Prickly Roses about to bloom in Fairbanks
It was only a couple of weeks ago that the leaves started budding out here in Fairbanks, but already the wildflowers are starting to bloom. I was out walking today (without a camera of...
Judge Wickersham was civilizing influence in Fairbanks
The Wickersham House in Fairbanks as it looks today Judge James Wickersham was not favorably impressed when he arrived in Fairbanks on April 9, 1903. The judge was traveling to Fairbanks from Circle City...
Minnie Slater’s grave at Birch Hill Cemetery – Fairbanks, Alaska
The white picket fence in this photograph, located on the lower slope of Birch Hill Cemetery just north of Fairbanks, encloses the grave of Minnie Starr Slater. She was married to Charles Slater,...
Presbyterian church in Fairbanks, Alaska – 1910
This drawing shows the Presbyterian church in Fairbanks as it looked in 1910. The Presbyterians were one of the first denominations to establish churches in the fledgling town, building a small wood-frame sanctuary at...
Ant high-rise at Birch Hill Cemetery – Fairbanks, Alaska
Several years ago I worked as a groundskeeper at the Birch Hill Cemetery here is Fairbanks. (Under-employed artists end up working all sorts of interesting jobs.) I was removing some rotten boards around one...
Chatanika schoolhouse, a historic preservation success story
I enjoy tramping through the hills or along back roads, looking for hidden gems — out-of-the-way or forgotten buildings with lots of character. One of those hidden gems is the old Chatanika schoolhouse...
Life amidst the forest debris – a spider spins its web
While taking the photo of the yarrow calyxes several days ago, I saw this on the forest floor beneath the yarrow plant. A spider has spun a funnel-shaped web among the dead leaves and...
Historic preservation works–at least sometimes– in Fairbanks
It seems that every year one of two old houses, silent testaments to the early years of Fairbanks, burn down, or are torn down to make way for a four-plex or office, or (shudder)...
Elegant husks–yarrow calyxes in Fairbanks Alaska
I was out taking photographs and came across this lovely stalk of common yarrow (Achillea millefolium). What you are looking at are the calyxes (plural of calyx), left after the seeds have dispersed....
N.C. Company warehouse in Fairbanks–Gone in the name of progress
Some people say there are two seasons in Fairbanks–Winter and Construction. We are now entering construction season, and work is commencing on improvements to Illinois Avenue and the approach to the new Barnette Street...
