Sunday, July 16, 2023
It rained overnight, and this morning it was 55 degrees and cloudy. We left Nenana RV Park at 9:15 a.m.
The journey today was about 62 miles as we were heading toward Fairbanks, Alaska. We crossed over the Tanana River.
We continued on and are now about 39 miles from Ester. Next we passed over the bridge over Little Goldstream Creek.
Old Nenana Highway is located next to Emma Creek in the Fairbanks North Star Borough.
We stopped to see the plaque honoring George Parks. The George Parks Highway (signed as Alaska Route 3) and usually simply called the Parks Highway runs 323 miles from the Glenn Highway 35 miles north of Anchorage to Fairbanks. The highway, originally known as the Anchorage-Fairbanks Highway was completed in 1971, and given its current name in 1975.
The Purple Heart Trail was first established in 2008 along the Alaska Highway from the Canadian Border to Fairbanks. It honors and remembers current and former service members of the U.S. Armed Forces who were wounded or killed in combat. Below are couple of beautiful views from this stop.
Next we crossed Alder Creek, and went past the turnoff to Ester.
Soon we saw the "Welcome to Fairbanks" sign (see below). Spread across the Tanana Valley foothills, accessible by road, rail and air, Fairbanks is called Alaska's Golden Heart City for a reason. It lays clain to a colorful history, distinct arts scene and rich natural attractions. The Chena River flows through the center of town, birds flock to Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl refuge, and warm summers bring long daylight hours.
Fairbanks, the largest interior town in Alaska, was founded in 1901 and soon became a supply center for nearby gold fields. Fairbank's population of the city proper is 31,957, while the Fairbanks North Star Borough has a population of 98,957. The elevation of Fairbanks at the Fairbanks International Airport is 439 feet.
Fairbanks started as a trading post that went awry. The ship that was supposed to take Captain E.T. Barnette to the Tanara Crossing could not navigate the shallow river so he was dropped at the present-day site of Fairbanks in 1901. A year later gold was discovered only 16 miles away and Barnette never left. The town is named after Charles W. Fairbanks, Indiana senator and vice president of the United States under Theodore Roosevelt. Judge Wickersham moved the Third Judicial District Court here from Eagle in 1903, helping the town grow. Fairbanks is sometimes called "River City" because of the Chena River that runs right through the heart of town.
Fairbanks is a major service and supply point for Interior and Arctic industrial activities and is also the location of Fort Wainwright (formerly Ladd Field, the first Army airfield in Alaska) and Eielson Air Force Base.
Then we went past Geist Road and the Chena Pump Road.
Next we went by the University of Alaska in the Fairbanks area.
Then we turned on to College Road and shortly thereafter we were at the Tanana Valley Fairgrounds.
The Tanana Valley State Fair was founded July 7, 1924 and is the oldest fair in the state of Alaska (see map of the fairground below).
The Tanana Valley Campgrounds had 50 sites in a private wooded area. We stayed for seven nights on site #2 for a total of $283.50 or $40.50/night.
Above is a picture of the small campground office, while below is the campground map.
The Tanana Valley Fair didn't start until July 28, so it wasn't too noisy in the campground.
After getting set up, we drove in and had lunch at Panda Express (we each had the two-entre dinner). Then we went to Walmart to get some groceries. We also stopped at Fred Meyer to get gas and some groceries. We then headed back to our campsite arriving around 3:15 p.m. Tonight for dinner, Mel made jalapeno poppers.
Monday, July 17, 2023
This morning it was a nice, sunny day with a temperature of 64 degrees when we left the campground at 10:00 a.m. to go sightseeing in Fairbanks.
Our first stop was at the Morris Thompson Cultural Visitor Center located at 101 Dunkel Street. Inside the museum, we saw displays on the Bush life, and we watched the film "Aurora: Fire in the Sky," a 55-minute visual journey around the globe explaining the aurora through myth, legend and science.
Right next to the main entrance, was an authentic 1915 mining cabin on its original site that was owned by Mary Gould, whose husband was a salesman and a court crier for Fairbanks. The surrounding garden was planted with representative foliage and produce from the 1910-1920s.
The Walter and Mary Ellen Gould cabin provides a glimpse into the early days of Fairbanks. Mary Ellen cooked on wood stove, carried water by the bucket and spent evenings with her husband either reading or sewing.
