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Ester, Alaska
Location of Ester, Alaska
Location of Ester, Alaska
Coordinates: 64°51′21″N 147°58′42″W / 64.85583, -147.97833
Country United States
State Alaska
Borough Fairbanks North Star
Area
 - Total 64. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The US state of Alaska is not divided into counties, as are 48 other states but it is divided into boroughs ( Louisiana is divided into parishes Fairbanks North Star Borough is a borough located in the state of Alaska, United States. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. 7 sq mi (167. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 5 km²)
 - Land 64. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 6 sq mi (167. 4 km²)
 - Water 0. 1 sq mi (0. 1 km²)
Elevation 722 ft (220 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 1,680
Time zone Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9)
 - Summer (DST) AKDT (UTC-8)
Area code(s) 907
FIPS code 02-23460
GNIS feature ID 1397658

Ester is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The Alaska Time Zone observes Standard time by subtracting nine hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC-9) The UTC−9 time zone is used in French Polynesia Gambier Islands United States (AKST— Alaska Standard Daylight saving time ( DST UTC−8 is a band of Timezones separated from the Universal Coordinated Time by 8 hours A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating Telephone number ranges to countries regions areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks Area code 907 covers the entire state of Alaska, except for the small southeastern Alaska community of Hyder Alaska, which uses the 250 Federal Information Processing Standards ( FIPS) are publicly announced standards developed by the United States Federal government for use by all non-military The Geographic Names Information System ( GNIS) is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout A census-designated place ( CDP) is a type of place (a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes Fairbanks North Star Borough is a borough located in the state of Alaska, United States. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It is part of the 'Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area'. Fairbanks (ˈfɛrbæŋks is a Home Rule City in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas|Table of United States Core Based Statistical AreasIn the United States, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB has produced At the time of the 2000 census, the population was 1,680. It should be noted that the boundaries of Ester vary depending on whom you ask. Ester village has only a couple of hundred people and is considerably smaller than the geographic area assigned to it by the US Census Bureau. While the village is often described as a "bedroom community" of Fairbanks, its inhabitants take exception to this description, and have a strong sense of community. Fairbanks (ˈfɛrbæŋks is a Home Rule City in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States.

Contents

History

Early history and founding

Ester was originally a gold mining camp on Ester Creek, with the first claim staked in February 1903 by Latham A. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body Jones. Jones worked with the Eagle Mining Company, the biggest claimholder on Glen Gulch in the Rampart mining district, but it was an independent miner, John "Jack" Mihalcik, a Czechoslovakian immigrant born in 1866, who was the first person to actually discover gold on Ester Creek. Rampart is a Census-designated place (CDP in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Mihalcik staked his claim in November 1903 but the news of the discovery of gold did not become public until the following February. By 1907, Ester City had a population of around 200 people, with a thriving mining industry. A social hall was completed in 1907, and was well known throughout the mining district for its dance floor. The hall was used for religious services as well as dances, movies, card games, parties, and other entertainment. The town had five saloons and a couple of hotels. In 1908 and 1910, the hall was the site of campaign speeches by candidates for the seat of Territorial Delegate. (Labor won in 1908, but Judge James Wickersham won the Ester precinct in 1910. James Wickersham ( August 24, 1857 – 1939 was a district judge for Alaska, appointed by U ) By 1909 Ester City had a baseball field, a doctor, a mine workers' union local, and a teacher, but gold production was beginning to decline. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming

The Berry Post Office moved in 1910 from near the Berry brothers' claim about two miles downstream from Ester City into J. C. Kinney's general store in Ester. (The post office retained the name of Berry until 1965, when it was finally changed to that of the town it had been in for 55 years. )[1] In the mid-1920s, the Fairbanks Exploration Company began buying claims on Ester Creek, started operations in 1929, and in 1933 built a mess hall for their camp in Ester (now a historic landmark and still in use today as a tourist attraction and hotel). A tourist attraction is a place of interest where Tourists visit typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value historical significance natural or built beauty or The F. E. Company revitalized the town, but they also literally reshaped it, doing large-scale open pit mining using enormous floating dredges and draglines, removing in the process much of the original sites of Berry and Ester. Open-pit mining, also known as opencast mining and open-cut mining and strip mining, refers to a method of extracting rock or Minerals Dredging is an Excavation activity or operation usually carried out at least partly underwater in shallow seas or Fresh water areas with the purpose of Dragline excavation systems are Heavy equipment used in Civil engineering and surface Mining.

