The turbulent story of Fairbanks, Alaska, is far less well known than most urban histories. With this volume, Dermot Cole chronicles the rollicking backstory of a city that owes its beginnings to a cargo boat accident and the Klondike gold rush. Cole engagingly recounts how Fairbanks and its hardy residents survived floods, fires, harsh weather, and economic crises to see the city flourish into the prosperous transportation hub and government seat it is today. "Fairbanks" is ultimately a fascinating historical saga of one of the last cities to be established on the American frontier.