Tanana River

The Tanana River is a left tributary of the Yukon that flows in eastern Alaska. The name of the river was recorded in 1867 by an American expedition. In translation, it meant “mountain river”, and also this term meant the tribe that lived in these parts.

The Tanana, together with its tributaries, makes up about 30 percent of the Yukon’s total catchment area, despite the fact that collectively they make up only a fifth of the Yukon basin. The banks of the Tanana River are rich in minerals, so it went down in history as a gold-bearing river. Since the middle of the XIX century, the events of the famous "Gold Rush" unfolded here. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the active development of the woodworking industry and agriculture began in the surrounding areas. Gradually located on the banks of Tanana, Fairbanks became an important industrial center specializing in the production of potatoes and various grain crops.

A curious circumstance is due to the fact that the beginning of the icebreaker on the Tanana River is a symbol of the beginning of spring in Alaska, when you can open navigation. Local residents even have a tradition to predict the date of the beginning of the ice. The prize fund has reached several hundred thousand dollars in recent years.

The climate in the Tanana Valley is quite severe, with large temperature changes and strong fogs in winter. In summer, due to permafrost and frequent precipitation, the area is swamped. But despite such difficult climatic conditions, the landscapes in the Tanana Valley have some special, restrained beauty.