Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Highlights from a Winter Carnival parade through downtown Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1937 include an elaborate Miss Alaska float, horse-drawn sleds and sleighs, and a small military contingent. Community organizations are well represented, including floats from the Pioneers of Alaska, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE), and another from the Tanana Valley Sportsmen’s Association. One parade entry advertises, “$1.00 wins this 1937 Studebaker,” while children trail behind a truck carrying what appears to be a large birthday cake.
A banner visible in a storefront reads, “For 1937 everything points to…” (the remainder is illegible). In several shots, the twin smokestacks of the Fairbanks powerhouse — owned by the Northern Commercial Company — rise in the background, anchoring the festivities within the working landscape of the town.
Source & Format
B&W, silent, 16mm film
Russ & Thelma Huber Film Collection (AAF-7637)
Alaska Film Archives
Repository
The Alaska Film Archives is a unit of the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives Department, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Contact
If you have additional information or can help further identify what’s seen here, we welcome your insights. Please contact us using the information in the “About” section.
Support the Alaska Film Archives
The Alaska Film Archives appreciates your support. Donations of any amount help us preserve and share Alaska’s audiovisual history. Visit the “About” section of our YouTube channel to learn how you can help. Thank you!
Highlights from a Winter Carnival parade through downtown Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1937 include an elaborate Miss Alaska float, horse-drawn sleds and sleighs, and a small military contingent. Community organizations are well represented, including floats from the Pioneers of Alaska, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE), and another from the Tanana Valley Sportsmen’s Association. One parade entry advertises, “$1.00 wins this 1937 Studebaker,” while children trail behind a truck carrying what appears to be a large birthday cake.
A banner visible in a storefront reads, “For 1937 everything points to…” (the remainder is illegible). In several shots, the twin smokestacks of the Fairbanks powerhouse — owned by the Northern Commercial Company — rise in the background, anchoring the festivities within the working landscape of the town.
Source & Format
B&W, silent, 16mm film
Russ & Thelma Huber Film Collection (AAF-7637)
Alaska Film Archives
Repository
The Alaska Film Archives is a unit of the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives Department, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Contact
If you have additional information or can help further identify what’s seen here, we welcome your insights. Please contact us using the information in the “About” section.
Support the Alaska Film Archives
The Alaska Film Archives appreciates your support. Donations of any amount help us preserve and share Alaska’s audiovisual history. Visit the “About” section of our YouTube channel to learn how you can help. Thank you!
