PRESIDENTS CORNER
Elsewhere in this news letter you will find a rather
irreverent column discussion on the retention of a
Fairbanks historic site.
Often when confronted by a truly serious problem it is easier to strive for a light note -- gallows's humor -- to explain a situation. I have done so in the accompanying piece on the future of the Illinois Street Coal Bunkers. Nevertheless, I would like to stress that the issue is of grave importance to Fairbanks. I therefore sincerely ask for your individual and collective support in pursuing this matter.
Perhaps some of you read Derrnot Cole's recent column on the Birch Hill tank farm. We have been closely following developments affecting the site and the pump station, and have urged National Register status for the site. Because it is located on a military installation it is not a commonly known historic site. Nevertheless its importance transcends local and state levels to one of national significance. It is hoped that listing the site on the National Register of Historic Places will encourage interest in the site and allow it to become a focal point in local tourism.
The Society recently had to cancel a scheduled symposium titled "Maintaining Neighborhood Character." The Society applied for and received an extension of their grant from the National Trust of Historic Preservation, the granting agency, and is currently planning to hold the symposium sometime next March. (We are waiting for day light). If you live in the target neighborhood, defined loosely as First Avenue from Barnette to the Power Plant and 12th Avenue please let us know. We would like to meet with you to listen to your individual concerns and wishes for the neighborhood.
The Coal Bunkers - The Tale of an Endangered Site
All Fairbanksans should be interested in a new play now being scripted. You can become involved in developing the plot. Now is the time to determine whether the play taking shape is going to be a comedy, a farce, or a drama. and what part you would like to play. Never Before has the TYHS offered such an opportunity to Fairbanksans of all ages.
This is definitely an amateur production. No prior experience is necessary, but enthusiasm, and a sense of humor in a time of adversity are desired. Auditions will be held beginning October 20. All interested parties should call 455-tyhs.
The curtain opens on act 1 with a bid by OK Lumber Hardware to lease a parcel of land on which the architecturally and historically significant coal bunkers stand. The OK Lumber/ACE Hardware recently bought the Coal Bunkers. The land however, is owned by. the Alaska Railroad and a lease for the land must be negotiated separately.
The Setting:
The Coal Bunkers. a Fairbanks landmark on the corner of Illinois Street and Phillips Field Road. In the middle `90s the Coal Bunkers, an old time Fairbanks business operating next to OK Lumber/ACE Hardware closed its doors. The Coal Bunkers were a Fairbanks tradition, something we all took for granted as a part of our urban landscape. For many years Fairbanks depended on the bunkers for fuel, but this past year when the bunkers closed for the last time, residents dependent on coal for heating purposes were left stranded. The historic bunkers had served Fairbanks well. The rumbling of coal being dumped was a familiar sound in the neighborhood. Somehow, on an especially cold winter day, the rumbling sound conveyed an assurance of warmth - comfort from the cold.Fairbanks has gone through many boom and bust cycles in its history. In the early '2Os before the advent of the Alaska Railroad residents of the interior city depended on wood for all their energy needs. Every house was built out of local wood. Steamboats gobbled up more of the precious fuel. Mining operations depended on wood for shafts, sluices and all their energy needs. The power plant of the Northern Commercial Company spewed wood ash until 1927. As much as early residents loved Alaska, many chose to move to other areas as life in the interior became too expensive. The advent of the Alaska Railroad stopped the drain on the community and slowly Fairbanks recovered. Coal transported by the Alaska Railroad from Healy to Fairbanks, replaced wood as the principal fuel. A new power plant on First Avenue replaced the N.C. Power Plant in supplying power to the City of Fairbanks. From 1932 until 1995 the Coal Bunkers distributed coal for all of Fairbanks, fueling Fairbanks' recovery from its post gold rush depression, through WW II and the Korean War to Statehood. The Coal Bunkers endured through the turbulent pipeline years and contributed to the Fairbanks economy; in a unique way.
The Players:
OK Lumber/ACE Hardware. OK Lumber/ACE Hardware is a relative newcomer to the Illinois Street Historic District. The Company started its business near Curry's Corner on the Old Steese Highway. For many years Fairbanks Lumber had been doing business on the Illinois Street site. In the l970s Fairbanks grew tremendously and the Garden Island site, at one time suitable to a lumber business, became part of the down town landscape. Fairbanks Lumber closed its doors. After a fire at its Curry Corner facility, OK Lumber/ACE Hardware abandoned that location on the north side of town and purchased the old Fairbanks Lumber facility. With the new facility OK Lumber/ACE Hardware obtained all the advantages of the Illinois Street site for a hardware store and all the disadvantages of the site for a lumber yard.The Alaska Railroad: Alaskans have a close bond with "Their Railroad". It is not just any railroad, but the "Alaska Railroad". The residents of the Territory believed there must be a railroad from tide water if interior communities were to survive. During construction many Alaskan men and women went to work for the railroad, and it spawned Alaska's largest city, Anchorage. No wonder Alaskans had a very special relationship to the "Railroad". In the `70s when the Federal Government wanted to sell the railroad, Alaskans were united in their desire to purchase the railroad from the Federal Government. Whether the Alaska Railroad is going to remain the property of all Alaskans or sold to outside interests has yet to be determined. There appears to be a strong trend by municipalities as well as states to divest themselves of public facilities. Whatever happens, the decision that is reached is going to impact Fairbanks, and help to shape its future. Future plans for the Railroad will indirectly impact the future of the historic site.
