours, making them ideal for visitors or anyone who wants to stop by on their lunch hour. Some of the offerings include creative writing, steel drums, harp, glass blowing, ice skating and salsa dancing.

Another option for those who can’t commit to the traditional two-week courses

are one-week classes in bead work, scrapbooking, digi-tal photography, jazz/latin ensemble, harp for kids and accordian.

New courses this year include Alaska Native dance, Alaska Native storytelling and film, Brazilian jazz, Kel-zmer ensemble and women’s chamber choral.

Most classes are held at UAF campus, except for a few that take place at local studios, such as glass blow-ing and dance.

This year, everything is available online. Attendees

can register, buy tickets and make donations online at www.fsaf.org. “It’s much more user friendly,” Kaptur said.

A list of performances and times is availble online. Times and prices vary.

Check out Fairbanks’ arts scene at the Summer Arts Festival

IF YOU GO• What: Fairbanks Sum-

mer Arts Festival• When: July 18

through Aug. 1• Tickets: Packages

include singles, 12-packs, 25-packs and season pass-es. Prices and a schedule of events can be found on the festival’s website, www.fsaf.org.

Sam Harrel/News-MinerBassist Paul Sharpe joins cellist Lars Hoefs for a duet during the 2008 Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival.


No reservations are need-ed unless you are part of a group larger than 20.

A gift shop also is located at research center that sells qiviut, (musk ox wool), hand-knit scarves and hats, T-shirts, coffee mugs, jewelry and books.

For more information, call (907) 474-5724 or e-mail

News-Miner fileA musk ox takes it easy at the Univer-sity of Alaska Fair-banks Large Animal Research Station.

LARSContinued from Page 58

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If relaxing in an outdoor hot spring sounds good after a long day of touring Fair-banks, the closest place to go is Chena Hot Springs Resort.

Just 60 miles northeast of Fairbanks, the hot springs have been popular for more than 100 years. They first became famous in the 1890s for curing the aches and pains of prospectors. In 1911, the resort had a bath-house and 12 small cabins

for visitors.Today the 440-acre full-

service resort offers over-night stays in the Moose Lodge, signature rooms, family suites or a cabin by the creek, a full-service res-taurant open every day, the Aurora Café and the Trails End Lounge.

RV and camping facilities also are available.

The resort includes the natural mineral hot spring adult rock lake and hot tub, open for those 18 and older, and an indoor family pool

and hot tubs. Both are open daily from 7 a.m. to midnight.

Chena Hot Springs Resort rejuvenates weary travelers

IF YOU GO• Natural Mineral Hot Springs open daily 7 a.m. to midnight• Adult swim pass (ages 18 and up) $10• Seniors (ages 62 and up) $8• Youth swim pass (ages 6-17) $7• Children 5 and under free with paying adult. • Family swim pass (10 swims) $60

Please see RESORT, Page 62

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“Chena Hot Springs is nature at its best,” said Bernie Karl, who owns the resort with his wife, Con-nie Parks-Karl.

The resort offers other activities such as ATV tours, canoeing, fishing, flight-see-ing tours, guided horseback rides and therapeutic mas-sages. Chena Hot Springs Resort also offers several packages from which visi-tors may choose.

The Evening at Chena is a six-hour tour that includes a Holland America Tours motor coach to and from Fairbanks, buffet din-ner, Aurora Ice Museum tour and the natural hot springs swim and soak pass.

The Day at Chena is a seven-hour tour includ-ing the natural hot springs swim and soak pass, Aurora Ice Museum tour, lunch at the resort restaurant, a Geo-thermal Renewable Energy tour and a Chena shuttle to and from the resort.

The Best of Chena is a two-day, one-night stay with an unlimited hot springs swim and soak pass, over-night stay in Moose Lodge, Ice Museum tour and Geo-thermal Renewable Energy tour.


It might seem like an unlikely spot to find fine dining and good times, but a trip off the beaten path to the com-munity of Fox offers some of the best food and fun in the Fairbanks area.

The hamlet, located about 10 miles north of Fairbanks on the Steese Highway, was estab-lished as a mining camp in 1905. Today, it boasts a handful of popular restaurants, drink-ing establishments and tourist destinations.

Fox is home to the area’s only local brewpub, Silver Gulch Brewing and Bottling Company. Silver Gulch makes a dozen locally crafted beers inside a converted roadhouse, which boasts the distinction of being the northernmost brew-ery in North America.

For the past few years, the brewery also has been home to a well-regarded restaurant, offering upscale pub-style food — steaks, burgers, fish and chips, and pizza baked in a wood-fired oven. Brunch is available on weekends starting at 11 a.m.

If you want to take home a souvenir or a six-pack, Silver Gulch has a gift shop that sells beer, clothing and other mer-chandise.

Many Fairbanksans make the trip to Fox for a feast at The Turtle Club, which con-

sistently ranks among the best restaurants in the area in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Readers’ Choice Awards.

The Turtle Club boasts sea-food selections and an impres-sive salad bar, but it is best known for its heaping servings of prime rib. For the truly ravenous, a Miner’s Cut of 20 ounces or more is available.

The decor at the original log building carries a special quirk — a variety of turtles are scattered throughout the restaurant.

Fox also boasts the Howl-ing Dog Saloon, which delivers drinks and dancing packaged in an old-time roadhouse bar.

For good times and good food, head out to Fox

RESORTContinued from Page 61

News-Miner fileFox is home to the area’s only local brewpub, Silver Gulch Brewing and Bottling Company.

Please see FOX, Page 63

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in Beautiful Downtown Fox Junction of Hwys 2 & 6 Groceries • Propane • ATM

Liquor • Beer • Wine Espresso • Soft Ice Cream Hunting/Fishing Licenses

Open 5:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. 7 days a week

Last 24 hr. gas going North

2226 Old Steese Hwy. No. 907-457-8903


The Howling Dog shuts down during the winter but boasts an eclectic mix of cus-tomers and live music from May through October. Live bands play “The Dog” on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, along with bonus performances on other days. Thursdays are blues nights, with everything from reggae to rock ’n’ roll bands taking the stage on other nights.

