Fairbanks Is A Modern City With Modern
Facilities, Churches, Schools; Weather
May Be A Bit Chillv But Is Eauitable
Members of the Second Battal
ion, Ninth Infantry Regiment and
their families have just landed in
Fairbanks, the second largest city
in Alaska and the “Golden Heart”
of a territory of 586,000 square
miles.
“Now that we’ve flown 1,526 miles
to get here, where are we?" is the
newcomers' early—and legitimate
question, for this is the land that
is to be their home for the next
18 months.
But by the time the group re
turns to their old station at Fort
Lewis, Washington, they will know'
that Fairbanks is a progressive,
modern city which has come a
long way since the crude log cab
ins and stampede facilities of gold
rush days.
Gold mining and government
construction followed by private in
vestments have been largely re
sponsible for Fairbanks’ growth and
prosperity—the era now boasts a
civilian population of approximate
ly 35,000—in addition to the excel
lent communications and transpor
tation facilities. In recent years, the
tourist trade has growm rapidly, and
may become the Interior’s number
one industry.
About the second question new
comers ask, when they wake up
at two a.m. and think it’s time to
get up, is “What’s with your mixed
up days and nights?”
In June and July, the sun is above
the horizon from 18 to 21 hours
per day—and it never does get very
dark. Conversely, in the winter time
it never does get very light, with
days running anywhere from four
to ten hours in length.
Most newcomers to Fairbanks
come from places where the sun
conventionally rises in the east and
sets in the west. And when they
get to a town just 130 miles south
of the Arctic Circle, where the
sun rises and sets in the north in
summer and rises and sets in the
south in winter, they wonder why
they lose their sense of direction.
“Now what's all this about 50-be
low weather?’’ visitors ask. Although
the mercury may frequently dip
that low during a cold snap, Alas
kans point out that the cold here
is actually not as objectionable as
it is in many of the mid-western
states. Wind is almost non-existent
the year around, and the cold is
so dry that a person may walk
down the street with a frostbitten
nose and be unaware of it. The
average minimum temperature for
January, the coldest month, is only
12 degrees below zero however.
Extremely thick ice fog always ac
companies very low temperatures.
Military newcomers can expact
the first snowfall in Fairbanks any
time after the first of October. Max
imum constant snow depth is rare
ly ovfcr two feet.
The ice breakup on the Tanana
river attracts the interest of even
the oldest sourdough. A tripod on
the ice at Nenana is attached to a
stop-clock, in order to determine the
exact time of the breakup which us
ually occurs in late April or early
May. The famous Nenana Ice Clas
sic, the highlight of the breakup
season, has followers the world ov
er.
Cheechakos and sourdoughs alike
are always awed by Fairbanks’
beautiful Indian summer, a period
of about one week during which
the entire countryside becomes a
splotch of brilliant color. Fairbank
sans revel in this brief fall, as it
heralds the coming of a cold, dark
winter.
The city of Fairbanks is operated
by a city manager. Matt W. Slank
ard, who is employed by a six mem
ber city council. The council meets
each Monday evening at 8 p.m.
upstairs in the city hall. A current
program of sewer and water instal
lation is underway, as well as an
extensive street paving project.
A city steam line is maintained
by the Municiple Utilities System,
which also supervises the huge pow
er plant and water treatment plant
on lower First avenue, and the mod
ern dial telephone system.
One of the highlights of the Fair
banks year is the annual Winter
Carnival, a celebration in which the
entire Tanana Valley takes part. The
annual North American Champion
ship Sled Dog Races, the on-snow-'
shoes baseball game, and the queen
contest, the winner of which is
Alaska’s entry in the annual Miss |
Universe contest, are all integral
parts of the winter festival.
The annual Golden Days celebra
tion. commorating the discovery of
gold in the Fairbanks area, is held
in late July. The 1956 observance
was held last week.
The Tanana Valley Fair, a four
day celebration featuring exhibits, j
displays, and concessions, will be
held early next month at the Fair
grounds off College road. Elaborate !
plans, already in the making, prom- !
ise a bigger and better fair than
ever before.
Fairbanks boasts two modern
banks, a weekly newspaper, a daily
newspaper, two radio stations, two
television stations, a $3,000,000 high
school and five grade schools. The
city also has many hotels, churches,
clubs, and civic organizations that
its residents point to with pride.
The city has seen a long and suc
essful history in its relations with
the two military bases in this area
For over thirteen years the city
has grown with Ladd and Eielson.
a fact which points to unlimited
possibilities for future relationships j
for mutual betterment and progress.
Kenneth Powers of Mile 8 on the
Richardson highway was admitted
to St. Joseph’s hospital on Friday
for treatment of an eye injury. Pow
ers is a mechanic for City Electric
service.
EARL D. ALEXANDERS,
RETURN TO NOORVIK
FROM STATESIDE TRIP
Mr. and Mrs. Earl D. Alexander,
ANS teachers at Noorvik and resi
dents of Alaska for 12 years, passed*
through Fairbanks recently en
route home.
The Alexanders have just spent
four weeks with their daughter and
son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow
W. Farrington, former residents of
Ladd who now make their home in
Tacoma, Washington. Prior to going
Stateside, the Alexanders, who have
taught in Noorvik for seven years,
attended summer school for two
weeks at Mt. Edgecumb.
Mrs. Farrington is well known
in Alaska, since sjie was the weath
er obesrver at Point Hope for the
several years her parents taught
there.
WELCOME TO FAIRBANKS
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