Back to our Alaska land and sea trip! The same day we took the Riverboat Discovery trip in Fairbanks we also had a bus ride to see the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The pipeline was built between 1974 and 1977 after the 1973 oil crisis caused a sharp rise in oil prices in the United States. It is one of the world's largest pipeline systems.
Please click on photo to enlarge it to read facts about the pipeline.
A cross-section view of the pipeline
The next place that our tour brought us to was the Gold Dredge 8 National Historic District in Fox, Alaska. There we rode aboard a replica of the narrow-gauge Tanana Valley Railroad and heard the conductor tell tales of prospectors who arrived by the thousands during the Fairbanks Gold Rush. We saw first-hand how the dredge worked the Alaska goldfields. The ladder dredge operated by the Fairbanks Exploration Company from 1928 to 1959.
At the Gold Dredge 8 camp, we were given instructions on how to pan for gold. It was fun trying to separate the gold flakes from the rocks and water.
These tiny gold pieces were the end results of my panning.
My husband and I combined our pieces of gold and brought them to be weighed, where we were told we had $27 worth of gold. The pieces can be added to earrings or a necklace sold at the camp but we opted to just bring them home as souvenirs. There was a nice gift shop at the camp and I bought other souvenirs, and we enjoyed the free hot chocolate and cookies offered to the customers.
Please click on photo to enlarge to read the timeline of gold discoveries in Alaska.
The search for gold opened many a western territory to exploration and settlement and it was interesting to step back in time to see a historic portion of the Fairbanks gold rush! The next day we would visit Denali National Park--my next post.
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39 comments:
Pat, I'm very grateful that the fire was contained and there was no loss of life or damage to the homes. I was worried about you being so close. Thanks for sharing your travel photos. I always learn so much from your posts.
Hope life is good and that you are feeling better.
Thanks so much for linking up your post at the #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 3! Glad the fire was put out and all was saved. We've panned for gold before with our grandbabies. Fun times. Shared.
Scary indeed. Glad things are in good hands
Happy Mosaic Monday
Much❤🕊❤love
Hello, Pat
The wildfire so close to you home must have been scary. I am glad for the firefighter and that everyone was safe. I have never been a fan of the Pipeline, mainly due to the leaks and damage they do. Panning for the gold looks like a fun time. Alaska is a beautiful state. Great trip photos. Have a happy day and a great new week!
What a dreadful sight that fire was! Luckily they got it unde control. Congratulations - you found gold! You can let make some bijou later.
I'm so happy the fire was contained and you're safe and sound!
Great pipeline and gold panning photos. I'm hoping that the day will come when we can abandon that pipeline and depend entirely on alternative fuels.
I am so glad that the fire was put out without anyone getting hurt! Your trip sounds like so much fun.
I can only imagine how frightening seeing the fire must have been. Will be home visiting the Rockies next month and this year we'll probably not be in Clear Creek Canyon gold panning. Ron says it's pretty well worked out. We had some grand summers on the river there with the kids helping Dad pan. Ron is a 49er born 100 years too late.
Have a wonderful week!
...well let me tell you, I would never have the patience to pan for gold!
What interesting things to learn!
Fascinating experiences in Alaska.I would love to visit that area sometime, but may have to settle for reading about your experiences.
I'm so glad the fire was quickly contained - forest fires can be so very devastating.
Both the pipeline and the gold panning are interesting to learn about. My husband once spent a summer panning for gold in the Yukon for a geological survey company.
Glad the forest fire in your neighborhood was brought under control quickly! Enjoyed your latest post about your Alaska adventure!
Nicely done photos! Glad you and those around you were safe.
So glad the fire was contained quickly! My oldest son just LOVES the show Gold Rush and has been wanting to go to Alaska and pan for gold pretty much since the show aired. He would have loved this day. I can't wait to read all about the rest of your Alaskan Adventures.
I've never even been able to pan fools gold - I found I haven't got the gift (or perhaps not a good spot for gold mining).
Thanks for linking up at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2019/08/faces-of-forrest.html
Those fire pictures look very scary, I'm so pleased the fire was quickly contained. Panning for gold looks fun. All your trip photographs are lovely to see.
