Welcome to Chena!

In the days before Fairbanks’ rise to prominence as the economic and transportation hub of Interior Alaska, a small trade camp about 5 miles downriver of Fairbanks was attracting most of the attention. The town, dubbed ‘Chena, AK’ served as a handy port for boats bringing much-needed supplies up the Yukon and Tanana Rivers. During its peak years of 1904-1905, the town of Chena could boast of public schools, telephones, hospital, jail, 500-seat auditorium, several newspapers, and a police and fire department. At this point in history, Chena and E.T Barnette’s “City of Chenoa” settlement on the present-day site of Fairbanks were almost matched in size.

About This Project

This project is an effort of the Interior Alaska Land Trust to gather and disseminate information about the town of Chena, AK. This site is of particular interest to the IALT because part of the original townsite is located on land conserved as part of the Chena Flats Greenbelt Project.

Thank you for your interest and support!

We hope that these pages will be an inspiration to go visit lands conserved by the IALT to see and explore these historic places for yourself (maps available on the IALT website). The Fairbanks we call home today has grown through the 20th century and beyond. As we chart a path for community development and growth in the coming years, the IALT believes that it is important not to forget where and how the city began.