Fairbanks Community Museum – Fairbanks, Alaska - Atlas Obscura
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Fairbanks Community Museum

Fairbanks, Alaska

This free series of exhibitions honors the fascinating history of the region. 

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The figure of a grizzled sourdough miner greets you. jbartlett2000 (Atlas Obscura User)
The figure of a grizzled sourdough miner greets you. jbartlett2000 (Atlas Obscura User)
Inside the museum, a recreation of a goldminer's cabin. jbartlett2000 (Atlas Obscura User)
One of many pictures showing the effects of the 1967 flood. jbartlett2000 (Atlas Obscura User)
An early snowmachine (not a snowmobile). jbartlett2000 (Atlas Obscura User)
List of Guesses, 2019. jbartlett2000 (Atlas Obscura User)
Several old ornate pianos are inside the plaza. jbartlett2000 (Atlas Obscura User)
The former Co-Op Plaza on 2nd Avenue. Enrico Blasutto (Creative Commons)
The museum covers dog mushing and racing. jbartlett2000 (Atlas Obscura User)
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Located within the old Co-Op shopping arcade on 2nd Avenue in downtown Fairbanks, this small, volunteer-run museum is a tribute to the history and heritage of the area. Split into two areas, the exhibits here focus on the extensive gold mining history of the area and how it lives on through the Iditarod and Yukon Quest races.

There are also exhibits on the spending the winter in Fairbanks, the Flood of 1967, and the famous aurora borealis. If you’re learning about the city the pictures and stories of the brave men and women who willingly came here to seek their fortunes are still unbelievable, as are the make-do ways that they moved around, lived day-to-day and, when times were good, managed to really party, despite the isolation and cold.

Though rather small and very locally-focused, this charming and free museum is an appealing and informative alternative for a potential later visit to the larger historical theme park called Pioneer Park, which is still known to the locals as “Alaskaland.”

Know Before You Go

Hours vary depending on the season—or any number of other factors, as this is a volunteer museum—so check before you go

museums and collections museums
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jbartlett2000
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Published
February 21, 2023
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Nearby
Alaska Highway's Milepost 1523
0.07 miles
Golden Heart Plaza
0.09 miles
Lend-Lease Monument
0.16 miles
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