Captain E. T. Barnette founded Fairbanks in August 1901 while headed to
Tanacross (or Tanana Crossing, where the Valdez-Eagle trail crossed the Tanana
River), where he intended to set up a trading post. The steamboat on which
Barnette was a passenger, the Lavelle
Young, ran aground while attempting to negotiate shallow water.
Barnette, along with his party and supplies, were deposited along the banks of
the Chena River 7 miles (11 km) upstream from its confluence with the
Tanana River. The sight of smoke from the steamer's engines caught the
attention of gold
