Picture of the Welcome to Fairbanks sign on the Parks Highway Fairbanks Project Jukebox

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Fairbanks is located in the interior of Alaska. It is the second largest city after Anchorage. Population of the area is approximately 65,000. It was founded in 1902 and named after Charles W. Fairbanks, the senior senator from Indiana. The senator later became vice president of the U.S. under Theodore Roosevelt (The Milepost 1998:460).
Because Fairbanks is less than a century old, some of the pioneers are still alive and we are fortunate that we can hear about the early days through their stories. Many interesting people helped make Fairbanks what it is today. "At Fairbanks the roads and the 20th century end -- and the wilderness begins" (Cole 1991:viii).

Project Background

This project was designed by Bill Burke, a Research Technician in the Oral History Program at University of Alaska Fairbanks. It was the result of a semester long independent study course (Fall 1999)taught by Dr. William Schneider, Curator of Oral History, Rasmuson Library. The Archives, located in the Alaska Polar Region Department, Rasmuson Library, was the source of the oral history recordings and many of the photographs used in this project. Additional photos were provided by University Relations and Shirley Watson (Rev. and Mrs. Leeroy Parham's daughter).

The purpose of this Project Jukebox was to provide an example of what could be done on a larger scale in the community of Fairbanks.


Photos taken from the collections located in Archives, Alaska Polar Regions Department, Rasmuson Library.
Collections:
Alaska Nurses Association Collection
Reuel Griffin Collection
VF Addendum
Leroy Davis Collection
Charles Bunnell Collection
VFSP James Hutchison Collection
Howard Luke: My Own Trail edited by Jan Steinbright Jackson
1998 Alaska Native Knowledge Network, Fairbanks, Alaska.

Other photos of Howard Luke courtesy of:
University Relations: UAF photo by Bill Zervantian.
Bill Burke, Research Technician, Oral History, Alaska Polar Regions Dept, Rasmuson Library.
Photos of Reverend and Mrs. Leeroy Parham courtesy of their daughter Shirley Watson.
The Milespost: The Best Selling Guide to Alaska. The 1998 Edition.
Fairbanks: A Gold Rush Town That Beat The Odds by Dermot Cole.
1999 Epicenter Press, Fairbanks, Alaska.

 

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