The quirky ambience at The Dog also is an attraction,

including items of donated clothing that hang from the ceiling. A horseshoe pit and beach volleyball area are in the back, along with 10 rental cabins for people who want an overnight stay. A menu of bar food, including burgers and pizza, and an espresso bar also are available.

The Dog always has an intriguing mix of customers — college students, business-people and bikers among them.

For those continuing down the Steese, the Fox General

Store offers an opportunity to gas up, along with a small gro-cery store and liquor store.

There also are a few attrac-tions that display Fox’s impor-tance in Alaska’s resource economy. Its mining past can be seen from the piles of tail-ings that remain from the dredges that once worked the area. And a pullout at 8 Mile Steese Highway offers an up-close look at the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, with displays that explain the history and eco-nomic vitality of the pipeline.

FOXContinued from Page 62


Though the thought of striking it rich is not what brings flocks of people to Fairbanks anymore, visitors still can share in the fun of panning for gold. Fairbanks remains one of the few places in Alaska where visitors can try their luck with a gold pan.

Visitors who want to scour backcountry areas for gold should get the right equip-ment and a good map before heading out.

Jim Madonna of Alaskan Prospectors said the four main things every panner needs are a sizing screen, a pan, a vile and a sniffer bottle.

“The sizing screen is used to separate out the big rocks so you are only panning the fine material. This will speed up the panning process by 50 percent,” Madonna said.

After panning the fine material, gold flecks can be removed from the pan with the sniffer bottle, which is used like an oversized eye dropper.

Some of the other sug-gested equipment for gold panning are a magnifying lens, a small magnet for separating out magnetic black sands, and rubber gloves and boots to keep your hands and feet dry and warm.

There are several areas open to the general public for both gold panning and sluic-ing. Recreational gold panners should keep in mind that they can only pan in these areas and where they have per-mission from the property’s owner.

Bachelor Creek, located 80 miles north of Fairbanks on the Steese Highway, is a remote mining area. A four-mile hike off the main road,

the mining area offers no camping facilities.

Nome Creek is located north of the Steese High-way in the White Mountains National Recreation Area. Gold was first discovered here in the 1990s and has since had a rich history of gold finds. There are three camping areas at Nome Creek including facil-ities such as outhouses and drinking water. Visitors are charged a small recreation fee.

Pedro Dome, located 25 miles north of Fairbanks, is a relatively small, 1-acre mining area. Felix Pedro first discov-ered gold here in 1902. No restrooms are available, and you will need to bring your own food and drinking water.

“Gold panning is truly an adventure to remember,” Madonna said. “It is one of the most rewarding adventures in Alaska, being able to pan for gold like our pioneers.”

Try your luck at gold panning

9 MILES EAST OF DELTA JUNCTION 9 MILES EAST OF DELTA JUNCTION Mile 1413 Alaska Highway, beside the large Grain

Elevators

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Tenderfoot pottery Tenderfoot pottery

9 a.m.–9 p.m. Daily 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Daily

Mile 294 Richardson Hwy. Mile 294 Richardson Hwy. Between Fairbanks & Delta Between Fairbanks & Delta

907-895-4039 907-895-4039

[email protected] [email protected] tenderfootpottery.com tenderfootpottery.com

OPEN OPEN


By BROOKELYN BELLINGERFor the News-Miner

At the end of the 1,422-mile Alaska Highway sits the quaint farming town of Delta Junction.

This small town of about 800 people welcomes visitors with stunning views of the Alaska Range and the Gran-ite Mountains on clear days.

This provides the agricul-turally minded community a stunning backdrop for crops of straw, oats, grass seed, potatoes, livestock, dairy and exotic animals — a standout in Alaska’s frigid Interior.

A drive out of town in any direction will give testament to the beauty of more than 130,000 acres of agricultural land surrounded by Alaska’s mountainous terrain.

Sullivan’s Roadhouse, rescued from Alaska’s old trail system nearly 20 miles from Delta, provides a peek into life as it was back in the days when travels through Alaska demanded steely nerves and firm resolve.

Situated next to the Visitors Center in Delta, Sullivan’s Roadhouse is the oldest original roadhouse in Interior Alaska and is home to an impressive roadhouse museum staffed by knowl-edgeable volunteers. The

beautiful gardens outside are a showstopper.

Right next to the road-house, enjoy viewing the ancient machinery that was used to build the Alaska Highway.

The Delta Junction Visi-tors Center is the place to get your official certificate

Delta Junction: a farming town with a beautiful backdrop

Alaska Highway

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Please see DELTA, Page 65

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R IKA’S OADHOUSE

& LANDING

Milepost 275 Richardson Hwy Delta Junction

AK, 99737

One-quarter mile from the

Trans-Alaska Pipeline

Tanana River Crossing

Tel. 907-895-4201 Fax 907-895-4787

www.rikas.com

RV PARKING

Ample turn-around space

Open 24 hours 7 days a week

Roadhouse and Restaurant

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 7 days a week

Park & Dump Station Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Roadhouse Gift Shop

Pavilion Restaurant & Bakery

“Best food on the Alaska

Highway!” – Seattle

Intelligencer 1909–2010

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Alaska’s Friendly Frontier

Stop at the Visitor Center to see our displays and find out more about what to

see and do in Delta! “End of Alaska Highway” Certificates available for $1.00

End of the Alaska Highway

DELTA JUNC T ION Services & Attractions

• Visitor Information Center

• Historical Sullivan Roadhouse Museum

• Highway’s End Farmers Market

• Big Delta State Historical Park • State camping grounds,

Private RV parks with full hookups

• Great fishing, hunting in season, and hiking throughout the season

• Gifts, Groceries, Motels, Bed & Breakfasts, Restaurants.