Above is the Gould Cabin and although it wasn't open when we first go there, it was when we came out of the Visitor Center.
So we took a look inside the Gould cabin. When the cabin was constructed before 1910, Dunkel Street was on the edge of Fairbanks, just upstream from the riverfront business district.
The Gould cabin was one of numerous other small homes in the area, and it sat at the corner of Dunkel and West Clay streets. The Dunkel Street district was similar to other residential districts around the town's edges, populated by "town agriculturists." Most homeowners in Fairbanks, "raised gardens and berries, some had greenhouses, and nearly everyone planted flowers around their homes."
The first know residents of the cabin were Walter and Mary Ellen Gould who purchased the cabin in 1914. Mrs. Gould was an avid gardener, raising vegetables to feed the family, as well as flowers -- particularly fuchsias.
The cabin itself is 16-1/2 feet wide by 20-1/2 feet long, constructed of round spruce logs with saddle-notched corners. It has a low metal-covered gable roof which extends 5-1/2 feet out over the front porch. The interior is divided into two rooms. The Goulds sheathed the wall-logs' interior side with flat-sawn lumber and then decorated with Victorian patterned wall paper. The current configuration depicts the front room as a combination living room/bedroom and the second room a combination dining room/kitchen.
This arrangement may represent the earliest version of the cabin. However Fairbanks North Star Borough property records show that for much of the cabin's life it sported a 16-foot by 13-foot wood-frame addition tacked on at the rear, housing a kitchen and a small bathroom.
Outside on the sidewalks of the Morris Cultural Center were tile mosaics based on traditional Athabascan artwork. The mosaic below was inspired by beadwork on moosehide slippers made by Judy Thomas of Northway, Alaska.
The story board above tells about Alaska's first people -- the Athabascans, who established trails that crisscrossed Alaska. While the picture below shows some of the clothes they wore.
Inuit mitts, often called pualuk, are usually worn in a single layer (see above). A textile fiber art quilt called, "Mountains and Willows in the Fall" is shown below.
Then it was time to head over to where we were to meet for the Riverboat Discovery III Cruise at 1975 Discovery Drive in Fairbanks. The three-hour cruise on the Riverboat Discovery III cost us a total of $89.95 (as we had the Alaska TourSaver coupon that entitled us to receive one tour on the sternwheeler "Riverboat Discovery III" free with the purchase of an accompanying tour).
Above are our tickets to board the cruise, while below is the life preserver from Discovery III.
As we have already secured a prime seat on the top level of Discovery III, I took a picture of the people still coming aboard (see above).
Under a blue sky with billowing white clouds, we have now set sail. Discovery II is not going out today (see below).
Our three-hour tour along the Chena River, included: 1) a bush pilot demonstration; 2) a demonstration with Susan Butcher's Iditarod champion sled dogs in action; and 3) an exclusive stop at the Chena Athabascan Village with a guided walking tour of the village. We were also provided with complimentary coffee and blueberry cake donuts (that were delicious).
The first thing we saw was an Alaskan bush pilot takeoff right beside us in a planned demonstration and then circle and land on a very short, narrow strip of field. He then took off again and repeated his landing. The bush plane pilot also shared his stories of village life and explained the vital role planes played in remote Alaska.
Taking off . . .
And then landing, and taking off again . . .
As we cruised along, we went by the company's first sternwheeler, Discovery I, that was built by Jim Binkley in his backyard in 1955 (see above). The Riverboat Discovery business was founded in 1950 by Jim and Mary Binkley, where they initially operated a small converted missionary boat, the Godspeed, on tours of the rivers near Fairbanks.
Above is a picture of Captain Jim and Mary Binkley who founded the Riverboat Discovery 73 years ago with a 25-passenger vessel called the Godspeed. While below is the Riverboat Discovery's founding family -- Captain Jim and Mary Binkley with their sons Skip, Jim, and John. These days, Captain and Mary's grandchildren are at the helm!
Above is J.R. Lewis, a morning news anchor on KTVF television, but he also narrates the tour on the Riverboat Discovery. He is telling us to take a look at The Pump House Restaurant & Saloon (see below).
Shown above and below are a few more of the many stately mansions along the Chena River.
