"People don't think there is such a place.  You say it's near Fairbanks and you build from there." Chad Kreuter

"I felt like a Pioneer"  Mike Gillespie

North Pole, Alaska is located 14 miles south of Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway.   The City of North Pole was incorporated in 1953.  Though the city was founded in an attempt to attract toy manufacturers,  its grew into community serving local military bases.  Starting in 1975, oil refining fueled the local economy.   The introduction of the oil industry brought a period of rapid population growth in the area, making North Pole a noticeable sister city to Fairbanks and a logical home for an expansion ballclub in the Alaska Baseball League.

Check back at this location for exhibit additions, as well as for continuing coverage of alums' careers in and out of baseball.  If you have an anecdote to add, or a picture to share, please feel free to do so at the Blogger below, or email to todd@alaskan-legacies.com.