Pioneer Park

We visited Pioneer Park in Fairbanks today.  Pioneer Park is maintained by the Pioneer Club of Fairbanks known as Igloo #4.  The Pioneer Club started around the turn of the century.  You had to have been in Alaska before 1888 to be a member.  The first club was in Nome.  It later admitted other Igloos.  I suppose to be a member today you must be able to prove your ancestors were pioneers in Alaska.

The Club has preserved many artifacts of local history and they are on display at the park.  We spent several hours touring the facility.  They have fully restored the Nenana.  It was the largest paddle wheel river boat to serve the Nenana and Yukon Rivers.  It was a vital link for the wilderness settlements along the rivers.

They also have displays and artifacts from the gold mining days in early Fairbanks.  Mining was a very difficult life.  Looking at old photos of miners, it is obvious that comfort of any kind was nonexistent.  Those gold seekers had to be more enthused about finding gold than I would have been.

Darlie saw this washer and now she wants a new one.

The park has a miniature golf course, railroad museum, airplane museum and a native art center.  Admission is free.  Donations are accepted at some of the displays.  The airplane museum has a fare of $3.00 for adults. They have reconstructed an old settlement that would resemble a mining town.  There are dance halls, churches and stores of various kinds.  Some of the buildings are actual buildings that have been brought to the site and reconstructed.  For those in campers, you can camp in the parking lot for a fee.  They also have a dump station but no other services.

Dog sled for freight 

We are camped in a state recreation area in the city tonight.  It is on the banks of the Chena River.  I walked down to the stream with my fish pole to pass some time casting a lure around.  The river has grayling in it.  You can only catch and release them.  That takes some of the thrill out of fishing.  I didn't catch anything but I did have a rather large fish follow my lure up to the bank.  They tell me in a couple more weeks the salmon will be running.  They tell me I should fill my freezer.  That won't take long because our freezer is just a bit larger than a pack of cigarettes.

This is a foot powered dentist drill.  You would have to be really liquored up to let the doctor work on you with this thing.

Buddy is shedding really bad.  Everything is covered with hair.  She is having a good time though.  We put up with it because we love her.  It rains about once an hour.  The ground is always muddy.  She tracks in all kinds of crap.  It is impossible to keep this place clean.  It is also very cool.  Our daily highs are only in the 50s.  We rarely see the sun.  When you do, it is only a quick flash and it is gone.  It feels warm though.  If it would clear off I think it would be 75 or 80.

A major ground cover here is the wild rose.  They were all in bloom a week ago.  Now the rose hips are turning a deep burgundy color.  Rose hips are used in jams, jellies, herbal tea and can be eaten whole.   They are high in vitamin C.  Some claim they have healing power for various aliments as they have antioxidants in them.

We many stick around here for another day.  Some people camped right across from us tonight are from a place in Florida called Cape Coral.  What a surprise it was for all of us to find out we are neighbors.  We have met several people from Florida but none who live so close to us.  They told us about a city of ice or something that we just have to go see.  We will get directions tomorrow and check it out.