• Largest free-roaming bison herd in Alaska

• Quartz Lake: fishing, hiking, camping, picnics, cabins

http://www.deltachamber.org

For further information: Delta Chamber of Commerce

P.O. Box 987 FDNM Delta Junction, Alaska 99737

(907) 895-5068 TOLL FREE 1-877-895-5068

e-mail: [email protected]

2010 Events

Friendly Frontier Days May 29

Deltana Fair July 30–August 1

Mile 1422 Alaska Highway Delta Junction 99737

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Halloween Bash October 23


for surviving the long jour-ney up the Alaska Highway.

Don’t forget a picture with the giant mosquito out-side and browse the myriad displays and information inside.

Nine miles northwest of town, visitors should not miss historic Rika’s Road-house in Big Delta.

The roadhouse used to be an important stop for travel-ers and is now a beautifully restored site with many original buildings filled with artifacts from the era.

A restaurant and gift shop is on site, along with geese, ducks, goats, a beau-tiful garden and a fantastic view of the Tanana River. Camping also is available.

Recreation in the area is plentiful, from blue-ribbon arctic grayling fishing in the Delta Clearwater River to hiking Donnelly Dome or hunting big game animals.

Camping is available at Quartz Lake, Lost Lake, Fielding Lake and the Clear-water River.

The IGA also is a local favorite, especially their deli items. And prepare yourself for their tasty bakery.

Check in with friends and relatives before you get back

on the road at the Delta Junction Library with free Internet access, open daily.

DELTAContinued from Page 64

RECREATION OPTIONS

Recreation in the Delta area is plentiful, from blue-ribbon arctic grayling fishing in the Delta Clear-water River to hiking Don-nelly Dome or hunting big game animals. Camping is available at Quartz Lake, Lost Lake, Fielding Lake and the Clearwater River.

C HATANIKA G OLD C AMP R E S T A U R A N T ! L O D G I N G ! S A L O O N

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• Gold Panning • RV Parking • Camping • Old Chatanika

Schoolhouse/Museum

• Sunday Brunch • Fine or Casual Dining • Outdoor Deck with

view of Mining Valley • Beautiful Trails

Preserving Interior Alaska’s Mining History • National Register of Historic Places Open Daily 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. (Closed Mondays) • 5550 (Mile 28) Steese Hwy • (907) 389-2414

Live music by Theresa Bauer Sunday afternoons 4-8pm

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CHATANIKA LODGE

Saloon•Country Cooking•Lodging

Fishing & Hiking Nearby

5760 (28 1 ⁄ 2 Mi.) Steese Hwy. Fairbanks, AK 99712

907-389-2164 Fax: 907-389-2166

[email protected]

Ron & Shirley Franklin

Rustic Alaskan Atmosphere

Across highway from Alaska’s 2nd Largest Gold Dredge!


Staff Report

The 160-mile Steese High-way retraces a century of historic gold mining. The first 53 miles are paved — the rest is an adventure.

It offers road access to the vast White Mountains Rec-reation Area, where you can pan for gold at Nome Creek at 57 Mile and hike, fish and camp.

Much of the area was burned by a massive wildfire in 2004, so use caution.

The Steese Highway winds through the scenic Chatanika River Valley.

The town of Chatanika, created by mining activ-ity, was once 10,000 people strong.

Chatanika Gold Camp is the site of the old Fairbanks Exploration Co. Camp, built in the 1920s. The camp is on the National Register of His-

toric Places. For more information,

visit www.fegoldcamp.com.Just down the road at

28.5 Mile is a large rustic cedar lodge, across the street from Gold Dredge No. 3. The Chatanika Lodge was estab-lished in the 1930s as a trad-ing post.

The lodge’s Alaska decor showcases its hearty fare, with a full kitchen serving breakfast, lunch and dinner from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Stop at Long Creek Trad-ing Post at 45 Mile for an espresso or ice cream. The trading post offers canoe rentals, groceries, camping, liquor and local advice on good fishing and gold pan-ning spots. RV parking and a dump station are available.

A 2.5-mile loop offers access to the Davidson Ditch. The ditch is an 83-mile series of ditches, siphons and pipes once used to carry water from a small dam on the Chatanika River to the gold dredges of Fox and Chatanika.

It was one of the largest

engineering projects in the world when it was built in 1925.

The road climbs well above the tree line at Twelve-Mile and Eagle Sum-mits, two popular places to watch the sun skirt the northern horizon on summer solstice.

After coasting down Eagle Summit to the town of Cen-tral, about 128 miles north of Fairbanks, travelers enter the Circle Mining District, which features many active mines.

Central has a post office, service stations, a few res-taurants, a museum, a land-ing strip for small planes and lodging.

Turning right at Central will point you in the direc-tion of Circle Hot Springs (about 8 miles farther); heading straight ahead will put you at Circle City.

The road ends — eventu-ally — on the banks of the Yukon River in Circle. The river is two miles wide at this point.

Do not confuse Circle Hot Springs, at one time a resort, with the town of Cir-cle, which is about a 34-mile drive over rough roads from Central.

Circle, founded in 1893, was the largest gold mining town on the river, at least until gold was discovered in Dawson City.

More than 1,000 people lived in the town, which was named in the mistaken belief that it was located on the Arctic Circle, which is really 40 miles north.

Steese Highway offers visitors 160 miles of adventure

DON’T FORGET

... to drive the wind-ing road to Circle, on the banks of the Yukon River. Before gold was discovered in Dawson City, Circle, founded in 1893, was the largest gold mining town on the river.


By JAN THACKERFor the News-Miner

Although it’s only about 13 miles south of Fairbanks, North Pole is a world unto itself. Of course, how could it not be, since it’s the home of Santa Claus and all

things Christmas?During the years, North

Pole businesses and resi-dents have worked at liv-ing up to the name of their town. Many stores are decorated with a Christ-mas theme year-round, and streets bear names like

Santa Claus Lane, Snowman Lane, St. Nicholas Drive, Kris Kringle, Holiday Road, North Star Drive, Blitzen and Donnor.