Above is the Binkley mansion. Mary Binkley is the widow of Captain Jim Binkley Sr (who together launched the river tour operation in Fairbanks in 1950). Every day, weather permitting, Mary comes outside on her front lawn to greet riverboat passengers sailing by and today was no exception (which is quite a feat for this lovely lady that is 96 years old).
Above is our view from our seat on the Riverboat Discovery III. Every cruise they provide complimentary coffee and blueberry cake donuts (see below). Yummy!
Below is the remains of the converted 25-passenger missionary riverboat, "Godspeed."
Next J.R. Lewis, the narrator on the Riverboat Discovery III, had us direct our attention to the home and kennel (Trail Breaker Kennel) of the late four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher that is along the Chena River. We not only got to see the sled dogs race around the track in a mushing demonstration, but Dave and Tekla Monson (Susan's husband and daughter) shared stories of life along the trails as the puppies anticipate joining the team, and the challenges that go into making a champion dogsled team.
The dog houses of the kennel are shown below.
J.R. Lewis introduces us to the dog sled team.
When traveling in Alaska, you frequently hear the name Susan Butcher and Trail Breaker Kennel, especially during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race season in March. Susan left a huge footprint in Alaska's history. Susan Butcher was only the second woman to win the Iditarod in 1986 and she won four out of five sequential years.
Trail Breaker Kennel was set up by Susan Butcher back in 1976 with the intention of competing in the Iditarod. With her husband David, who is also an accomplished musher, they started the Fairbanks location of Trail Breaker Kennel in 1990 and opened the door to summer visitors to Alaska in 2005. Sadly, Susan passed away in 2006 after a long battle with leukemia at the age of 51, but her legacy lives on through her family and the kennel.
The team of dogs ran in circles, impatiently ready to be harnessed for a run around the lake in front of Susan Butcher's home. By the time the assistants got them ready to run, there were jumping, yelping, and straining to pull away to the trail.
And the puppies (above and below) that will soon be able to join the sled dog team.
Next, we slowly approach the Chena Athabascan Village.
As we stop for a few minutes alongside the village, the young native guides explain to us how their ancestors skillfully survived for over 10,000 years and how they have adapted to village life and Western culture over the past century.
At the fish camp, we then watched a demonstration on how the Athabascans cleaned, dried and smoked salmon and fish (see picture above).
While we're stopped beside the village, J.R. Lewis also tells us about the native fish wheels.
The fish wheel above was used to catch fish -- with the arms of the wheel turning as the flowing water pushed the lower arms with nets. Any fish caught in the nets would be dumped from the nets into a holding pen.
And then as we continue a little ways down the river, we are surprised with a glimpse of some reindeer (see below).
And more reindeer . . .
That is when we learned that the reindeer are really domesticated caribou that are kept at the Chena Athabascan village.
And as we continued along, we came to an amazing site that is called the "wedding of the waters" and it is where the Chena and the Tanana Rivers meet.
The fast-moving current of the glacial Tanana River creates clouds of silt that rise and fall, churning and mixing as they meet the clear Chena River waters creating a unique demarcation line. This strange phenomenon of the "wedding of the rivers" is pretty cool!
And they continue to mix . . . it is almost like putting cream in your coffee.
At this point in the river, the captain turns the Discovery Riverboat III around and we head back to the Chena Indian village. At this stop, we are now able to get off the riverboat and walk around the reconstructed Athabascan Indian village.
As we departed from the riverboat at the Chena Athabascan village, we were given a few minutes to look over the fish wheels and the salmon drying racks.
We were then split into groups for the guided walking tour where we saw an Athabascan village with cabins made of spruce logs, a cache used for storing supplies, a primitive spruce bark hut and fur pelts. The native guides explained how the wolf, fox, martin and beaver were used to provide food and protection in the harsh Arctic climate.
Above is the map of the Chena Village, that resembles the original Chena Athabascan Indian Village of the early 1900s and is located near that site. Villages similar to this appeared along the rivers after steamboat captains like Charlie Binkley began bringing prospectors in search of gold in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The information board below tells about the early steamboats use of wood for fuel.
We were then taken over to the reindeer pen by our native guide where we are asked to sit on rough wooden benches to listen to the native guide tell us about the reindeer (caribou) and the tents that Athabascans used in their nomadic life as they followed the trail of food sources.
Naturally, the meat was a main food source. The hides were used for shelter and clothing, as they were extremely warm and lightweight. Bones were used to fashion tools and weapons.
