A newly-carved statue of an Alaska prospector will soon join the Pioneer Museum at Pioneer Park and become a featured addition to the Pioneer Float during the Golden Days Parade.
The statue will be unveiled at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at Pioneer Hall in Pioneer Park.
The Pioneers of Alaska commissioned artist Amanda O’Neill of Chainsaw Chic Carving to create the statute, which is significant to the Fairbanks mining district’s past and present-day history, according to Jim Plaquet of the Pioneers of Alaska.
“The Pioneer Museum board wanted to have the prospector statue to sit outside the museum on the boardwalk to attract attention from visitors walking by, so they might visit the museum,” Plaquet said. “Gold panning and prospecting is part of our early day Fairbanks history and plays a role in today’s history.”
“The statue is symbolic to all of Fairbanks, of our rich history in Fairbanks,” he added, noting that many members of Pioneers of Alaska are direct descendants of early mining families.
Reach columnist/community editor Kris Capps at kcapps@newsminer.com.