Once visitors to the area learn about North Pole, San-

North Pole keeps the spirit of Christmas alive all year long

Please see POLE, Page 68

16366310-5-1-10VG

Open 7 days a week 8:00 a.m.–12 a.m. Delivery Available

THE ELF’S DEN R E S T A U R A N T A N D L O U N G E

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

2556 Mistletoe Next to North Pole NAPA

488-8788 or 488-3268

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The KNOTTY Shop The KNOTTY Shop An Alaskan Gift Shop And Mounted Wildlife Display

Alaskan size ice cream cones at a small Texas price. Unusual Burl Construction

32 Miles South of Fairbanks on Richardson Highway Phone: 488-3014

6565 Richardson Hwy., Salcha, AK 99714 [email protected]

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VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS

3159 VFW St. North Pole, AK 99705 488-9184

Welcome Veterans & Their Families! RV Parking, Outdoor Family Rec. Area


ta Claus House, what it’s like to live at 60 below or colder and living with moose in the front yard, they are hooked. Visiting North Pole gets jot-ted onto their must-see list.

So, what is it really like living in North Pole? Resi-dents here frequently are asked why they would choose to live in North Pole when they could luxuriate under the big-city lights of Fair-banks.

Well, the theme “Where the Spirit of Christmas Lives Year Around” pretty much sums it up.

It’s the people.It’s going to the post office

and talking to at least nine people you know.

It’s going for a walk and having half a dozen folks stop and ask if you need a ride.

It’s driving down Santa Claus Lane or going into Safeway and knowing many of the people you pass.

But beyond that, it’s the little things. It’s people look-

ing out for one another and sharing each other’s burdens.

If you live in North Pole, it doesn’t take long to know the mayor, City Council members, fire department personnel and many of the store owners on a first-name basis.

In fact, it’s hard to live in North Pole and not know most of them.

Residents are proud of their little town and the fact that Santa Claus lives here. Sometimes they might think it’s all a little hokey — the glitter and glitz of Christmas trappings in July — but deep down they’re proud. When they see a camera-toting tourist snapping pictures of Santa Claus House or posing in front of the reindeer pen, it makes them puff up just a little bit.

There’s something won-derful about sending letters postmarked “North Pole, Alaska,” and living on streets named Mistletoe Lane or St. Nicholas Drive.

Life is a little slower and simpler in North Pole. You hardly ever see anyone in a suit, except for weddings and funerals. And over at City Hall, if you want to talk to the mayor you don’t need an appointment.

POLEContinued from Page 67

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DeeDee Hammond/News-Miner

You walk in and say, “Is Doug busy?” and if he isn’t, you sit down and chat.

So, how did this little community come about, and how did it get its name? It shouldn’t surprise you to learn that it had a lot to do with toys.

In 1944, before it was a town, the present site was the Bon Davis homestead.

The town started when Davis subdivided and settlers bought lots and set up house-keeping.

Old-timers wanted to name the fledgling town “Moose Crossing,” to which Davis stated it might just as well be named “Mosquito Junction” in honor of the tril-lions of insects that also call it home.

The buyers of most of the homestead, the Dahl and Gaske Development Compa-ny, thought the name North Pole would attract a toy man-ufacturer.

While that didn’t happen, it did become the official name and the city was incor-porated in 1953 with James Ford appointed the first mayor.

A small school was built in 1953 in a donated house, and the city scraped up $100 per month to pay a teacher to educate the 30 students.

Before long, North Pole Trading Post opened its doors, KJNP radio station went on the air, churches were built and businesses thrust up from the untouched earth like eager mushrooms.

But it was Santa Claus

House, started in 1952 that sealed the identity that would bring North Pole fame

throughout the world.North Pole is a theme city,

and we cherish that identity.

Home of Santa Claus Home of Santa Claus

www.northpolealaska.com “Where the Spirit of Christmas

Lives Year ' Round” (907) 488-2281

The City of North Pole

Welcomes You!

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We welcome all to visit our community...featuring

Broadcasting the Gospel in: • English • Athabaskan • Inupiat

2501 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 56359 North Pole, AK 99705 • 907-488-2216 CALVARY’S NORTHERN LIGHTS MISSION

For more information write:

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Bibles For Others P.O. Box 601 Grand Rapids, MN 55744 218-328-5873


Eric Engman/News-MinerDuring the years, North Pole businesses and residents have worked at living up to the name of their town.

POLEContinued from Page 68

BOONDOX BAR –and Package Store–

Fine Wine • Beer • Liquor • and other goodies!

Grand Re- opening! Grand Re- opening! Coming Soon ! Restaurant Coming Soon ! Restaurant

Serving Salcha & Harding Lake

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7271 Richardson Hwy., Salcha

16366321-5-1-10VG

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a 3-disc DVD set

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10 minutes to Fairbanks or North Pole

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• Big Rig Friendly & Most Welcome

• Many 70’ Pull Throughs

• Full hook-up with 30/50 Amp Electric

• Cable TV + WI-FI Internet

• FREE Showers with Private Dressing Rooms

• Clean Restrooms • Laundry Facilities • Telephone room

with modern hook-up

• Free Car Wash • Quiet Wooded

Area • Bank Fishing • 3 Hole Golf

Course

• Assorted activities • Tour Info

Reservations & Tickets

• Gift Shop • Pets Welcome • Good Sam Park • Gas & Diesel • Groceries • Spirits/Beer/Wine/Ice • ATM • DVD Rental Kiosk



The Golden Days Celebra-tion is a commemoration of the earliest mining days in Fairbanks. In 1902, Felix Pedro discovered gold, and every year since there has been cause for celebration. The event occurs at the height of tourist season, in late July.

This year the fun spans from July 21-25, with interest culminating on Saturday’s Grande Parade, possibly the largest parade in Alaska with about 100 entries.

The Fairbanks Chamber

of Commerce boasts events all week that lead up to the parade climax, starting with kickoff luncheons and par-ties.

Attendees are encouraged to dress in turn-of-the-cen-tury wear.

