Downtown in Fairbanks in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)

Clay Street Cemetery

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 17, 2024

1. Clay Street Cemetery Marker

Inscription.
Clay Street Cemetery is the final resting place for a number of Interior Alaska's early pioneers. Founded in 1903, it is a microcosm of ethnicities, trades, society, and beliefs. The significance of Fairbanks' first cemetery is the story told by the history of its inhabitants. Most of the people buried at the cemetery witnessed and actively participated in the dramatic, swift transition between "exploration" and "pioneer settlement." These pioneers laid the foundation for Alaska's second largest city. They experienced the extreme adversities of weather and the vagaries of frontier mining boom camps. The few visible grave markers belie the fact there are more than 1,600 people buried in the cemetery. In addition to several general sections, there are two religions and several fraternal organizations specifically represented. Clay Street Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

[Photo captions, top to bottom, read]
• Clay Street Cemetery, Memorial Day 1921
• Clay Street Cemetery

Erected 2014 by Commission on Historic Preservation, Fairbanks North Star Borough.

Topics.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.

Location. 64° 50.479′ N, 147° 42.39′ W. Marker is in Fairbanks, Alaska, in Fairbanks North Star Borough. It is in Downtown. It can be reached from Clay Street. Marker is between the Burial List and Information kiosks, about 100 feet inside the Clay Street entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 770 Clay Street, Fairbanks AK 99701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Alaska Railroad Corridor,

in the Athabascan Region,

and in Interior Alaska.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Pacific Rim,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The White Crosses (here, next to this marker); Robert W. Tompkins (a few steps from this marker); Col. James Hiram McLaughlin (a few steps from this

<i>Clay Street Cemetery</i> Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 17, 2024

2. Clay Street Cemetery Marker

Between the kiosks

marker); Clay Street Cemetery Pioneers of Alaska (within shouting distance of this marker); Peter W. Conley (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Clay Street Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); Clay Street Cemetery Gateway (within shouting distance of this marker); Mary Pedro (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fairbanks.

Also see . . . Episode 108 - Clay Street Cemetery in Fairbanks, Alaska (2022). (Submitted on September 9, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Clay Street Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 17, 2024

3. Clay Street Cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on June 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 9, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 297 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 9, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.