Who was E.T. Barnette?
Elbridge Truman (E.T.) Barnette is generally credited with being
the founder of what is now Fairbanks, Alaska. As is often the case with such
things this was done quite by accident.
E.T. Barnette was a trader on the Yukon River and Captain of
the steamer the Arctic Boy. In 1901 he decided to open a trading post
at Tanana Crossing (what is now Tanacross). Located on the Tanana River along
the trail from Valdez to Eagle this would be an ideal site for a trading post
to supply would be gold prospectors on their way to the Klondike gold fields.
After wrecking his own steamer on a rock at St. Michael (~125 miles southeast
of Nome), E.T. Barnette hired Captain Charles Adams to pilot the sternwheeler
the Lavelle Young up the Tanana River to Tanana Crossing.
Unfortunately, a stretch of shallow rapids, Bates Rapids, proved
impassable to the Lavelle Young. The Lavelle Young then traveled
Chena River in hopes of finding a way of by passing the rapids; it was hoped
that the Chena was not a separate river but rather was a deep slough that branched
off of the Tanana above the rapids. The Lavelle Young then traveled several
miles up the Chena River before the water became too shallow for heavily laden
sternwheeler and it was forced to turn around.
Captain Adams was unwilling to further risk the ship's going
aground. Barnette's contract with Adams clearly stated that if the Lavelle
Young could no longer navigate the river, the freight and passengers would
be unloaded onto its banks. Adams had every intention of enacting this clause.
Barnette insisted he be taken at least to the mouth of the Chena River but Captain
Adams refused. After a short argument, Adams agreed only to take him downstream
to a promising heavily wooded bank. On August 26, 1901 E.T. Barnette, his wife
Isabelle, his partner Charles Smith, three other men as well as $20,000 in provisions
were unloaded onto the southern shore of the Chena River at what is now downtown
Fairbanks.
Within hours of their arrival E.T. Barnette had his first customers.
Felice Pedroni (better known as Felix Pedro) and Tom Gilmore spotted the
Lavelle Young on the Chena and made their way to Barnette's camp. Pedroni
and Gilmore were nearly out of provisions and we were anxious to resupply before
winter. With the realization that there were prospectors in the area and therefore,
money to be had Barnette and crew set up a temporary trading post on the banks
of the Chena River which he named Chenoa City. E.T. Barnette still had hopes
of one day relocating his trading post to Tanana Crossing which was still about
200 miles away.
In early 1902, E.T. Barnette crossed paths with one of the most
powerful and influential people in Alaska, the honorable Judge James Wickersham.
Wickersham suggested that Barnette name his settlement after Charles W. Fairbanks,
a powerful Republican senator from Indiana. Wickersham felt this would be a
fitting tribute to his friend and mentor. E.T. Barnette agreed to do so having
realized the potential value of having a powerful allies in both Washington,
D.C. and Alaska. Senator Fairbanks continued to have influence in Washington,
D.C. and in fact, eventually became Vice President under Theodore Roosevelt.
On July 22, 1902 Felice Pedroni discovered gold about 12 miles
north of Barnette's trading post. A substantial gold strike in the Fairbanks
area changed everything and Barnette no longer entertained thoughts of moving
his trading post to Tanana Crossing.
E.T. Barnette then set about shamelessly (and sometimes illegally)
promoting Fairbanks and often "exaggerated" about the amount and ease
at which riches were to be had in the Fairbanks gold fields. This resulted in
a stampede of would be gold seekers. In the November of 1903 Fairbanks became
incorporated and E.T. Barnette became its first mayor. Within about five Fairbanks
became the largest city in Alaska.
Historic characters from our pioneer past are often romanticized
today. A case in point, is the fact that this homebrew competition was so named
several years ago by the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce. They are in good
company, however, since local schools and streets have also been named after
E.T. Barnette. Few historic characters are worthy of such adoration and Barnette
is probably not one of them. E.T. Barnette's motives were far from being altruistic.
Barnette was known for his shady business dealings and was generally considered
to be a scoundrel.
Barnette left Fairbanks in disgrace in 1911 amidst charges of
embezzlement. The Washington-Alaska Bank which E.T. Barnette was president of
went bankrupt on January 4, 1911. Many people blamed Barnette for the bank closure
and the loss of one million dollars of the depositor's money. Following threats
against his family, E.T. Barnette and his family left Fairbanks "under
the cover of darkness" on March 27, 1911. Less than a week later, Barnette
was accused of embezzling $50,000 from the bank. In December of 1912, Barnette
was tried for embezzlement in Valdez, Alaska. He was found not guilty of all
charges except for falsely reporting the financial health of the bank which
was only a misdemeanor. Although tried and found not guilty of nearly all counts,
public opinion remained against Barnette; many people believed that the outcome
of the trial had more to do with E.T. Barnette's wealth and influence than serving
justice. Whether Barnette was actually guilty of embezzlement or not is still
subject to debate.
Hopefully having this competition named after a cheat and
scoundrel does not reflect poorly on it. People like E.T. Barnette should certainly
not be idolized. However, people the likes of him should also not be forgotten.
Like it or not they are part of our history. Fairbanks exists today, in large
part, due to the often shady dealings of a conniving man named E.T. Barnette.
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References:
Cole, D., 1999, Fairbanks: A Gold Rush Town that Beat the
Olds: Epicenter Press, Kenmore, Washington, 224 pp.
Alaska Geographic, 1995, Fairbanks: Alaska Geographic
Society: Anchorage, Alaska, vol. 22, no. 1, 96 pp.
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