A re-enactment of Pedro’s gold weigh-in takes a crowd of spectators through the Wild West excitement one might have witnessed in the early 20th century.

The Chamber also hosts a Rubber Duckie Race in the downtown portion of the Chena River. About 6,000 rubber ducks race from the Wendell Street bridge to the Golden Heart Plaza. The

lucky duck winners receive prizes.

The KUAC Red Green Regatta is one truly Alaska-themed event that flows down the Chena. In the “Red Green” TV show’s honor, rafts are made using duct tape to hold materials together. The rafts are raced in hopes of winning some prizes. Often, the scant-ily made crafts are not too pretty up close, and each year one is specially awarded the “Best Viewed from a Dis-tance” award.

The Golden Days Jail is always one activity people look out for. If not spotted wearing either a Golden Days pin or garter, people are sent to “jail.” During Golden Days, the Chamber warns, “Any street of Fair-banks is ‘fair’ game.”

The weeklong celebra-tion of Fairbanks’ past is worth checking out, be it the antique cars display or costume competition. Each bit of celebrating the past helps Fairbanks remember its roots.

Golden Days Celebration is a wet, wacky good time

GOLDEN DAYS CELEBRATION

When: July 21-25Highlights include:• Rubber Duckie Race• KUAC Red Green

Regatta• Golden Days Jail

Staff Report

The 152-mile journey up the Elliott Highway offers both an up-close view of Interior Alaska and a trip through the region’s gold mining history.

The road, which includes both paved and gravel stretch-es, connects the community of Fox and Manley Hot Springs.

Just five miles up the

Elliott Highway is the Hilltop Truckstop, which offers the last chance to gas up for more than 100 miles. Big appetites will be rewarded with heaping breakfasts and generous slices of homemade pie.

The area north of Fox includes a handful of areas for fishing and outdoor recreation. Olnes Pond, which includes an unmaintained campground and

a stocked lake, is at 10.7 Mile Elliott Highway. The Lower Chatanika River is just down the road from the Olnes Pond turnoff.

At 27.9 Mile is the Wicker-sham Dome Trailhead, which provides access to White Moun-tains National Recreation Area trailheads.

Elliott Highway is rich with Interior’s gold-mining past

Please see ELLIOTT, Page 72


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Use this ad for $2 Off any Meal Purchase*

*Limit 2 Per Visit – Not Valid With Any Other Offer Limit 1 Coupon Per Item Purchase exp. 12/10

5.5 mile Elliott Hwy. • 15 minutes from Fairbanks Open 5 a.m.–Midnight • (907) 389-7600

24 Hour Gas • Diesel ATM • Showers

Full-Service Restaurant Groceries • Ice • Liquor

Propane • Phone Hand-Dipped

Ice Cream Famous

Homemade Pies!

About 200 miles of trails are available, including access to Bureau of Land Management cabins that are

available to rent. Most are accessible only in winter, but a recording with information about trail conditions is avail-able at 907-474-2372. The trailhead entrance includes

picnic tables and basic rest-room facilities.

At Arctic Circle Trading Post at 49 Mile, gifts and basic groceries are available.

The tiny community of Livengood is a mile off the Elliott at 71 Mile. A gold claim nearly a century ago brought the community to life, and it still includes about 30 residents.

A few miles farther, where the Elliott forms a junction with the start of the Dalton Highway, the road turns to gravel.

At 75 Mile, the Tolovana River offers fishing for gray-ling and an informal camp-site.

The road ends at Manley Hot Springs, with the hot springs located on the right. Springs and baths are open for weary travelers looking for a dip at the end of the Elliott. Call 672-3231 for information.

Manley Roadhouse is one of Alaska’s original roadhous-es, featuring rooms, cabins, food and a bar.



ELLIOTT: Road ends at Manley Hot Springs


Everyone comes to Alaska.In 2008, more than

1.7 million people visited Alaska between May and September. That’s nearly double the year-round popu-lation of the state. Fewer than 55,000 people visited the Arctic Circle, Arctic Ocean or the North Slope.

If you’re unwilling to shell out the money to fly to Bar-row, Prudhoe Bay or Nome, there’s no better way to visit Alaska’s Far North than by driving the Dalton Highway (or the Haul Road as locals call it).

Built in 1974 to help con-struction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline and supply the Prudhoe Bay oil fields, the

highway stretches for 414 miles from just north of Fairbanks to five miles south of the Arctic Ocean. It’s the only Alaska highway to cross the Arctic Circle and the only one that crosses the Brooks Range to the North Slope.

Seventy-five percent of the road is gravel, and the remaining 25 percent alter-nates between sealed gravel and asphalt. The road is one of the most challenging in Alaska. It provides an oppor-tunity to see unmatched vistas, isolated tundra, the industry of the Alaska oil fields and the ice-pocked expanse of the Arctic Ocean.

The easiest way to experi-ence the Dalton Highway is by bus or van.

Tours regularly run

between Fairbanks and the Arctic Circle and Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay. Alaskan Arctic Turtle Tours oper-ates custom year-round trips to the Arctic Circle, Brooks Range and Arctic Ocean. Prices vary for each destina-tion and reservations can be made at 1-888-456-1798. Dal-ton Highway Express ($448 two-way, 907-474-3555) offers two-day van trips to the Arctic Ocean; Alaska-Tours features a three-day package tour of the Dalton Highway for $1,169 (907-277-3000); Northern Alaska Tour Company (907-474-8600) offers various package tours; and Holland America, Princess and Grey Line do as well.

Driving up the Haul RoadExplore life above the Arctic Circle on the Dalton Highway

Please see DALTON, Page 73


See The W onder of It All North!

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Alaskan Arctic Turtle Tours

Brooks Range *Wildlife* email: [email protected]

• Prudhoe Bay • ANWR • Arctic Circle • Travel Alaska

with experience.

