Collections
NPS Photo Prehistoric stone tool housed in Yukon-Charley Rivers museum collections facility The museum collections from Yukon-Charley are comprised of specimens representing the natural, cultural and historic foundations of the preserve and surrounding region. The collections are comprised of both historic and prehistoric archaeological specimens, natural history specimens representing botany, geology and paleontology, as well as an extensive archive tracing the formation of and scientific studies conducted within the preserve. They serve both as a record of the unique character of the preserve itself and as a resource for future research into the various aspects of that character. Yukon-Charley is known largely for numerous historic gold mining enterprises which are well represented through historic artifacts, photos, and documentation from the earliest prospectors to the more recent industrial operations based around the Coal Creek/Woodchopper Creek region. Numerous prehistoric artifacts record the unwritten record of human habitation in the region. The natural history collections preserve a greater time depth and include paleontological specimens of Pleistocene megafauna and botanical specimens representing a relict Beringian landscape. While most of the archaeological, archival, and historic collections are stored in a state of the art Curation facility at the Fairbanks Administrative Center, a portion of the natural history collections, notably the large number of herbarium specimens are stored and maintained at the University of Alaska Museum in Fairbanks.
Learn more about the collections here.
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Did You Know?
The 1,979 mile long Yukon River flows through Yukon-Charley Rivers for 128 miles at 6-8 mph, to eventually empty into the Bering Sea.