Chena Townsite Repeat Photos

Fall 2023 UAF Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity (URSA) Project

This project employed repeat photography to support archeological efforts at the Chena Townsite in Fairbanks, Alaska, and to understand how the landscape has evolved since the town was abandoned. It also endeavors to contribute to the preservation of history, public education, and our understanding of land use changes.


About the Townsite

Chena was a shipping and mining town on the banks of the Tanana River. Established in 1903, after Felix Pedro discovered gold in Fairbanks, the town became the home of miners who came to the interior seeking gold. Chena had its peak population in 1907 - 400 residents.

Photo: Main Street, Chena

In 1905, the Tanana Mines Railway opened. It took supplies to gold mines 20 miles away. In 1907, it was renamed the Tanana Valley Railroad (TVRR). In 1915, TVRR moved its general manager's office to Fairbanks.

Fun fact: Engine No. 1, the first steam locomotive in Fairbanks and the Yukon, resides in the TVRR Museum at the Pioneer Park in Fairbanks.

Photo: T.M.R.R. Train at Chena Station

Businesses in Chena included two hotels, two general stores, a bakery, a laundry, and two restaurants. By 1910, Chena had a police department, hospital, a public school, churches, and a fire department.

Photo: White Horse Hotel

Photo: Old Chena Hotel

Photo: C.M.S & R Co. (Chena Milling Smelting & Refining Co.)

Photo: Depot and warehouses in Chena

Photo: Tanana Natives outside the Post Office in Chena, Alaska

Chena thrived briefly during the initial Gold Rush, enduring for about a decade. With the decline in gold and the start of World War I, the population in the town plummeted. Today, there are no remnants of the Alaska railroad tracks laid in Chena, and the streets have disappeared. The docks, warehouses, shops, and homes have either succumbed to annual flooding of the Tanana River or been relocated for repurposing in Fairbanks.

Photo: Railroad tracks in Chena


Townsite estimated location

In partnership with Dr. Justin Cramb from the UAF Department of Anthropology, I attempted to georeference the two publicly available maps of Chena using available point coordinates as well as certain land features..

Chena Detail Map courtesy of Dr. Justin Cramb and Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives (APRCA)

Chena 1908 Map by Sanborn Map Co., courtesy of Dr. Justin Cramb and Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives (APRCA)


Image selection for reproduction

1

Eye View

To repeat this photograph, I concluded that a credible method would be to photograph with a drone from the pullout up the ridge 0.5 miles from the townsite.

2

Ridge View

Due to a stark increase in vegetation on the original ridge, the drone method was once again the best choice to conduct the reproduction.

3

C.M.S & R Co. (Chena Milling Smelting & Refining Co.)

The ridge on the left side of the photograph is a distinct land feature for the reproduction of this image.

4

River view 1

This image seems to be taken from a vessel. A drone reproduction was the most appropriate method due to cold conditions.

5

River view 2

This image also seems to be taken from a vessel. A drone reproduction was the most appropriate method due to cold conditions.


Final Repeat Photos

Eye View

Ridge View

C.M.S & R Co. (Chena Milling Smelting & Refining Co.)

River View 1

River View 2


Acknowledgments

➤ UAF Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity (URSA) ➤ Dr. Ken Tape - Research Associate Professor, Geophysical Institute ➤ Dr. Justin Cramb - Assistant Professor, UAF Department of Anthropology ➤ Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives (APRCA), UAF


Sources:

Wikipedia contributors. (2023, July 23). Chena, Alaska. In Wikipedia. Retrieved December 10, 2023, from  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chena,_Alaska  

Wikipedia contributors. (2023, November 24). Tanana Valley Railroad. In Wikipedia. Retrieved December 10, 2023, from  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanana_Valley_Railroad 

Martin Gutoski. Where is Chena?—The Search for a Lost Century-Old Gold Rush Town. In Amerisurv. Retrieved December 10, 2023, from  https://amerisurv.com/2013/01/26/where-is-chena-the-search-for-a-lost-century-old-gold-rush-town/ 

Eye View

Ridge View

C.M.S & R Co. (Chena Milling Smelting & Refining Co.)

River View 1

River View 2