Hope this new week goes well for you.
All the best Jan
The story of the Klondike is one of those fascinating stories that crosses national borders. As was often the case with such things, only a handful of prospectors got rich directly. The others who got rich were those providing goods and services.
We been lucky this year with reduced fires and smoke form interior fires here in Coastal BC. We've had more summer rain this year than I can remember for many years. I remember panning for gold when I was a kid at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. Back then it wasn't the amusement park it is today. It had a wild west theme and the best fried chicken restaurant. - Margy
Pat - 4 to 5 miles is just a little too close for comfort - were you evacuated? Were they able to find (and fine) the teenagers? I can only imagine what this cost! Our fire season has been (knock on wood) fairly calm so far … Pipelines scare me - did they talk about their safety record? Panning for gold - how exciting! As we drive around, I have seen signs about gold panning - you can do it here on public land! Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!
Interesting history - but shame about the fire!
That fire being so close was scary, I'll bet. Re: the pipeline, I remember all the controversy surrounding the construction of the pipeline. I'm glad to know that residents receive funds from the oil all these years later.
Fireworks caused a devastating fire in the Pacific Northwest U.S. last year. You have to wonder how people could be so careless!
I was working for Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) back when the Alyeska Pipeline was first underway. Exciting times for the company.
Sounds like a fun trip in Alaska. Very sad about the fires..
Glad to hear the fire was quickly contained. I live in California and dislike the fireworks season. People go crazy with both legal and illegal fireworks. It really doesn't make sense to sell them in our dry climate and surrounding dried fields and hillsides.
It seems so many people we know are taking trips to AK this summer! I always am interested in the state as my cousins grew up there until college age, and I remember when it became a state. One cousin just moved back there for her retirement years. They just love Alaska!
Oh I am with you - fire is so scary! Just over a year ago a fire got our back pastures - so we are getting a little concerned with the dry and heat!
Love your photos of Alaska!
Twenty-seven dollars! That's great. ☺ I remember panning for gold in a river so cold that I thought that my hands would freeze off. Swift River in western Maine. My mother actually found a goodly sized nugget. I wonder where it is today.
Oh that fire would have been scary. I am so glad that the professionals were on the job and got it under control as quickly as they did.
Hope that you've been having a wonderful summer, Pat.
I'm sure the fires can be very scary! I'm glad they got it under control.
Your Alaska trip looks like a lot of fun along with learning about history, too.
Your link at 'My Corner of the World' this week sure made my day!
My Corner of the World
I was in Alaska last week, but at that time there were only a few fires now it has gotten crazy. hope they get some rain soon. It is such a gorgeous place.
I have been to Colorado several time with my husband, tagging along on a business trip. Now I know I need to pan for gold! I have missed this event! Thanks for linking up today!
That fire looks way too close!! Congratulations on your gold flakes. I've always wanted to try it, but never have.
I knew several people who worked on the Alaska Pipeline. It was quite the production. The Union that represented the welders was AFL CIO Local 798 here in Tulsa. They still represent most of the welders on the big pipeline jobs in the country.
Mining kind of opened the west as well as Alaska. My grandfather on my mother's side was a powderman and worked in various mines all over the west.
How scary to have the fire so close to your house! It's always a danger no matter where you live! Love seeing more of your Alaska adventure! I want to GO!!! Hugs!
First of all, the fire. That had to be a total freak out, being close enough to see that much flame. Grateful it didn't encroach too much. The pipeline looks interesting; the panning for gold tons of fun! I love it!
The fire looked scary. So glad that it was contained and that there was no loss of life!! It must have been a very novel experience panning for the gold. Alaska is so beautiful...wish I could go there someday. Thanks for linking up for #ww. Have a great week ahead.
Once in a lifetime trip....Michelle
I’m so glad the fire was contained with no injuries. And hope there are no more . It is SO dry....even here in Oregon. You had some great experiences on your tour. We drove along miles of the pipeline. I thought it was interesting that they built gaps in it for Caribou crossings (iI is on their migration path and grazing lands) but the Caribou didn’t need them, they can apparently just slither under the pipes.
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