Chena Hot Springs, Alaska

This article is about the resort. For the geothermal mineral springs, see Chena Hot Springs (thermal mineral springs).

Chena Hot Springs, Alaska
Populated Place
Chena Hot Springs, Alaska, 2016
Chena Hot Springs, Alaska, 2016
Chena Hot Springs is located in Alaska
Chena Hot Springs
Chena Hot Springs
Location in the U.S. state of Alaska
Coordinates (USGS GNIS 1400199): 65°03′11″N 146°03′20″W / 65.05306°N 146.05556°W / 65.05306; -146.05556
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughFairbanks North Star
Elevation
[1]
1,158 ft (353 m)
Time zoneUTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP code
99712
Area code907
GNIS feature ID1400199
Aerial View of Chena Hot Springs
Chena Hot Springs Rock Lake Pool

Chena Hot Springs is an unincorporated community and hot spring resort 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,[2] and is working on several alternative energy projects, including production and use of hydrogen[3] and vegetable oil for fuel.[4] The resort is conducting collaborative experiments in greenhouse production of vegetables with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.[5]

History

Chena Hot Springs
Chena Hot Springs Landing Field in 1942

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, establishing it as a resort in the interior of Alaska. The United States Department of Agriculture sent chemists to analyze the water.[6]

Warning sign at Chena Hot Springs explaining that water is high in sodium and bicarbonates

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.[7]

Weather

The coordinates for Chena Hot Springs Alaska are 65'03 N and 146'03 W (65.05, -146.05). The average yearly temperature for the area is −4.9 °C (23.2 °F), with the highest temperature being in July at 20.4 °C (68.7 °F) and the lowest temperature being in January at −31.2 °C (−24.2 °F). Annually the average amount of precipitation is 357 millimetres (14.1 in). The average snowfall amount in Chena Hot Springs is 161.8 centimetres (63.7 in) annually.[8]

Chena Hot Springs has visibility of the Aurora borealis, especially around the March equinox.[9]

Aurora Ice Museum

The Aurora Ice Museum contains carved ice sculptures and is located at the hot springs resort is open throughout the year. Some of the sculptures depict igloos, a large chess set, and jousting knights on horseback.[10]

Geothermal Power Plant

Chena Hot Springs Resort uses two 200kW Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) 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.[11]

DC6 On Display

DC-6 aircraft on display at Chena Hot Springs, Alaska, USA

Everts Air Cargo retired the Douglas DC-6A N6174C “Good Grief” on October 2, 2016, after it made the final flight from Anchorage to Chena Hot Springs, after its 62-year flight career.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Chena". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  2. ^ Newsletter of the International Geothermal Association, Quarterly No. 66 (October - December 2006) page 10 Archived August 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Chena Hot Springs generating its own hydrogen supply — an Alaskan first". Alaska Public Radio Network. August 17, 2007. Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  4. ^ "County News", National Association of Counties, Vol. 39 No. 10 • May 21, 2007 (page 9)[dead link‍]
  5. ^ Alaska Journal of Commerce February 20, 2005 "Chena builds a green-fueled greenhouse" Archived October 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Chena Hot Springs 2013
  7. ^ "Domestic Names".
  8. ^ Weatherbase 2014
  9. ^ "Reviews mentioning "aurora"". TripAdvisor. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  10. ^ "Aurora Ice Museum: Fairbanks, Alaska". Atlas Obscura. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  11. ^ Chena Geothermal Power Plant Project Final Report, January 2007
  12. ^ Alaska - Canada News, Former Everts DC-6A on Display at Chena Hot Springs Resort – May 12, 2019