Riverboat Cruise on the Chena

9 August 2012
8:12 PM

Sunrise at	5:20 AM	in direction	48°	Northeast
Sunset at	10:30 PM	in direction	311°	Northwest

Duration of day: 17 hours, 10 minutes (6 minutes, 56 seconds shorter than yesterday)

The Chena River as seen from the Discovery Riverboat II while moored

One of the most relaxing ways to spend an evening is to cruise up and down the Chena River with a group of friends or colleagues on a three-level riverboat.  The bottom level serves dinner, the second provides cabin seating, and the top level sports a canopy open to the air.  We did just that last night, joining attendees of the International Congress on Circumpolar Health (ICCH15) for dinner and a cruise.

Fairbanks' first non-native settlers were miners looking for precious metals.  Because gold had been found in the Yukon, an enterprising man, E.T. Barnette, came up the Yukon River and then branched off into the Tanana River hoping to reach the point where the trail built by the Army crossed the Tanana River above Big Delta.  The road ran from Valdez on Prince William Sound to Eagle on the Yukon River (still does although no longer the main thoroughfare).

Guest at Pike's Landing watching us while we watch them.

He had made various attempts to get to the gold fields or that crossing by boat, and each time, he failed due to poor planning which led to breakdowns, running aground as the glacier fed rivers became shallow in late summer, or becoming immobile as the river began to freeze.  His last attempt was late in the summer of 1901.  They could not make it to the Tanacross, turning around at Big Delta.  Barnette had noted the Chena River and thought they might be able to bypass the Tanana River Rapids and make it to the Tanana Crossing that way.  He persuaded the captain of the Lavelle Young to make the attempt.  Alas, he was not correct about the Chena's path.   It originates roughly 150 miles from where it feeds into the Tanana River.

Very soon, the riverboat hit sand and Captain Charles Adams refused to go any further.  In fact, he dumped E.T., his wife, and all of their supplies onto a bluff on the south side of the river.  Prospectors in the area has seen the steamer's smoke and arrived, asking to purchase supplies.  Barnette decided to winter over, and built a trading post and cabin.  The following spring, he and his wife, Isabelle, mushed by dog team to Valdez and then traveled on to Seattle to buy supplies and invest in a flat bottom boat that could sail further up the Tanana River.  While in Seattle, gold was discovered in the Interior and Barnette dropped plans to go up the Tanana and stayed  - at least until he was run out of the territory.  It turns out he was resourceful and capable of surviving in harsh conditions, but not an honest, fair man.

Nevertheless, Fairbanks became a settlement because of him and his determination to reach areas of the Interior by boat.

Wooden water wheel adapted to the shallow waters of the Chena

The Tanana River, sand bars, multiple channels and
permafrost forests to the south

Boats have always been an integral part of life in the Interior and upper Yukon reaches during the summer.  But it was not until 1950, when Charles Madison Binkley (known as Captain Jim) was persuaded to take his knowledge of riverboat commerce on Interior Alaska rivers and put it to use, that large tour boats became a common summer sight on the Chena River. Binkley and his partner designed a boat that recalled the MIssissippi style river boat, but with a functional flat bottom to negotiate shallow waters.  His family's business, Riverboat Discovery, provides daily tours of the stretch of river from the Mitchell Parkway bridge to the mouth of the Tanana River.  The link I provided is a flickr stream posted by a visitor that captured Captain Binkley's home along the river, one of the Discover riverboats, and additional views of the river.

Last night, the weather was cool, and the light was excellent.  It was a fine night on the river, having dinner, visiting with other guests, and enjoying the view of homes fronting the river.  Most have steps down to the river, many have dmoorings and last night, some had boats at those docks.  There were even a few planes floating along the banks.   Dave Munson, widower of Susan Butcher who was a four-time Iditarod champion, provides river side introductions to kennel life and their philosophy and approaches in living with and training sled dogs.

Being on the river is one of the special highlights of Interior life. For those interested, Visions Event Planning out of Anchorage has organized the conference and entertainment events.  They are an Alaskan company doing great things.