Category: Uncategorized

Old lug-wheeled Case tractor at Creamer’s Field in Fairbanks

  This is a 1935 Case L tractor in front of the Creamer’s Dairy farmhouse and barn on the outskirts of Fairbanks. The tractor was the first one purchased for the farm. Creamer’s Dairy...

Exploring Boundary and Top of the World Highway

  Boundary Roadhouse in 2000 When the military road from Fort Liscum in Valdez to Fort Egbert in Eagle was “completed” in 1900 it was little more than a rough trail suitable only for...

Fairbanks Hidden History – A few examples

Inside some of the ordinary-looking houses in downtown Fairbanks are hidden log cabins dating from the city’s earliest days. There are also bits of area history hidden inside some of the larger commercial building...

Blueberry picking expedition to Olnes Pond turns into good excuse for a hike

My wife and I went blueberry picking today along the pipeline access road just past Olnes Pond, about 20 miles northwest of Fairbanks off the Elliott highway. It is a beautiful area adjacent to...

UAF’s Rainey-Skarland cabin rich with history

  Perched atop the ridge just north of the main section of the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, the picturesque Rainey-Skarland Cabin seems slightly incongruous surrounded by modern buildings such as the Reichardt natural...

Holt crawler tractor at Chena Hot Springs

Here is a Holt 5-ton tractor, probably dating from about 1924. Holt Manufacturing is credited with developing the first practical crawler-type tractor in 1904. The company named its creation the “Caterpillar” tractor. Holt merged...

Found Art–Old pipe thread cutter in burned building

Here is a photo of an ancient pipe thread cutter lying in a burned out building in the hills north of Fairbanks. It is a massive hand-operated cutter.  Each of the handles is about...