Chena Hot Springs, Alaska


Chena Hot Springs is a hot spring, resort, and unincorporated community in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States, 56.5 miles northeast of Fairbanks near the Chena River State Recreation Area. The resort makes use of the first low-temperature binary geothermal power plant built in Alaska, and is working on several alternative energy projects, including production and use of hydrogen and vegetable oil for fuel. The resort is conducting collaborative experiments in greenhouse production of vegetables with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

History

Chena Hot Springs was founded over 100 years ago by two gold mining brothers, Robert and Thomas Swan. In 1905, Robert Swan was suffering from rheumatism and needed a place to calm his pain and be comfortable. The two brothers set out to find the hot springs. It took them a little over a month to reach the hot springs after searching for it in Interior Alaska’s harsh landscape. In 1911, twelve small cabins were built to accommodate visitors. The twelve cabins developed, and they became one of the most famous resorts in the interior of Alaska. The Chena Hot Springs became so famous that the United States Department of Agriculture sent chemists to analyze the water.

Demographics

Chena Hot Springs has never formally reported a population on the U.S. Census. The USGS reported it had an estimated summer population of 10 for the resort.

Weather

The coordinates for Chena Hot Springs Alaska are 65'03 N and 146'03 W. The average yearly temperature for the area is, with the
highest temperature being in July at and the lowest temperature being in
January at. Annually the average amount of precipitation is. The average snowfall amount in Chena Hot Springs is annually.
Chena Hot Springs has visibility of the Aurora borealis, especially around the March equinox.

Aurora Ice Museum

The purpose of the Ice Museum is to boost the tourism of the resort and showcase the artwork of resident ice artists Steve and Heather Brice. The museum is open throughout the entire year,
including the summer, when the temperature can reach up to 90ºF. The present museum is made of a steel framework with hollow walls and consists of a great hall and a lounge. Some of the ice sculptures include a gigantic ice tower and life-size jousting knights. One of the rooms even has a non-functioning ice toilet. Visitors are offered the opportunity to purchase a vodka "appletini" in a hand carved ice glass for an additional fee during the tour.

Geothermal Power Plant

Chena Hot Springs Resort uses two 200kW Organic Rankine Cycle geothermal energy power plants to generate energy, the first in Alaska. The resort moved the diesel generators used in the past to a backup role since July 2006, and it is successful in reducing the cost from 30 cents/kWh to 5 cents/kWh. The resort owners have future plans in increasing the work output of the powerplant from 200 kW to 1MW. An increase to 730 kilowatts was accomplished.

DC6 On Display

Everts Air Cargo retired the DC-6A N6174C “Good Grief” on October 2, 1016 2016, after it made the final flight from Anchorage Chena Hot Springs, after its 62 year flight career.