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28-601: The library was named after Alaskan aviator Noel Wien and its main branch stands on the site of Weeks Field , Fairbanks' original airport. The original public library in Fairbanks was the George C. Thomas Memorial Library , a log building which was constructed in 1909 to replace the reading room in St. Matthew's Episcopal Mission. Funding for the 1909 structure was supported by George C. Thomas of Philadelphia, who also donated $ 1,000

56-606: A Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker . Wien and Vic Ross achieved the "biggest scoop of the year" in 1935, according to Ira Harkey , when they delivered Alfred Lomen and his film of the Post-Rogers crash to Seattle for International News Service , ahead of a competing flight chartered by the Associated Press . Wien pioneered an inland route from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Yukon , to Prince George, British Columbia , to Seattle, when all other flyers used floatplanes to fly

84-592: A Fokker F. III from Atlantic Aircraft in New Jersey and had it shipped to Rodebaugh's newly formed Fairbanks Airplane Company. Though the pilot still sat in an open cockpit, 5 passengers rode in an enclosed compartment within the fuselage. Wien also brought his brother Ralph to Alaska as a replacement for the mechanic Bill Yunker. Noel and Ralph made the first commercial flight from Fairbanks to Nome in June 1925. Noel flew until Nov. 1925 when he and Ralph quit

112-529: A Hamilton Metalplane . At the end of 1928, Noel had accumulated 1290 hours of flying time in Alaska for a total of 1940 hours. Noel was one of eight pilots in Alaska, while Ralph was one of twelve mechanics. They operated three of the seventeen aircraft in the Territory. In March 1929, Noel and Ralph bought and refurbished a Stearman from Arctic Prospecting and Development Company, which had crashed and

140-537: A June 2003 visit by longtime board member Kathleen Schwartz to the Wien Library. 64°50′16″N 147°44′12″W  /  64.83778°N 147.73667°W  / 64.83778; -147.73667 Noel Wien Noel Wien (June 8, 1899 – July 19, 1977) was an American pioneer aviator . He was the founder of Wien Alaska Airways . Wien was born in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin , but

168-460: A church, lies south of the Pan Am hangar. The former Gillam Airways hangar, which anchors the current Gillam Way at its intersection with Airport Way, has housed numerous businesses over the years and is currently home to a pawn shop. In 2009, work began on demolishing Fairview Manor and replacing it with a new housing complex. The new housing complex is also named after the airfield and located on

196-537: A coastal route starting with the Lynn Canal to Juneau, and then onwards to Seattle. Wien and Ross departed Fairbanks at 10:45 PM on 17 Aug., and landed in Seattle at 12:30 PM the next day. Wien and Ross used the money earned from that flight to purchase a Ford Trimotor 5-AT. They then made the first Seattle to Fairbanks passenger flight on 28-31 Aug. In 1935, Wien contracted polio , but survived with only

224-656: A few more flying jobs, on 2 Sept. 1922, Wien had enough money to put a downpayment on a Thomas-Morse S-4 , which he owned for two weeks, unable to make the final payment. Wien then started working for Clarence W. Hinck's Federated Flyers Flying Circus, earning $ 300 a month, before Hinck's sold out his operation in Jan. 1924. Wien was then hired by Jimmy Rodebaugh, in May 1924, to fly 2 Standards for his Alaska Aerial Transportation Company. When Wien first arrived in Alaska he had 538.5 hours of flying time. Wien's first Anchorage flight, from

252-662: A limp in his right leg, and continued to fly. Then, in 1938, he received a piece of metal in his right eye, and a botched operation meant the loss of sight in that eye and the consequent depth perception , yet he continued to fly. The eye was removed in 1946, and replaced with a glass eye . Though still flying, he stopped logging hours after 11,600. His last forced landing was in 1956. He died on July 19, 1977, in Bellevue, Washington . Weeks Field 64°50′18″N 147°43′59″W  /  64.83833°N 147.73306°W  / 64.83833; -147.73306 Weeks Field

280-515: A new company called Alaskan Airways, Inc. Noel remained as a pilot for the new company and Ralph was retained as a mechanic and back-up pilot. However, Noel and Ada headed south where they purchased a Stinson Junior , and their son Noel Merrill Wien was born on 4 April 1930 in Minnesota. In Sept., the Noel family made plans to head back to Alaska, Ada and baby by train and boat, while Noel would fly

308-412: A portion of the former airfield, after the site was originally proposed to house a new police station for Fairbanks. A number of structures which supported operations for the airfield still stand. Most prominent is the former Pan American Airways hangar, which currently houses commercial and office space as well as a bowling alley. A Lutheran church, which may resemble a hangar but was built in 1960 as

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336-468: A year for three years to buy books. In 1942, St. Matthew's deeded the lot, building, and collections to the city of Fairbanks. In 1949 a fire destroyed one-third of the collections, but through subsequent donations the library grew to more than 4,000 volumes. In 1967 the library again lost many of its books due to the flooding of the Chena River that August. The next year, 1968, ownership of the library

364-799: The Fairbanks Airplane Company. Noel headed south to barnstorm the midwest in 1926, then headed back to Alaska with his brother Fritz in March 1927. In 1926, Noel was issued pilot license No. 39 signed by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Official Orville Wright . Noel and Ralph Wien went into partnership with Gene Miller, and purchased a very used Hisso Standard from the Fairbanks Airplane Co. in 1927. In June they established their business in Nome, servicing Candle , Deering , Kotzebue , and Point Hope . At