These reindeer are from a local herd in Fairbanks and are fed a specialized pellet diet of barley, oats, alfalfa, beet pulp, soybean, vitamins and minerals. In addition, they have access to high-quality brome hay, salt and mineral blocks, willows and fireweed. In the wild, caribou enjoy willow and fireweed in the summer months and subsist on lichens in the winter.
Above our native guide told us about the tents they made using the animal skin/fur.
She continued to tells how the Athabascans made canoes from the moose hide and birch bark. Since travel was via birch bark canoes, that were constructed of breadfruit covered with a layer of birch bark sewn together with split spruce and pre-stitched with fat and caribou hair. The canoe would hold ten hunters and their gear. Birch bark baskets were used to gather, store and cook food.
And then she demonstrated how the Athabascan women made baby carriers (cradles) from birch bark and spruce root, so they could keep their baby close to their body while at the same time allow for hands-free activities. These cradles could be quickly fashioned in a matter of hours and easily replaced as they became used and soiled.
Below are a couple of tents covered with pine branches for use in warmer weather.
Our next stop on our guided walking tour was at the log cabin cache and fur display. It was here we also were given an Athabascan style show as we again sat on rough wooden benches (see below).
The cabin displayed some of the native Athabascan Indian clothing.
Also here was a rack used for tanning caribou and moose hides (see above).
At this stop, our native guide explained how they hunted moose. A rake was scraped against the tree to attract the moose's attention and a moose call was given. After the moose was provoked into charging, a spear or sometimes a club or bow was used to kill the moose. The Athabascans used all parts of the moose whether it was for food, clothing, or shelter.
Above the model is wearing a brown hooded garment with a big front pocket, which is classic Alaska attire known as a kuspuk. The kuspuks are often tunic-length, overshirts falling anywhere from below the hips to below the knees. They can also be colorful or patterned.
Below the model demonstrated how they spear a moose with a homemade spear, by striking it in either the heart or lungs in an upward motion.
Our native guide showed off a maiden dress, chief's coat and a winter parka. Traditionally the hides are a light brown or smoky color. The Athabascans have become know for their beadwork with patterns on the clothing relating to where that person is from. Women decorate with flower designs, buttons, and caribou antlers. The men trim with animal tracks because that is know to bring luck to hunters and trappers.
Our guide demonstrated a beautiful parka worth more than twenty thousand dollars which took over 6-1/2 months to make. This particular parka was made of muskrat and trimmed with beaver and otter fur. Part of the parka was also made of timberwolf, with wolverine fur being used closest to the face since it contained natural oil. Leftover trimming was sewn on using timberwolf, while designs on the back were of caribou. It was made in a pullover style that has been passed down for generations. Beadwork used on these garments varied by the different village tribes using quills, pieces of fur or trade beads.
After she pulls up the hood, we can see the true beauty in this ensemble, as well as the beadwork on the back.
Above and below, you can see the grass growing on the sod roof of the cabin.
As our guide handled each pelt, she talked about the importance of each animal or its characteristics, including the timberwolf, lynx, wolverine, and ermine with its white winter coat. She also pointed out the red, silver and cross fox fur pelts. As she handled the arctic fox pelt, she mention that this species was not typically found near Fairbanks.
She mentioned that a muskrat's fur is very warm and is used to make parkas. The martin was used for women's hats, including leaving the tail on for decoration. Beavers have two layers of fur -- their undercoat is soft and downy with warm guard hairs on the outside. The Athabascans considered beaver meat a delicacy. Beaver fur was used for hats, mittens, and gloves. Mink fur didn't have much value originally as it was too short and not warm. However, after the Europeans arrived, it became their money coat.
The above storyboard told about the safe haven on the trail, the Line Trapper's Cabin. These simple shelters known as "Line Cabins" were about a day's journey from one another along their winter trapping routes. Not as intricately constructed as the other log cabins found in the villages, these shelters provided adequate protection from the harsh elements.
The cabins were made from small, usually unpeeled logs and were a bare-bone, basic shelter that was easy to heat. There was typically no floor, just spruce boughs or sawdust, with a bed cushioned by caribou hide and a small stove.
As you can see from the pictures above and below this line cabin also had a sod grass roof.
The storyboard below tells of the sod roof construction and its importance.
