Fairbanks, 358 miles north of Anchorage, is at the end of the Alaska Highway
from
Canada and definitely at the end of the road for most tourists. Though
flat and somewhat bland, its central location makes a great base
for exploring a hinterland of gold mines and hot springs, and a staging
point for both the tiny villages scattered around the surrounding
wilderness,
and for journeys along the Dalton Highway (aka the "Haul Road")
to the Arctic Ocean oil community of Prudhoe Bay
Alaska's second most populous town was founded accidentally, in 1901, when
a steamship carrying E.T. Barnette, a merchant with all his wares on board,
ran aground in the shallows of the Chena River. Unable to transport the
supplies he was carrying, Barnette set up shop in the wilderness and catered
to the few trappers and prospectors trying their luck in the area. The
following year, with the beginnings of the Gold Rush , a tent city sprang
up on the site, and Barnette made a mint. In 1908, at the height of the
gold stampede, Fairbanks had a population of 18,500, but by 1920 the population
had dwindled to only 1100. To thwart possible Japanese attacks during World
War II, several huge military bases were built and the population rebounded,
getting a further boost in the mid-1970s when it became the transportation
center for the trans-Alaska oil pipeline project: construction and other
oil-related activities brought a rush of workers seeking wages of up to
$1500 per week and the popu lation reached an all-time high. The city's
economy dropped dramatically with the oil crash, and unemployment hit twenty
percent before government spending put the city back on track. Hostels in Fairbanks |
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