Nenana, Alaska

For those driving from the Valley to Fairbanks, Nenana is nothing more than a roadside gas stop, a chance to stretch your legs before the final few miles heading into Alaska's second-largest city. But Nenana is an important place in the history of Alaska - a history that few know about.

Nenana has always been a diverse community in Alaska, because it was a traditional gathering place for hunting, fishing, trade and celebrations of different groups of Athabascan Indians years before commercialization and industry came to town.

Because of its location at Mile 305 of the Parks Highway, and because of its geographical qualities, Nenana has "gone from boom town to small town several times in its history," according to the town's Web site.

At one time, Nenana was a transportation hub for the Interior. Located at the confluence of the Tanana and Nenana rivers, the community was a waterway town during Alaska's early years.

Most goods and supplies heading north had to be shipped on large boats and barges, and Nenana was a major trading hub. It was literally the biggest intersection in Alaska - goods heading north on one river, and east and west on a second.

Once boats gave way to trains as the primary form of shipping and transportation in Alaska, Nenana simply adapted and remained a major shipping destination for the Interior and Bush Alaska.

In 1923, when construction of the Alaska Railroad was completed, then U.S. President Warren Harding drove a golden spike in the railroad track in Nenana, officially opening the railroad for business, and unofficially making Nenana a major stop once again.

Nenana has held true to its roots - boats still use the Nenana and Tanana rivers, and the Alaska Railroad still runs through the town as it heads north to Fairbanks.

The population of the town is 460, but at least 600 other residents live around the area, making it one of the larger stops on the Parks Highway between the Valley and Fairbanks.

There are RV parks, an airstrip, several places to eat and stay, a museum and many diverse businesses in Nenana.

Nenana is also well known for something other than transportation - a red and white three-legged sight that can be spotted on the Nenana River all winter.

The tripod has become world famous, because when the ice goes out and the tripod sinks, somebody is getting rich - the Nenana Ice Classic is a statewide lottery of sorts.

People register their guess as to when the ice will go out each spring, right down to the second.

The tripod is connected to a clock via a cable, and when that cable gets tripped, the clocks stops and a winner is declared.

The Nenana Ice Classic has become such a big event that people have developed many strategies for guessing when it will end.

Some people organize large groups and purchase a lot of tickets, blanketing a specific day with guesses, as a lottery co-op of sorts. All winners who guess the correct time share the prize money.