Description
On the Chena River, Tanana Low.
History
Founded in 1901 when a trading post was established here by E. T. Barnette, First called "Barnettes Cache," the name was changed in 1902 to honor Charles Warren Fairbanks, 1852-1918, Senator from Indiana and later Vice President of the United States under Theodore Roosevelt. The town began as the supply center for the mining region to its north after gold was discovered by Felix Pedro in 1902, and has since become the commercial and transportation hub of north and central Alaska. Its population was 3,541 in 1910, 1,555 in 1920, 3,455 in 1939, and 5,771 in 1950. The Fairbanks post office was established in 1903.