Chena Townsite Repeat Photos
Fall 2023 UAF Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity (URSA) Project
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
Due to a stark increase in vegetation on the original ridge, the drone method was once again the best choice to conduct the reproduction.
The ridge on the left side of the photograph is a distinct land feature for the reproduction of this image.
This image seems to be taken from a vessel. A drone reproduction was the most appropriate method due to cold conditions.
This image also seems to be taken from a vessel. A drone reproduction was the most appropriate method due to cold conditions.
Eye View
Ridge View
C.M.S & R Co. (Chena Milling Smelting & Refining Co.)
River View 1
River View 2
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/