In a Fairbanks-Daily News Miner article (dated September 28, 1996), Alaska Railroad President Robert Hatfield is quoted as saying: "A significant adverse public reaction" to the transfer of the lease to OK Lumber/Ace Hardware would hold up the transfer. This is an opportunity for people interested in preserving the historical fabric of Fairbanks to become players in Act I of the most important play to hit Fairbanks since "The Day of the Bull Dozers" or "The Destruction of the NC Company." Our guess is that the residents of Fairbanks do not want to see a repeat of that horror story. President Hatfield distanced the Railroad from any responsibility for preserving the landmark by claiming that the railroad never owned the Coal Bunkers. However, in a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner article of September 28, 1932, O.F. Ohlson, then General Manager of the Alaska Railroad describes the Coal Bunkers as the best he has seen anywhere and stresses the value of the bunkers to the Alaska Railroad and to Fairbanks, and he praises the Healy River Coal Corporation, builders of the plant.
The Tanana-Yukon Historical Society, founded in 1959, would like to see Fairbanks' historic landmarks preserved. The Coal Bunkers are important to the history of Fairbanks. The bunkers give the Illinois Street Historic District distinction and are an important draw for railroad passengers and students of history. Historic landmarks give interior residents a sense of place, and interpret for residents and tourists alike properties that have value to the community as a whole. A recent letter from the owners of OK Lumber/Ace Hardware advised TYHS of their plans to remove the Coal Bunkers within 12 months unless a party can be found to purchase the bunkers and relocate them.
It is our belief that the Coal Bunkers should remain on site. Moving historical properties to other locations is an outdated and largely discredited concept. A livable community is a community that respects its past as it looks forward to its future. Retaining, preserving and interpreting historic properties in place gives us a snapshot of times past and can provide economic benefits to the Fairbanks tourist industry and related businesses. The structure, always a favorite of local artists, takes up a relative small footprint along Phillips Field Road. Economically the area would be of little help to OK Lumber/Ace Hardware. Destruction of the Coal Bunkers would not ensure the permanence of the business in that location.
The Society has advised the Alaska Railroad and OK Lumber/Ace Hardware that we are interested in working with all parties in finding an equitable solution leading to the retention of the landmark at its present site.
The Alaska Railroad has considerable land holdings, leasing some of these lands to other companies for various purposes. It is accepting public comments regarding the transfer of the lease to OK Lumber, Inc./ACE Hardware until October 12th.
All comments regarding the retention of the Coal Bunkers as a significant historic monument and a Fairbanks treasure should be directed to:
John Burns, Vice President of Real Estate and Facilities,TYHS regretfully bids farewell to Irene and Rocky Rhoads as they leave to make a new life in Colorado. Our best wishes go with you, old and valued friends. Time is flying and before you know it will be time for Board elections. you would like to serv TYHS Board. please let us know. Look for more on the upcoming elections in our next newsletter
PO Box 107500
Anchorage, Alaska 99510-7500.
The caption on the above photo is: Backing Up For A Run On Ridgetop
It is one of many photos in an interesting and informative new book being written by Dr. Nicholas Deeley, a railroad aficionado and member of TYHS. Look for The Tanana Valley Railroad: The Gold Dust Line, to be published in time for Christmas.
We are in the process of drafting a
response to the letter asking once more
that funding be reinstated for much-
needed stabilization work. For further
information please contact Friends of
Creamer's Dairy.
Renee Blahuta,
Janet Matheson
Mary Mangusso
Oliver Backlund
Pete Bowers
Gretchen Lake
Geraldine Collins
Donna Krier
"Rocky" Rhoads
Adele Virgin
Creamers Dairy ISTEA Update
The FYHS recently received a
letter from the Commissioner of
Transportation and Public Facilities
which showed little understanding for
Creamer's Dairy Historic Sites despite
continuing efforts to acquaint him with
the importance of the site in Alaska's
history by the TYHS and Friends of
Creamer's Dairy.
FACTOID
Membership in the TYHS has
grown from 96 on January 15 1996 to a
high of 167 paid members in the third
quarter of this year. We hope to continue
this rapid growth and reach a
membership of 3O0 hundred in 1997.
TYHS Board Members
TYHS BOARD