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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 spectacular aurora borealis
is a major winter attraction, as is the Ice Festival
in mid-March, with its ice sculpting competition and open sled
dog race on the frozen downtown streets. Summer visitors should
try to catch the three-day World Eskimo-Indian Olympics
in mid-July when contestants from around the state compete in
the standard dance, art and sports competitions, as well as some
unusual ones like ear-pulling, knuckle hop, high kick and the
blanket toss, where age and wisdom often defeat youth and strength.
Fairbanks suffers remarkable extremes of climate,
with winter temperatures dropping to -70?F and summer highs topping
90?F. Proximity to the Arctic Circle means over 21 hours of sunlight
in midsummer, when midnight baseball games take place under natural
light, and 2am bar evacuees are confronted by bright sunshine