907-457-1798 Fax 907-456-1798 1-888-456-1798

Alaskan Arctic Turtle Tours Inc. P O Box 60866

Fairbanks, AK 99706 USA www.wildalaska.info

with Alaska’s Jim Winslow and Company

IF YOU GOIf you want to see the Arctic Ocean from the Dalton High-

way, you need to plan ahead. Between the end of the high-way and the ocean shore are the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay. Since Sept. 11, 2001, increased security has been put into place. Visitors are required to take a guided tour from the Arc-tic Caribou Inn (907-659-2368) and are required to provide a driver’s license number and book a reservation at least 24 hours in advance. Note: If you do not make advance reserva-tions, you will not be able to see the Arctic Ocean.

News-Miner fileThere’s no better way to visit Alaska’s Far North than by driving the Dalton Highway. But beware: Drivers should be prepared for flat tires, cracked windshields and all the trials that come with a 15-hour trip on a road that is mostly gravel, has few facilities and is in one of the most remote areas of the United States.

If you want more flexibility than a guided tour and decide to make the trip on your own, get ready for an adventure.

Drivers should be prepared for flat tires, cracked wind-shields and all the trials that come with a 15-hour trip on a road that is mostly gravel, has few facilities and is in one of the most remote areas of the United States.

Stock up with food and water in Fairbanks, carry an extra can or two of gasoline and have two full-size spare tires already mounted on rims.

Most rental agencies do not allow their vehicles to be used on the Dalton Highway or other gravel roads.

A handful of specialty com-panies have vehicles intended for traveling to Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Circle.

Arctic Outfitters (907-474-3530) provides vehicle rent-als based on a sliding scale depending on the number of days rented.

GoNorth Travel Center (907-479-7272) also has

DALTONContinued from Page 72



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EXPLORE ALASKA’S ARCTIC! Experience for yourself the legendary hospitality and authentic interpretation of Northern Alaska Tour Company’s one-day and overnight Arctic Circle Adventures ® . Travel the famed Dalton Highway. Visit the Arctic Circle Trading Post. View the remarkable Trans Alaska Pipeline. Experience the mighty Yukon River. Cross the Arctic Circle. Explore up close the amazing arctic tundra. Tour the Nunamiut Eskimo village of Anaktuvuk Pass. Fly Alaska’s rugged wilderness airways. Arctic Circle Drive, Fly/Drive, Air, Native Culture, and Brooks Range Adventures available.

OR extend your journey to the shores of the Arctic Ocean with our ARCTIC OCEAN ADVENTURE™

All the highlights of our one day excursion PLUS Overnight in rustic Coldfoot. Visit the historic community of Wiseman. Travel through the majestic Brooks Mountain Range. Tour the Prudhoe Bay oil field. Optional Barrow extension tour also available.

Sharing Alaska’s Arctic With The World P.O. Box 82991-VG • Fairbanks, AK 99708

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800-474-1986 [email protected]

gravel road-ready vehicles for rent, including RVs and trucks.

When you drive, expect to become familiar with the trans-Alaska pipeline — it

follows the highway for most of its length.

Most of the other land-marks and attractions along the highway are natural: scenic overlooks, granite tors (outcroppings), ample wildlife and so much beautiful scen-

ery that it can become over-whelming.

If you drive yourself, be prepared to share the road with dozens of tractor-trail-ers.

The Dalton Highway is primarily an industrial road supplying the oil fields, and you’ll be passing and being passed by trucks during the entire trip.

Remember not to stop in the middle of the road, pull to the side to allow fast-moving trucks to pass and check your mirrors regularly.

There are many blind curves and hills along the


The Associated PressWhen you drive, expect to become familiar with the trans-Alaska pipeline — it fol-lows the Dalton Highway for most of its length.

DALTON: Offers many beautiful views



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ARCTIC CIRCLE TOUR Daily departures 8am & 1pm 1 ⁄ 2 Day $299/person One Hour flight to Bettles see Brooks Range & Koyukuk River, Gift Shop Full Day $499/person incl Riverboat tour & Lunch

Bettles Lodge & Air Service 6146 Old Airport Way, Fairbanks AK 99706 1-800-770-5111 www.bettleslodge.com

Arctic Circle Certificates

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Experience Alaska’s Arctic on a guided adventure. Stop along the shores of the Yukon River, cross the Arctic Circle, enjoy the

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highway, so be alert.Construction also is a

constant presence on the Dal-ton Highway, as continuous maintenance is needed on the road.

Delays are possible because of road repair.

Limited rest and fuel facil-ities are available. Coldfoot Camp (907-474-3500) offers lodging, fuel, food and tire repair halfway between Fair-banks and Prudhoe Bay.

In Deadhorse, the town at the end of the highway, fuel and lodging are available from multiple sources.

The Arctic Caribou Inn (907-659-2368), Deadhorse Camp ($199 single/double, $219 triple, 1-877-474-3565) and Prudhoe Bay Hotel ($150 single, 907-659-2449) all offer rooms at the northern end of the highway.

Visitors should expect motel-style accommodations with an on-site cafeteria.

Deadhorse has no restau-rants outside the hotels, and the only shopping opportuni-ties are at gas stations.

DALTONContinued from Page 74

By BROOKELYN BELLINGERFor the News-Miner

If you arrived in Tok in the middle of winter, you would see why the Chamber of Commerce calls it “The coldest inhabited community in North America — with warm friendly people.” With winter temperatures of 30 below to 70 below, Tok has earned its reputation.

Summer though, brings a warmer opportunity to explore this first major city as travelers enter Alaska via the Alaska Highway.

Situated on the intersec-tion of the Alaska Highway and Tok Cutoff to the Glenn Highway, Tok is a nice place to break yourself into the Alaska lifestyle, quirky and colorful as it is.

The first thing you’ll probably notice about Alaska is the slow pace, and Tok is no exception. Although a haven for weary road warriors and RV adventur-ers, you still can find that quiet piece of Alaska heaven you’ve been looking for.

Start off with a meal at the locals’ favorite restau-rant, Fast Eddy’s. With extra big portions and a friendly staff, you’re guaranteed to go away satisfied.