Modern era

In 1941, the Ester Community Association was founded. In 1958 The F. E. Company sold their Ester camp, and it reopened under new management as a historic resort. The Cripple Creek Resort, which later became the Ester Gold Camp, features a musical variety show including Robert W. Service's poetry, held at a sawdust-strewn bar known as the Malemute Saloon, after Service's poem, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew". Robert William Service ( January 16, 1874 &ndash September 11, 1958) was a poet and writer In 1974 the Ester Volunteer Fire Department was officially founded (bucket brigades had existed since the 19-oughts). Gold mining continued on a small scale. In 1986, the Ester Community Association, working with the Fairbanks North Star Borough, built the Ester Community Park, which became a local center of social activity. Fairbanks North Star Borough is a borough located in the state of Alaska, United States. During this year, the community also earned its nickname, the People's Republic of Ester, during a zoning battle with Joe Ryan, a member of the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly. Mr. Ryan used this epithet against the village, as much of the population of Ester opposed his proposed zoning changes, but the village took it on as a badge of pride, and now refer to their community by this name. An epithet (from Greek ἐπίθετον - epitheton, neut of ἐπίθετος - epithetos, "attributed added" is a

In 1987, the gold camp was designated the Ester Camp Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places. The Ester Camp Historic District consists of 11 buildings and three structures located in or near Ester Alaska. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of

In 1988, Mushing magazine began publication in Ester and continued to be produced and published there until it was sold in 2005. The town became the site of a sled dog stage race between Ester and Nenana and back again, the Fireplug Sled Dog Race, which was held for ten years, from 1990 to 2001, and in which many famous mushers participated, including Dean Seibold and Jeff King. Sled dogs, known also as sleightman dogs sledge dogs or sleddogs are types of Dogs that are used to pull a wheel-less vehicle Nenana (nɛˈnænə is a Home Rule City on the Tanana River in the U Jeff King (born in North Fork, California) is an American long distance musher who is well known for winning both the 1049+ mi (1600+ In January 1999, the town's first newspaper, The Ester Republic, was founded. A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint. The Ester Republic is a small independent monthly Newspaper published in Ester Alaska, and established January 1999 In August 1999 the John Trigg Ester Library opened, a membership library named after a local resident who had started a book exchange in a nearby bar. The John Trigg Ester Library is a small membership Library, located in Ester in the U A library is a collection of information sources resources and services and the structure in which it is housed it is organized for use and maintained by a public body an institution Today the town features two saloons, five publishers, a library, a fire station, the post office, a silversmith, numerous art studios, and three active gold mines.

Geography

Ester is located at 64°51′21″N, 147°58′42″W (64. 855700, -147. 978434)[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 64. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census 7 square miles (167. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 5 km²), of which, 64. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 6 square miles (167. 4 km²) of it is land and 0. 1 square miles (0. 1 km²) of it (0. 08%) is water.

Ester Community Park

Ester has one well-used park, maintained and improved by the Ester Community Association's Park Committee and other volunteers from the community. A park is a protected area of Land and Water, usually in its natural or semi-natural (landscaped state and set aside for some purpose often to do with human A volunteer is someone who works for a community or for the benefit of environment primarily because they choose to do so The park has an ice rink that doubles as a basketball court in the summer, a children's playground, a picnic pavilion, and a soccer field. An Ice rink is a frozen body of Water where people can Ice skate or play winter sports Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m A playground or play area is an area designed for Children to play, indoors or outdoors In contemporary usage picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a Meal is eaten outdoors ( Al fresco or En plein air The park, situated next to the Ester Volunteer Fire Department, is the site of numerous soccer games, Ester Football League games, broomball, the Fourth of July picnic, musical gatherings, and other events throughout the year. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with A variant of broomball is played by non-Russians in Moscow See Moscow broomball.

