On April 8, 1944, the Alaska Juneau Gold Mine, Alaska’s largest, closed down at midnight, due to the high cost of labor and low price of gold. It had produced 90 million tons of gold-bearing ore, and was one of the largest mines in the world at the time.
The first trumpeter swans of the season have been spotted at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in Fairbanks.
Nenana Ice Classic ticket sales ended on Friday. Watch the river ice fall apart here.
Alyeska Spring Carnival and Slush Cup is April 12-14. Details here.
Alaska Folk Festival is April 8-14 in Juneau at Centennial Hall. Details here.
Arctic Man 2019 is April 9-14. The ski and snowboard race is on hold for 2019 and will be revisited for 2020. This is the 34th year of what’s sort of a Burning Man of the Hoodoo Mountains, where everyone hopes to return home in one piece. Details here.
Annual Valdez Mountain Man Hillclimb on Thompson Pass is April 19-21.