Happy, Alaska

Happy is a former railroad station[2] at mile 463 of the Alaska Railroad in Happy Creek valley, 8 miles northwest of the City of Fairbanks in the Fairbanks Northstar Borough, Alaska, United States.[3]

Happy
Locale
Happy
Location in the state of Alaska
Coordinates: 64°53′15″N 147°55′30″W
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
Census areaFairbanks
Named forHappy Creek
Elevation623 ft (190 m)
Time zoneUTC−9 (AKST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−8 (AKDT)
GNIS feature ID1403158

History

Happy was a local name derived from Happy Creek (one of five or six creeks in Alaska by that name[2]) and published on a timetable in 1922.[3] The rail line through Happy was constructed as part of the Tanana Valley Railroad in the early 1900s.[4] The railway was acquired by the Alaska Engineering Commission in 1917,[4] which connected and improved the line from Fairbanks through Happy to Nenana and beyond to Seward, AK.[5][6]

Borehole investigations in the vicinity of Happy Creek in 1970 found bedrock as much as 370 feet below the surface, buried beneath undifferentiated quaternary silts. Aerial remote sensing indicated increased magnetic intensities suggesting mineral deposits in the center of the valley (where bedrock depths have exceeded economically feasible ranges for placer mining operations).[7] The flight path for the aerial investigation parallels placer mining claims between Happy Creek and St. Patrick Creek previously registered in 1938.[8]

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Happy, Alaska
  2. Orth, Donal J. (1971). "Dictionary of Alaska Place Names" (PDF). Geological Survey Professional Paper. United States Department of the Interior. 567: 405. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  3. "GNIS Detail - Happy". geonames.usgs.gov. USGS. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  4. "Alaska State Rail Plan" (PDF). Alaska Department of Transportation. November 2016. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. "Photo: Aug. 28th, 1917 - grading at Mile 461 1/2 - Happy Branch". Alaska's Digital Archives. 1917. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  6. "Residency camp. Happy Station. August 1916". Alaska's Digital Archives. 1916. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  7. Anderson, L. A.; Johnson, G. R. (1970). "Application of Magnetic and Electrical Resistivity Methods to Placer Investigations in the Fairbanks District, Alaska". Geological Survey Professional Paper 700-A. United States Department of the Interior: C107. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  8. "Plat of mineral claims of Mike Erceg on St. Patrick and Happy Creeks, Fairbanks Land District, Alaska". Alaska's Digital Archives. 1938. Retrieved 2018-12-04.


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