The Fairbanks
Community Museum
The
Fairbanks Community museum, is
located in historic city hall, at 410 Cushman Street.
[This photo of Historic City Hall
is from the Driscoll Collection,
and is printed here courtesy of the UAF Archives.]
Constantly changing displays include personal artifacts
loaned by the community featuring the gold rush era and mining in Fairbanks.
The museum, run completely by volunteers, is a warren of interconnecting rooms where city government
offices used to be. The walls are covered with memorabilia, and best of all, with
dozens
of photographs showing Fairbanks through the years, in all stages of its development.
Click thumbnail to see some.
Be sure to look for the detailed diorama of Barnett's Cache, which is displayed along with the
photograph it depicts. There are artifacts from the 1920's, and pictures and diagrams
explaining the work of the gold dredges
that mined near Fairbanks.
New in 2002 were evening programs with Robert Service poetry
(see also Ester Gold Camp) and mushing
presentations. Also included were
presentations on winter life in Fairbanks as well as Fairbanks history in general.
In the same building is the Dog Mushers Museum. The special exhibit takes up several rooms. Included
are dog sleds constructed by native Alaskans with facts on mushing. The exhibits give an
interesting and exhaustive look at the history of dog mushing in Alaska. The displays take
in everything from when gold miners used dogs to transport gold across the tundra, to the
birth of the renowned Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. A few of the exhibits
may be on display
at the Alaska Public Lands Information Center.
Museum hours: Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours in the off
season may be more erratic, as it is run by volunteers.
Admission: For both museums, the admission is free, but they happily
accept donations - $1 adults (nothing for children 12 and under). Teachers are invited to
call about school tours. Call 457-3669, or 452-8671 for more information
about the museums, particularly on their evening
programs.
This is an old photo of Historic Main
School, which has been turned into our new City Hall. It is also from the Driscoll
Collection, UAF Archives.
