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as well as off the beaten path in scenic Alaskan
wilderness. Denali National Park lies only 120 miles
south of Fairbanks.
Dog mushing remains extremely popular and
many spectators can be found watching the weekend
sprints at the track just north of town. The thrilling
competition builds throughout the season and reaches
a fever pitch with international participation in the
Open North American race and the 1,000 mile-long
Yukon Quest, run between Fairbanks and Whitehorse.
University of Alaska, Fairbanks

See Video

Pioneer Air Museum
photo by:
VC Travel Guide
Early miners cut trees to fuel fires to thaw the roads, and communication systems meant jobs for
ground in their quest for gold. The supply of easily civilians and increased sales for merchants. Statehood
cut trees soon diminished and the miners ran into was achieved in 1959.
bedrock. In 1908, there were 18,500 people in the The state welcomed its first real wealth in 1968,
Fairbanks mining district. By 1920, this number with the Prudhoe Bay oil lease sale. The anticipation
had shrunk to 1,100. Dredge mining, an operation of new industry and jobs was dampened however,
that required more capital than manpower, brought when petroleum development was postponed until the
a revival in the mining industry that remained critical issues of Native land claims and environmental
prominent until World War II. concerns were addressed. Pipeline construction
With the onset of war, jobs and activity in Fairbanks brought a boom to Fairbanks in the 1970s.
were augmented. Military construction for airfields, Campgrounds and RV parks are available in town

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