On the Fair Banks of the Chena River

Whereas Anchorage was cool, cloudy, and rainy, our next destination was marginally warmer, still cloudy, but relatively dry.  Our Boeing 737 took only thirty-eight minutes to make the 260-mile flight, and we were greeted with a high of 68° F (20° C) which, with no precipitation, was a welcome change.

Don’t let some of the modern buildings pictured below fool you.  Fairbanks retains much of its historical flavor from its 1901 founding along the banks of the Chena River.  And don’t let the title of this blog lead you astray.  Fairbanks isn’t so named because it was founded along the banks of the Chena River.  It was named after the 26th Vice President of the United States—Charles W. Fairbanks—who in 1904 ran on the Republican ticket with Theodore Roosevelt.

There are several impressive examples of  Art Deco architecture, from the 1932 combination Post Office and Courthouse to the Lacey Street Theater, which now houses the Fairbanks Ice Museum (Motto:  Our Assets are Frozen).  Several buildings feature elaborate painted murals.  The Antler Arch is billed as, “The Gateway to Downtown Fairbanks.”  As you walk along the Chena River and into Golden Heart Park, you’ll also come across statues commemorating the first native settlers of the area, and a monument to the Lend-Lease program.  And, as with Anchorage, colorful flowers abound everywhere you turn, presenting the photographer with lots of interesting images to capture.