The village square

Ester village wraps around a square at the foot of Ester Lump. This "town square" is actually the parking lot of the Golden Eagle Saloon, divided in two sections by Main Street, but functions as a focal point and central gathering place during celebrations such as the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve. Public square and city square redirect here For Public Square Cleveland see Public Square and for City Square in Leeds see Leeds City Square. Parking lot (called a car park in Australia and the UK) is a cleared area that is more or less level and is intended for Parking vehicles In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July (or the Fourth) is a Federal holiday commemorating the adoption New Year's Eve is on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year and the day before New Year's Day. Private residences, the library, a guest house, the Golden Eagle, the newspaper, a photographic studio and gallery, and Stellar Communication's offices surround the square. A photographic studio is both a workspace and a corporate body An art gallery or art museum is a space for the exhibition of art, usually Visual art.

Economy

The local saw has it that "Ester is still around because there is a McDonald's in Fairbanks. " This is true both culturally and economically. Most Ester residents are employed in Fairbanks or at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, although there are many small Ester-area businesses and self-employed people. The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as The largest Ester employers are seasonal, with the Ester Gold Camp (although this is owned by a Fairbanksan), Judie Gumm Designs, and the local mines as the businesses with the most employees. Fairbanks provides a market for Ester products and services and thus helps to keep the small Ester economy alive. Because Fairbanks acts as a draw (due to its larger market and resources) for such things as big-box stores and fast food chains, Ester has been able to retain its mining village feel. Big-box store is a term that refers to a style of physically large Chain store, and by extension to the company behind the store Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly This is important to Ester's tourist economy, which capitalizes on the status of the gold camp buildings as a historic landmark. A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the In fall 2007, the owners of the Ester Gold Camp announced that they would not reopen the resort in 2008, and left unsaid (or undecided) whether it would reopen in summer 2009. [2] This may have an effect on Ester's summer economy, and has resulted in the closure of at least one gift shop, In the Heart of Ester, in anticipation of the dearth of tourists.

In response to the closure of the Gold Camp, a group of local business owners have formed the EMCE (or Ester Ministry of Community Enterprise), which has been accepted as an ad-hoc committee of the Ester Community Association, to support Ester-area businesses and craftspeople. The EMCE is creating a walking map of Ester, sponsoring a local monthly farmers market, and sponsored a Planting Day to beautify the village. Farmers' markets, sometimes called greenmarkets, are Markets usually held out-of-doors in public spaces where Farmers can sell produce

Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 1,680 people, 727 households, and 386 families residing in the CDP. A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population The population density was 26. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 0 people per square mile (10. 0/km²). There were 814 housing units at an average density of 12. 6/sq mi (4. 9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87. 44% White, 0. 89% Black or African American, 4. 58% Native American, 0. 71% Asian, 0. 30% Pacific Islander, 0. 95% from other races, and 5. 12% from two or more races. 2. 50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 727 households out of which 28. 5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43. 1% were married couples living together, 6. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** 5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46. 9% were non-families. 35. 2% of all households were made up of individuals and 1. 0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2. 20 and the average family size was 2. 91.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 22. 7% under the age of 18, 8. 2% from 18 to 24, 40. 8% from 25 to 44, 25. 8% from 45 to 64, and 2. 4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 119. 6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116. 3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $50,461, and the median income for a family was $73,750. Males had a median income of $41,713 versus $24,850 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $29,155. Per capita income means how much each individual receives in monetary terms of the yearly income generated in the country About 4. 9% of families and 8. 1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9. The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of Income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate Standard of living in a given country 8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

People of Ester

Ester residents are referred to either as Esterites or Esteroids. The latter term is more commonly applied to those living in the vicinity, rather than the village proper, or to newly arrived residents.

