Pioneer Park is a 44-acre (109-ha) city park in

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

run by the Fairbanks North Star Borough Department of Parks and Recreation. The park commemorates early Alaskan history with multiple museums and historic displays on site. The park is located along the Chena River and is accessible from Peger and Airport Roads. A waterfront path connects the park to the

Carlson Center The Carlson Center is a 4,595-seat multi-purpose arena in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. It is the third largest arena in Alaska by seating capacity after the Sullivan Arena and Alaska Airlines Center, both of which are in Anchorage. It is hom ...

, Growden Memorial Park and downtown Fairbanks. There is no admission fee to enter the park, though many of the museums and attractions do charge an entrance fee. Concessions are open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, though the park is open year round and some events are held in the off-season. Free

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wav ...

is available.

History

Pioneer Park was opened in 1967 as Alaska 67 Centennial Exposition to celebrate the centennial of the

Alaska Purchase The Alaska Purchase (russian: Продажа Аляски, Prodazha Alyaski, Sale of Alaska) was the United States' acquisition of Alaska from the Russian Empire. Alaska was formally transferred to the United States on October 18, 1867, through a ...

. After being given first to the state and then to the city,

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Red Boucher renamed the site Alaskaland. It was then changed to its present name in 2001 out of concern that the park could be mistaken for being primarily a

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

. The subject is still a topic of slight contention with locals.

Attractions

* Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts – theater, art gallery, and meeting hall. *Crooked Creek & Whiskey Island Railroad – operating

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

railroad which circumnavigates the park. *Denali Observation car (or " Harding Railroad Car") – the rail car used by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

during a visit to Alaska in 1923 to formally complete the Alaska Railroad. * Fairbanks Arts Association – a non-profit organization set up to promote contemporary and traditional arts in Interior Alaska. *''Gold Rush Town'' – 35 restored buildings from early Fairbanks, including the first

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

in Fairbanks and a house owned by Judge

James Wickersham James Wickersham (August 24, 1857 – October 24, 1939) was a district judge for Alaska, appointed by U.S. President William McKinley to the Third Judicial District in 1900. He resigned his post in 1908 and was subsequently elected as Alaska ...

. Most now house gift shops and other merchants. *Mini Golf Fairbanks – America's northernmost 36 hole Mini Golf Course. *Mining Valley – contains working replica of a

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...

-era

sluice gate Sluice ( ) is a word for a channel controlled at its head by a movable gate which is called a sluice gate. A sluice gate is traditionally a wood or metal barrier sliding in grooves that are set in the sides of the waterway and can be considered ...

. *Pioneer Air Museum – aviation memorabilia and 14 aircraft; begun through the efforts of

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

Randy Acord. *Pioneer Hall – designed to resemble an early-20th-century meeting hall. Includes the Pioneer Museum, which features Gold Rush memorabilia and the "Big Stampede" mural presentation. *Replica Alaska Native village featuring artifacts. *Replica of the wheelhouse of SS ''Lavelle Young'', the steamer used by Fairbanks founder E.T. Barnette to reach the site of the settlement. * SS ''Nenana'' – a

sternwheeler A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were w ...

that carried passengers and cargo on the Tanana and Yukon rivers from 1933 to 1954. At it is the second-longest wooden-hulled ship still in existence. Now a museum. *

Tanana Valley Railroad The Tanana Valley Railroad (TVRR) was a narrow gauge railroad that operated in the Tanana Valley of Alaska from 1905 to about 1917. A portion of the railroad later became part of the Alaska Railroad. History The TVRR was incorporated as the ...

Museum – opened in 2006 and features the restored, narrow gaugeSteamlocomotive.info
/ref> 1899 TVRR Engine No. 1, the oldest working steam locomotive in Alaska and still operated on occasion by volunteers.

References

External links

Pioneer Park Web sitePioneer Air Museum
{{authority control 1967 establishments in Alaska Heritage railroads in Alaska Museums in Fairbanks, Alaska Parks in Alaska Protected areas established in 1967 Protected areas of Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska Railroad museums in Alaska Tourist attractions in Fairbanks, Alaska

History

Attractions

See also

References

External links