Construction Affecting Fairbanks

Construction Affecting Fairbanks. Vignettes in History. , When people first came to Fairbanks in 1902 buildings were of log. Later "tin" was used for roofing and siding. The waterfront N.C. Co. store and powerplant behind it were wood, sided and roofed with "tin." The N.C. Co. powerplant was built in 1903 to serve the company store, but enlarged by 1907 to provide power to the town-which the NC continued to do until 1952, when the City MUS plant came line., Wood was accessible but cement cost $2 a sack just for freight, so concrete buildings were a rarity in Fairbanks. Cap Lathrop built the first concrete structure in the late 1920's, the Empress Theatre (now Co-op Drug). By 1935 Fairbanks boasted two concrete buildings, the new Federal Building on Cushman St. was done, and the post office moved out of the NC corner on First and Turner Into new quarters., To build the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines (University of Alaska) atop a hill five miles from town meant hauling construction materials over a rough road by horse-drawn wagon back in 1917. By 1922 the first class was graduated, and next year more students arrived at the College railroad station., In 1923 the Alaska Railroad was completed. Construction of the line brought people to Alaska, to work, and to stay. Surveying and clearing for the tracks commenced in 1915. At peak, 1917, there were 4,500 persons on the construction payroll. Before the railroad was built from Seward to Fairbanks, people came mainly from Valdez, 376 miles southeast. They journeyed from tidewater over the "Valdez Trail" (Richardson Highway) by stage., Because the Richardson was so winding, it wasn't until 1924 that the U.S.S.R. and M. Co. (FE Co., now Alaska Gold) began shipping lumber, heavy machinery and dredge parts by rail to Fairbanks for their gold operations. To supply water for dredging the FE built a 70-mile long ditch along the Steese Highway, crossing streams with 46" to 56" siphon pipes. To power eight dredges they built a 9500 KW powerplant-completed in 1927. They also built a concrete-block office, warehouses, shops, bunkhouses, messhalls, plus living quarters in town for staff. During the summer when the dredges were operating approximately 1,200 on the on the FE payroll-a stable influence on the Fairbanks economy for more than 30 years., In the late 1920's Weeks Field, between Cowles and Barnette, was where airplanes landed. In 1935 Pan American Airways flew the first airmail from Fairbanks to Juneau. Not until 1951 was a new airport constructed-the present state terminal. During the 1940's a paved runway was built on Ladd Airforce [sic] Base, adjacent to Fairbanks. Prior to World War II work began at Ladd (Ft. Wainwright). Construction of barracks, offices, utilidors, living quarters, warehouses, hangars, and service buildings continued into the 1960's. (Eielson Air Force Base was built after world war two.) The Navy explored for oil at Pt. Barrow from 1946 to 1953. Headquarters for Navy operations was in Fairbanks at Arctic Contractors. Many associated with the Military remain in Fairbanks today, still helping to build Alaska., Before Pearl Harbor, early in 1941, the War Department authorized airfield construction at Delta, Tanacross and Northway. In January 1942 some Alaska contractors were called to Washington and briefed on a proposed 1600-mile road from Dawson Creek, B.C. to Delta, Alaska. Although the Army roughed out the trail, it was a consortium of Alaskan and Canadian contractors who made the road driveable. The Bureau of Public Roads reported that 81 contracting companies employed 14,100 workers to build the Alcan (Alaska Highway)., The first road to the Arctic Ocean begins in Fairbanks and ends at Prudhoe Bay, approximately 500 miles north. The Haul Road (Dalton Highway) was built between April and September 1974. Pipe for the 48-inch Alyeska pipeline was hauled through Fairbanks from Valdez to Prudhoe. Until the Yukon River bridge was completed in October 1975, supplies crossed the half-mile wide Yukon over ice or by hovercraft. Using the most advanced engineering technology and conquering problems never before encountered (hot oil line through permafrost areas) Alyeska completed construction of the 800-mile marvel, pump stations, terminal and all facilities, in just three years. Manpower during construction peaked in 1975 at 21,600. Oil first flowed south from Prudhoe on June 20, 1977. In 1984, 25 years after statehood, throughput to Valdez was 1.5 million barrels a day., As a result of the pipeline, Fairbanks population has gained. Many new homes, new schools, and malls have been built. A refinery has been constructed 14 miles away; power supply increased; communications services improved. Streets and roads are being extended and upgraded; the airport terminal, runways, and service expanded. If the oil industry continues to produce oil from Arctic fields other than Prudhoe (Kuparuk, Lisburne, Endicott) and exploration of the Beaufort Seas proves commercial producible finds, the Alyeska pipeline may be used for many more years. But whatever the future brings, Fairbanks will continue to remain a center for construction activity throughout the State of Alaska., -Helen Atkinson Frank