Tanana No. 3

Tanana Lodge No. 3 has roots in Alaska with the formation of Tanana Masonic Club in 1904, later chartered by the Grand Lodge of Washington as Tanana Lodge No. 162 in 1908.

On February 7, 1981, the M.W. Grand Lodge of F. & A.M. of Alaska opened its Constitutional Communication in Ample Form at 10:30 am. Resolutions were adopted and Tanana Lodge was re-chartered by Grand Lodge of Alaska, the charter for the lodge having been assigned a number according to the ages of the lodges, as Tanana Lodge No. 3.

Tanana No. 3 holds a place of prominence in the history of Fairbanks. The Masons of Tanana No. 3 were involved in many early civic initiatives, helping to grow Fairbanks and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks, the “Golden Heart” City, the only east-central interior Alaska city located in a pristine location along the Chena River (a tributary of the Tanana), some 360 miles north of Anchorage and about 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle where everyone seems to know everyone, and “everyone” includes some truly fascinating personalities – brother masons for sure, sled-dog breeders, college students, military personnel, outdoor enthusiasts, bush pilots, and the rest of the usual Alaska cast of great people.

Spread across the Tanana Valley foothills, accessible by road, rail and air, Fairbanks is called Alaska’s Golden Heart City for a reason. It lays claim to a colorful history, distinct arts scene and rich natural attractions: The Chena River flows through the center of town, birds flock to Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, warm summers bring long daylight hours and frigid winters deliver brilliant aurora.

The Fairbanks region was originally inhabited by nomadic Athabaskan Indians. “The City of Fairbanks” was founded in 1902 during a gold strike and was named for Indiana Senator (later U.S. Vice President) Charles Warren Fairbanks. It soon became Alaska’s largest city, though it has since been surpassed by Anchorage. During World War II, Fairbanks served as a stopping point for airplanes traveling to the Soviet Union as part of the lend-lease program.

In 1908, Tanana Lodge No. 3, a Masonic group that had started as a club in 1904 and received a charter in 1908, purchased the building at 809 Fairbanks Street. Our brothers added an extension in the rear for lodge rooms and a main hall in 1908. The building was raised in 1913 and a new facade was added in 1916. Our brotherhood no longer meets in this building. President Warren G. Harding gave a speech from the steps of the Masonic Temple during his visit to Alaska in 1923.

The city is the seat of the University of Alaska (1917; founded as Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines); the university includes the Geophysical Institute, an animal research station, and a cultural and natural history museum. The World Eskimo-Indian Olympics have been held annually in Fairbanks since 1961. Other annual events are the Golden Days Celebration (July), the 800-mile (1,300-km) Yukon Marathon (a small-boat race; June), the 1,000-mile (1,600-km) Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race (February), and the Open and Limited North American Championship sled dog races (March). Pioneer Park (formerly called Alaskaland; opened 1967) is a theme park that features replicas of an Athabaskan village and mining and gold-rush towns. North of the city is Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge.

As the northern terminus of the Alaska and Richardson highways and the Alaska Railroad and as the southern terminus of the Steese and Elliott highways, Fairbanks is the main supply center for many interior Alaska commerce as are tourism and servicing nearby Fort Wainwright (originally Ladd Army Air Field [1939–62]) and Eielson Air Force Base (1943).; the city lies on the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), constructed in the 1970s this was the construction headquarters, midway between the Prudhoe Bay fields (north) and the Valdez terminal (south). Mining, lumbering, and fur trading are important,

The years of the 20th Century flew by. A first world war, and then behold a railroad came to town, and a grand university was built in the “Golden Heart City” of interior on the hills of interior Alaska! Aviation flourished altering the old town once again. Everything changed and after a second world war, the small town became a big city. The one thing that remained constant was the spirit and zest of Fairbanks, its determination to survive and prosper and maybe the memory of the saints, brothers, and sisters who raised this fantastic “Golden Heart” city within interior Alaska.