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

Alaska's First Pipeline

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 18, 2024

1. Alaska's First Pipeline Marker

Inscription.

Davidson Ditch Pipeline was built to supply water to gold mining dredges in the interior of Alaska. It was a 90-mile water conduit from multiple river drainages south of the Yukon River that terminated at the gold fields just north of Fairbanks. The project was concluded on May 18, 1928 and continued to be used on and off until it was abandoned in 1967.

[Historic photo captions, clockwise from top left, read]
• Heavy equipment tractor pulling a blade to level the ditch.

• Bucyrus steam shovel works on digging the Davidson ditch.

• After completion, water flows through the Davidson ditch to the gold mining dredges.

• Manual labor digging the Davidson ditch.

Erected by Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks and Recreation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is May 18, 1928.

Location. 64° 50.319′ N, 147° 46.553′ W. Marker is in Fairbanks, Alaska, in Fairbanks North Star Borough. It can be reached from Airport Way. Marker is in the Alaska Salmon Bake area of Pioneer Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2300 Airport Way, 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

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within walking distance of this marker: Steam Operated Shovel (here, next to this marker); Model Dredge (here, next to this marker); Placer Drill (here, next to this marker); Citizen's Mill (1909-1915) (here, next to this marker); Stamp Milling (a few steps from this marker); Pioneering Prospectors (a few steps from this marker); The Arduous Work of Prospecting in Alaska (a few steps from this marker); Some of the First Men to Prospect the Fairbanks District Mining Claims (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fairbanks.

Also see . . . The Davidson Ditch (UAF Geophysical Institute). (Submitted on September 24, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 18, 2024

2. Alaska's First Pipeline Marker

Part of the pipeline in background

Credits. This page was last revised on May 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 24, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 299 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 24, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.