The Early Gold Rush - Fairbanks AK - Alaska Historic Markers on Waymarking.com

This historical marker is one of two placed by the Alaska Gold Rush Centennial along First Avenue between Barnette Street and Cushman Street in downtown Fairbanks, along the Cheana River.

The marker reads as follows:

"THE EARLY GOLD RUSH
1902 – 1909
[Alaska Gold Rush Centennial]

Riverboats, bringing food and supplies to the miners on the creeks north of Fairbanks, plied the Chena River until the Tanana Valley Railroad was built in 1907.

To reach the gold-bearing gravels, early miners dug vertical shafts through 80-100 feet of permafrost, until they hit the lucrative streambeds on top of the bedrock. Millions of ounces of gold were sluiced out of the creeks by these early miners.

Goal discovered by Felix Pedro north of town in July 1902, change the course of history for the Tanana Valley overnight.

By 1905, the Fairbanks mining district supported 10,000 people, with gold mind on 1500 creeks in the hills above the Chena River.

Today, three National Historic Districts remain at Chena Pump, Chatanika, and Ester. Many of the old trails and wagon roads leading to the creeks are still evident today.

[Seal of the Alaska Gold Rush Commission Task Force]"

Marker Name: The Early Gold Rush Marker Type: Roadside Addtional Information: This marker is located along the Chena Riverside sidewalk along First Avenue, north of the Yukon Quest headquarters Date Dedicated / Placed: 2002 Marker Number: n/a

Visit Instructions:
Preferred would be to post a photo of you OR your GPS at the marker location. Also if you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Alaska history please include that in your log.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   10/20/2022 Benchmark Blasterz visited it