Lavalle Young

This Riverboat's first task was to clear lumber out of the Columbia River before operation in Alaska. In 1901 a man named ET Barnette came up to Alaska to set up a trading post in the middle of nowhere. The mission was to ship all of his supplies to the villages along the rivers in the state. The Lavelle Young hit the ground close to the Village of Saint Michael. But that didn't stop Barnette. He hired Captain Charles Adams on the Lavelle Young. They went 6 miles up the Chena River until they could not navigate any longer. The miners recognized there was an issue yet was able to buy supplies for the winter. There were 2 options for Barnette ordered by the Captain. Either offload the cargo and continue with the ship or remain with his cargo. He and his wife decided to remain with his cargo and build a trading post and residence while gold was found in the area and was sold at the trading post. After a while, the trading post turned into the City of Fairbanks, AK. Lavalle Young went back into service until the year of 1920. Jack Williams and the Pioneers of Alaska were able to restore the wheelhouse to be displayed at Pioneer Park across the street from the Pioneer Museum in Fairbanks, AK.