A mix of historical and contemporary influences enrich the heart of Alaska

As history goes, it is no secret that Alaska is home to some of the most productive gold-rush periods of all time. Museums, newspaper archives and history books can attest to the frenzy that occurred during the turn of the century, when gold was discovered throughout the state.

Around the same time, though, another history was being made. “Go-Devil

appeared on the Streets Last Night for the First Time” is the headline that splashed across the Fairbanks Weekly Times on August 8, 1908. The popular automobile had come to Fairbanks, and so began the lively history of motoring in the far north.

Fortunately, there is at least one place where the history of automobiles in this far north corner of the world is retained. From fording glacial streams to navigating avalanche chutes, the challenges faced by Alaska’s first motorists are vividly portrayed at Fairbanks’ Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum.

At the Fountainhead Auto Museum, you’ll find a world-class collection of more than 75 rare cars, including Alaska’s first automobile and the world’s most expensive car from the 1920s.

In the fall of 2010, in fact, another addition joined the collection, said Deanna Brandon, who represents Fountainhead Development, the company that owns Wedgewood Resort and its surrounding attractions.

“We’re such a new venue here in Fairbanks and we’re changing constantly, we’re adding to it constantly,” Brandon said. “Two weeks ago, we got a 1907 White Steamer-it was one of the first cars in Alaska to operate.”

The vehicle, now refurbished and in museum condition, is remarkable, Brandon said. It sports white-wall tires and a shiny, red exterior. The roof of the car-if it could be called that-looks more like the top of a horse-and-carriage buggy, and the hood resembles the front end of a

tractor rather than the sleek front ends on today’s vehicles.

“It’s a huge car,” she said. “They were more prolific than the Stanley Steamer, and this one was used here.”

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