If you’re looking for Alas-ka gifts and art, check out All Alaska Gifts & Crafts, located at the main intersec-tion in town.

Watch for the big yellow sign and check out the large stuffed moose in the glass gazebo next to the parking lot.

The inside is filled with displays of Alaska wildlife, jewelry, Native crafts and Internet access. The Web site is www.allalaskagifts.com.

If you’re looking for entertainment, check out the popular “Dave’s Live Alaska Show” — a combination of songs, poetry and stories from life on the Last Fron-tier.

The show runs nightly from June 1 to Aug. 10 at Tok RV Village.

Tok: cool town, warm peopleONLINE

For more info on Tok, check out www.tokalaskainfo.com.


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10


One year ago, the Yukon River town of Eagle was devastated by a spring flood that sent house-sized chunks of ice and 20 feet of water down Front Street.

Dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged by the water and ice. But while Eagle might be down, it definitely isn’t out. A full year of rebuilding and assistance from various aid organizations has left the town in position to welcome visitors again.

Eagle is the best-pre-served of the original Yukon River mining and trading towns and contains seven century-old buildings from the gold rush era. The Eagle Historical Society maintains many of the buildings and runs a daily 9 a.m. walking tour of town. Visit www.eagleak.org/ for more infor-mation.

Eagle also is home to the headquarters of the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, site of magnifi-cent whitewater rafting, wilderness excursions and other outdoor activities. The park’s website, www.nps.gov/yuch/ has a detailed list of potential activities. The visitors center will be open seven days per week starting in May.

Getting to Eagle is simple but be prepared for a long drive. From Fairbanks, take the Alaska Highway to Tok, then take the Taylor Highway north. In total, it’s

about an eight-hour drive, and the last half of the trip is on gravel roads.

Air transportation to Eagle is available daily from Everts Air (450-2351), and the Yukon Queen II catama-ran riverboat (867-993-5599) travels between Eagle and Dawson City daily during the summer. Because it crosses the Canadian border, you’ll need a passport.

Because of the flood, many of the facilities previ-ously open to Eagle travelers have changed.

The Falcon Inn Bed and Breakfast (547-2254) remains open, and a motel-style bunkhouse is available as well.

The bunkhouse has a separate bathhouse with all the amenities.

Eagle Trading Post is the sole grocery store in Eagle, and no other dining facilities are available.

Shopping is similarly lim-ited, but there are a number of stores selling handicrafts, two gas stations that offer tire and auto repair, and a

laundromat.The Bureau of Land Man-

agement operates a self-ser-vice campground for visitors, and those seeking informa-tion on the campground can call 474-2382. Unlike in past years, no RV hookups are available.

If you have any questions about traveling to Eagle or the Yukon-Charley Riv-ers National Preserve, call Interpretive Ranger Pat Sanders at the National Park Service Eagle office at 547-2223 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Eagle still welcomes guests

ON THE WEB• Map of Taylor Highway: www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/media

lib/blm/ak/fdo.Par.10476.Image.-1.-1.1.jpg• Falcon Inn: http://falconinn.mystarband.net• Eagle Canoe Rentals: www.eaglecanoerentals.com

EVENTS• Memorial Day

Observance: 3 p.m. at Eagle Cemetery

• July Fourth Celebra-tion: Potluck and auction on July 3, old-fashioned activities including a flag-raising, parade, games, booths, rifle shoot and more on July 4


Photo from Jean Turner, Eagle Historical SocietyDespite a devastating flood, a full year of rebuilding and assistance from various aid organizations has left the town in position to welcome visitors again.

Devastating flood won’t keep this town down

Hotel Chitina

Gilpatrick's

Historic hotel Full Service restaurant & BAR

All rooms with private bath

The Gateway To Wrangell - St. Elias Nat'l Park

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33 Edgerton Hwy, Chitina AK 99566

Hotel (907) 823-2244

Winter (907) 835-5542

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Join us on main street Kennicott, a ghost town overlooking the majestic

Kennicott Glacier and 16,000-foot Wrangell Mountains. We offer you

gracious hospitality, fine dining, comfortable guest rooms, and

memories to last a lifetime.

Drive or fly into the heart of the Wrangell-St. Elias

National Park, and stay at:

LOOK FOR OUR BROCHURE AT ANY VISITOR CENTER.

CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-582-5128 www.KennicottLodge.com



Everything about Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is big.

At 13.2 million acres, Wrangell-St. Elias is the larg-est national park in the United States. It is more than twice the size of the more-famous Denali National Park and Pre-serve and six times the size of Yellowstone National Park, the largest park in the Lower 48.

It is the largest designated wilderness area in the U.S., with more than 9 million acres of designated wilderness.

Nine of the 16 tallest peaks in the U.S. are in Wrangell-St. Elias, including 18,008-foot Mount St. Elias, the second-highest peak in the U.S.

The park contains more than 150 glaciers, including the 76-mile long Hubbard Glacier, the longest tidewater glacier in Alaska; the 75-mile long Nabesna Glacier, which is the longest valley glacier in the world; the Malaspina Glacier,

which is bigger than Rhode Island and is the largest pied-mont glacier in North America.

“The superlatives just keep coming,” Todd Stoerberl, head-quarters district interpreter for Wrangell-St. Elias, said.

Yet, despite its status as the country’s largest national park, Wrangell-St. Elias still stands in the shadow of Denali National Park and Preserve and 20,320-foot Mount McKin-ley, which ranks as the top tourist destination in Alaska.

“We think we’re just as spe-cial and beautiful as Denali is, with less development and less crowds,” Stoerberl said.

While nearly a half million people crowd into Denali each summer, only about 100,000 visit Wrangell-St. Elias, he noted. Visitors to Denali are required to ride a bus into the park while visitors to Wrangell-St. Elias can drive their vehi-cles into the park on one of two roads.

There is no fee to enter Wrangell-St. Elias and back-country permits to go hiking

or camping are not required in Wrangell-St. Elias like they are in Denali.