Notable Esterites

Clarence Berry was a successful miner who lived in the immediate vicinity of Ester, at No. Clarence Jackson Berry (1867-1930 known as CJ was a businessman and successful Gold Miner in the Klondike Gold Rush. 8 Below Discovery Claim.

Ansgar Clausen was a miner and engineer who came to Ester in 1946 and worked for the F. E. Company and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. He and his wife, Ida Lane (a musician and performer in the Malemute Saloon variety show), lived in the center of the village on the square. Ester's only "national" holiday, Major Miner Day, is celebrated in his and other miners' honor on Ansgar's birthday, August 20.

Magnus Colcord "Rusty" Heurlin, 1895-1986. Magnus Colcord "Rusty" Heurlin (b July 5 1895, Christanstad, Sweden - d Rusty was born in Christanstad, Sweden, to American parents and raised in Wakefield, Massachusetts. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Wakefield is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States located ten miles north of Boston. He attended art classes at the Fenway School of Illustration in Boston. He first came to Alaska in 1916, to Valdez, but left the state during World War I. Valdez ( is a city in Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the US state of Alaska. He returned to Alaska in 1924, and moved to Ester, where he remained until his death. Heurlin was known for his pastel palette and luminous skies, and influenced many later Alaska artists.

Ester culture

Art

Ester has a strong art community, including painters, photographers, collagistes, sculptors, metals smiths, and woodworkers. It has hosted an annual intercontinental simultaneous art exhibit since 2000, the BiPolar Art Show, with the MAAG (the Mechanical Equipment Center Alternative Art Gallery) in McMurdo, Antarctica. McMurdo Station is an American Antarctic research center located on the southern tip of Ross Island on the shore of McMurdo Sound, 2200 Three commercial galleries and several private studios provide sales venues for local and other artists.

An informal mixed-media 'school of assemblage' may be said to exist in Ester: several local artists rely on dumpster finds, printed materials, and historically significant items in their artwork, with themes relating to religious iconography, local history, and political satire. Assemblage is an artistic process in which a three-dimensional artistic composition is made from putting together found objects Dumpster with grafitti & postersJPG|thumb|350px|Green Dumpster with Graffiti and Posters]] A dumpster is a large steel Waste receptacle designed to

Mining

Mines, having been the central reason for the village's existence for most of its history, are still important in Ester culture. Old dredge parts and mining equipment can be found in the forest that has grown up around the village since major dredging ended in the 1960s, some of which have been incorporated into artistic works. The Malemute Saloon's variety show capitalizes on the town's mining history, particularly the influence of Clarence Berry, whose mine at 8 Below Discovery Claim was the largest and most successful in the Ester area during its early history. Clarence Jackson Berry (1867-1930 known as CJ was a businessman and successful Gold Miner in the Klondike Gold Rush. Ester Dome continues to attract large mining concerns, and several small-scale gold mines provide residents with income.

Politics

The Ester voting precinct has historically been quite active and boasts relatively high voter turnout (~30% or more) in its district (precinct 130 in District 08). The fire station serves as the precinct's polling place; in years past polling took place in the community center, Hartung Hall. Party affiliation tends strongly toward the Democrats, followed by the Republicans, with Greens and Alaska Independence Party voters in a rough tie for third. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. The Green Party of Alaska is the state party organization for Alaska of the Green Party of the United States. The Alaskan Independence Party is a Political party in the US Most Esteroids are unaffiliated or not declared, however. [3]

References

  1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes
  3. ^ Alaska Voter Registration by Party/Precinct

External links

Ester's newspaper and community association provide more information on the village:

Other community organizations:

BiPolar Art Show:

Weather station near the Ester village square:

A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Ester is a Census-designated place (CDP in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States.
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