This sod roof construction can be seen on Chief John Silas' cabin (shown above and below). They would cover their white spruce tree walls with a layer of birch bark since it was waterproof. Between the walls, they kinked moss. The roof was spruce covered with birch and grass on top. This was done to protect it from the elements and eliminate excessive rain. The more grass on the roof, the more the home was insulated. A typical roof lasted five to seven years.
The above storyboard tells of the importance of the early smokehouse in the fish camp. Below are a couple pictures of one of the original smokehouses.
Above and below are a couple views of the inside of the smokehouse.
Above is the early 1900s cabin of Chief John Silas, while the next three pictures below are the inside of the cabin.
According to the storyboard below, Chief John Silas' Cabin was rescued and brought here in 1986 and reassembled. It is a slightly more primitive structure than many of the other cabins at the village today. It has minimal windows and a dirt floor.
Above is Shirley coming out of Chief John Silas' cabin.
Next we came to the Trapper's Log Cabin (as described above). It was one of the cabins that Bob Harte had built.
Bob Harte (pictured above ) dropped out of college to pursue his passion in Alaska, and then he went on to hitchhike to Alaska to spend 40 years in isolation in Alaska with his wife and daughter. Harte who had one of seven permits to reside on the ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) opened a tribute episode on the reality show, "The Last Alaskans" with a clip from the cabin he built at Chena Indian Village near Fairbanks three years prior to his death.
Bob recounted many stories of surviving in the North. His stories were full of adventure, loss, love and trapping secrets. Bob chose to live differently and in his own words was an "excellent trapper, hunter, fisherman, outdoorsman, carpenter and log builder."
Pictures of the inside of Bob Harte's cabin are shown above and below.
Harte also counted out the 275 long strides along a rocky shoreline as his estimate on how much space his Piper Cub needed to take off from his crude makeshift runway.
The storyboard above tells about the Piper Super Cub which was used by many bush pilots.
Shirley inspects the remains of a Piper Cub airplane.
Next we decided to stop by the Chena Post Office. The post office was only open when there was mail delivery. Mail was delivered by bush plane, dog team, or riverboat.
Above at the Chena Village Post Office is the statue in Memory of Granite, lead sled dog of Susan Butcher, four-time winner of the Iditarod. Granite was the lead dog in all four races and never lost a race.
They were selling the book, "Granite," and the co-author David Monson was autographing them.
Before heading back to get on the riverboat, we decided to take one last look around the Fish Camp that was back up by the Chena River.
Important in the fish camp is the cache to store the food and supplies away from the animals. Also of importance are the meat drying racks that were used to hang the salmon until it was ready to put into the smokehouse (see below).
Shirley points to salmon drying in the smokehouse, where it is fully dehydrated over a constantly burning fire.
The accommodations at the Athabascan fish camp include the white canvas wall tents, which is where families would sleep at the fish camps.
Above, Mel tries out the comfortable bed made from spruce boughs covered with caribou hides.
Below Shirley checks on the coffee which is heating on the small stove inside the tent.
Above we are looking out of the white canvas tent at the fish camp toward the fish wheel along the Chena River.
After about an hour of looking around on our own, the Captain blew the riverboat's whistle and the passengers wandered back to the landing to re-board.
And then we were on our way back to the riverboat landing along the smooth Chena River with beautiful skies head of us.
After getting underway and heading upstream, we were treated to a Discovery tradition -- a taste of Captain Jim's gourmet smoked salmon.
The recipe for this delicious salmon is: start with Alaska's finest ocean-caught red sockeye salmon, custom smoke it with natural alder smoke and hand-pack it the same day it is caught, then mix it with cream cheese and spread it on a cracker.
After that we headed to the Black Spruce Brewing Company in Fairbanks, where Mel tried their craft beer.
After that we stopped briefly at Fred Meyers grocery store for a few groceries. For dinner tonight we had chicken thighs.
And fell asleep in our comfortable bed -- not on spruce boughs covered with caribou hides!
Shirley & Mel
Wow this is so amazing. I'm so glad you have shared your adventures. It's amazing to read all about and see photos. It's like your there too! Can't wait for you to write again. Be safe in your travels friend. Reba Anderson
ReplyDeleteWow getting cold now in Anchorage Alaska 46 degrees. Hope your staying warm. Excited to read more.
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