“You definitely have more freedom (in Wrangell-St. Elias),” Stoerberl said. “People can do their own trips without notifying us they’re in the park.” The best way to see Wrangell-St. Elias is from the air, Stoerberl said. Air taxis in Glennallen, McCarthy and Nabesna offer flightseeing trips in the park.

Underrated Wrangell-St. Elias boasts tall peaks, large area

Dial 511 or online 511.alaska.gov

Travel in the know by phone or web

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www.chickengold.com • 907-235-6396 msg

1/4 mile Airport Road • Chicken, Alaska [email protected]

RV Park • Cabins • Campground Cafe • Espresso • Beer/Wine

Historic Bucketline Dredge Tours Gold Prospecting Adventures:

Panning, Dredging, Highbanking

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Staff Report

Located about 66 Mile Taylor Highway, Chicken is perhaps the quirkiest of all the small communities in the state. It consists of several hubs: downtown Chicken; the Origi-nal Chicken Gold Camp/Chick-en Creek Outpost off Chicken Airport Road; and Chicken Center/The Goldpanner.

The community got its name in 1902 when the town was incorporated officially. Lore has it that locals wanted to call it ptarmigan, because that was the wild bird of choice for prospectors in search of gold. But when it came time to officially name the town, no one could spell ptarmigan, so instead of being plagued with the humiliation of perhaps spelling their own town name inaccurately, they called it Chicken.

About 20 to 30 people live in Chicken year-round, and the population has a summer spike as miners and tourists come to town. There is no electricity, no phones and no plumbing. Mail arrives twice per week by Bush plane.

Chicken has several gift shops, cafes, a bar and a salm-on bake. While there, take a tour of Tisha’s School House in the Old Town of Chicken.

This summer boasts the fourth annual Chickenstock, billed as the “Top of the World” music festival, where you can get your fill of blue-grass and mingle with the locals. Chickenstock is June 11-12, which includes an infor-mal jam session on the night

of the 11th and the bluegrass festival starting about noon on the 12th. Tickets are avail-able in Fairbanks and at the Chicken Gold Camp/Chicken Creek Outpost.

Other tours are available of the historic buildings, which are privately owned. Ask at the Goldpanner Gift Shop.

Visitors can tour the his-torical Pedro Dredge, the most complete dredge open to the public in Alaska. Ask about the dredge at Chicken Gold Camp/Chicken Creek Outpost.

The Taylor Highway winds its way to Chicken from Tet-lin Junction on the Alaska Highway, 12 miles east of Tok. There are commercial buses that routinely drive this area on their way to Eagle, Bound-ary and Dawson City, Yukon. From Fairbanks, it’s about a five-hour drive.

For more information visit:• www.chickengold.com• www.townofchicken.com• www.chickenalaska.com

Quirky Chicken knows how to have a good time

CHICKENSTOCKReady to get down for

a great Alaska music fest? This summer marks the fourth Chickenstock, a gath-ering of bands and musi-cians who play all night.

• June 11: 7 p.m. to late. Pick’n ‘n Chicken Jam night. Informal jam session with mixed artists.

• June 12: noon to dawn

• Advance tickets are $20 and are on sale at Gulliver’s Books and Grass-roots Guitar in Fairbanks and include admission to both days. A two-day pass will be $23 at the gate.

• At-the-gate for June 12 is $6 and $20 for Chickenstock on June 13.

• Online: www.chickenstockmusicfestival.com.

Julie Stricker photoAbout 20 to 30 people live in Chicken, which has no elec-tricity, no phones and no plumbing. Mail arrives twice per week by Bush plane.

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www.sharktoothcharters.com [email protected]

Valdez Halibut Charter with Mike McDaneld aboard the Dawn Treader

(907)351-8853 or

Welcome!

Glen & Sharron Mills

Free Wi fi

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It’s been more than 20 years since the Exxon Valdez oil spill, but the historic disaster is still a popular topic with visitors to the Prince William Sound town of Valdez.

“We do always get quite a few questions about it,” Dave Petersen of the Valdez Conven-tion and Visitor Bureau. “A lot of people think there’s still going to be oil floating around in the water.”

Thankfully, most evidence of the largest oil spill in North American history has been erased by time and nature.

Visitors to Valdez are greeted with one of the most picturesque towns in the state, commonly referred to as “Alas-ka’s Little Switzerland” for the steep, snow-capped mountains surrounding the small port town.

On a sunny day, there’s not a prettier place in Alaska than Valdez.

While oil, as in the oil spill or the end of the trans-Alaska pipeline, is the first thing that comes to the minds of many people when they think of Val-dez, the small town of 4,300 offers visitors the chance to experience Alaska on many fronts.

With an extensive sport fishing charter fleet for both salmon and halibut, Valdez is one of the premier fishing des-tinations in Alaska.

Thousands of anglers flock to Valdez each year in hopes of catching barn-door-sized halibut or thigh-sized silver salmon.

The town plays host to hali-but and silver salmon fishing derbies each year.

While the excellent fishing lures many people to Valdez, scenery also is one of the town’s main draws.

Tours of the Columbia Glacier offer visitors a chance to get an up-close look at one of North America’s largest tidewater glaciers, as well as a chance to see whales, sea lions, dolphins and otters on the boat

ride to and from the glacier.Worthington Glacier, a 30-

mile drive north of Valdez on the Richardson Highway, also offers a chance to get a close-up look at a glacier and requires no boat ride or expensive tour. You can drive right up to the face of the glacier and walk on the ice. Glacier trekking tours

are available in town.Keystone Canyon, about

15 miles north of Valdez along the Richardson Highway, also features spectacular views with several waterfalls pouring over the steep canyon walls.

Picturesque Valdez offers a haven for fishing

News-Miner fileValdez is commonly referred to as “Alaska’s Little Swit-zerland” for the steep, snow-capped mountains surrounding the port town.


Documents

2010 Fairbanks Visitors Guide