Gold dredges have majorly changed the landscape around Fairbanks. At one time or another there have been about eight dredges operating in the area’s valleys. These dredges, which floated in their own man-made ponds,...
The Eagan cabin at Meehan, Alaska—all that’s left of the mining camp Where, oh, where, oh, where is Meehan? That’s what you might wonder looking at different U.S. Geological Survey maps of Fairbanks Creek. ...
Churn drill on Fairbanks Creek When I visited Fairbanks Creek in the 1990s there were several old churn drills sitting on the dredge tailings, obscured by trees. They had probably been sitting there for...
This photo amuses me, but maybe I just have a weird sense of humor. The building’s front door was locked (or maybe it was just jammed) and there was a “No...
Side of blacksmith shop at Fairbanks Creek. I was out at an old mining camp north of Fairbanks when there was just a little snow on the ground (way before the current cold...
Last post I published a drawing of an old building at Little Eldorado Creek and talked about the area’s history. This time I’m putting up some photos from my hike out there a few...
Eldorado Creek building as it looked in 1994 The Tanana Valley Railroad (which operated from 1905 to 1930 under various names and owners) used to run 35 miles from Fairbanks to Chatanika through country...
Old FE Company office building on Illinois Street in Fairbanks This drawing depicts the Fairbanks Exploration Company office building as it looked in 1992. This stately building, constructed in 1926, was the first...
Richardson Roadhouse in 1990, after it closed When I moved to Fairbanks in 1983, Richardson (about 70 miles southeast of town) was a pale shadow of its former self. There were just a few...
We drove up to Livengood (about 80 miles north of Fairbanks) last week. Livengood is an old mining community that was a going concern in the early 1900s. There used to be a large...