392-691: The Phillips Field airstrip several miles northwest of Fairbanks, near College . The city of Fairbanks later converted the area to a park, originally called Wien Park. The park is currently owned by the Fairbanks North Star Borough , which assumed control of the former city parks, and the Weeks Field name has been restored to the property. The borough built the Noel Wien Public Library in 1977 on

420-511: The Stinson with his master mechanic brother Sigurd (Sig). Sadly though, news arrived on 12 Oct. of Ralph's death in a Kotzebue crash. Their return was delayed until Dec. 1930, so they could bury Ralph in Cook. Noel flew for Alaskan Airways from Feb. 1931 until Jan. 1932, after selling them his Stinson. In Aug. 1932, once his non-compete clause ended, he restarted Wien Airways of Alaska, Inc., with

448-423: The end of the summer of 1927, Noel went into business for himself, purchasing a Stinson Detroiter he could fly year round, from Hubert Wilkins . Noel, and his Wien Alaska Airways, started a regular weekly round trip flight between Fairbanks and Nome. Noel also secured special air mail flights during the spring and fall breakup. Ralph and Noel made skis for the plane, from 8 by 1 foot hickory wood, modeled after

476-539: The family moved to a homestead in 1905, to a place now called Cook, Minnesota . In May 1921, he learned to fly a JN-4 in 8 hours, from Major Ray S. Miller, commander of the 109th Minnesota Air Squadron and manager of the Curtiss Northwest Airplane Company's flying school. Unable to pay the bond required to solo, Wien took a job with E.W. Morrill 15 June 1921, helping to fly and maintain his Standard J-1 while barnstorming . After

504-512: The library. A noted local ceramic artist, Nancy Hausle-Johnson, makes the tiles to look like real books as viewed from the spine. The oak shelves holding the tiles are made to resemble the library's wooden shelves and are located just inside the library's main entrance and generate a great deal of positive comments from visitors. This tile wall was the inspiration for a similar project at the Cherry Hill Public Library after

532-408: The newly prepared Delaney Park Strip , took place on 4 June 1924. This was soon followed by Anchorage's first passenger flights, and Wien put on Anchorage's first aerobatic show for the 4th of July celebrations. Then on 6 July, Wien and Bill Yunker, made the first flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks, flying from Delaney Park Strip to Weeks Field . They completed the flight in under 4 hours, while

560-409: The skis their father made back in Minnesota. Wien added a second plane, a Waco 9 , in the spring of 1928, and taught Ralph and Fritz to fly. On 20 Oct. 1928, Wien Alaska Airways, Inc. was incorporated with Noel as president, Ralph as vice-president, and Miners and Merchants Bank president Granville (Grant) R. Jackson as secretary. The new company built a hangar at Weeks Field and promptly ordered

588-727: The tiles has raised $ 80,000 for library furnishings, equipment and artwork, and the project was the brainchild of the Library Support Group, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to furnishing and improving the local public libraries. The Support Group merged with the Fairbanks Library Foundation in 2006, and the foundation now oversees the Book Tile project. The tiles are made in a variety of realistic sizes and colors and can be and memorialized for $ 100 each, with all proceeds dedicated to benefiting

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616-528: The trip via Alaska Railroad took 2 days. Then, on 19 Aug. 1924, Wien made the first bush flight to Livengood, Alaska in support of the mining operations located there, making the trip in under an hour when it took several days via dog sled. That Oct., Wien made the first flight over the Arctic Circle . During the following winter season, the Standards sat idle. In Feb. 1925, Wien purchased

644-478: The western end of the runway, signaled the end of active operations for Weeks Field. The Fairview Manor apartment complex and a subdivision of single-family homes followed soon after in the immediate area. In 1951, the control tower for the field was closed, which burned down shortly afterward. Most operators had moved to the newly opened Fairbanks International Airport . Several operators who had felt bitter over being forced to move, led by Jess Bachner, established

672-785: Was abandoned on Walker Lake . On 7 March 1929, Noel and Calvin (Doc) Cripe made the first flight across the Bering Strait , the first nonstop flight from America to Asia (Nome to North Cape ), and return the next day. The flight was at the request of the Swenson Herskovitz Trading Company to fly furs out of an ice bound Elisif . Noel married Ada Bering Arthurs, of Nome, on 19 May 1929. After which, Noel moved his company headquarters to Fairbanks. In 1929, Noel, Ralph and Grant Jackson sold Wien Alaska Airways to Avco . Noel's company plus Anchorage Air Transport and Bennett-Rodebaugh were merged into

700-582: Was built in 1923 on the site of a baseball field named Weeks Ball Park, which had served as an impromptu landing strip for airplanes prior to the construction of the airport. On July 4, 1923, Carl Ben Eielson flew the first commercial aircraft flight in Alaska from Weeks Field. The baseball field/race track was named after John W. Weeks . Noel Wien and Bill Yunker made the first non-stop flight between Anchorage and Fairbanks on 6 July 1924, taking off from Delaney Park Strip and landing at Weeks Field in under 4 hours. On 20 Oct. 1928, Wien Alaska Airways, Inc.

728-479: Was incorporated with Noel Wien as president, Ralph Wien as vice-president, and Miners and Merchants Bank president Granville (Grant) R. Jackson as secretary. The new company built a hangar at Weeks Field. During the Second World War , Weeks Field was used by the U.S. Army Air Corps , which also built nearby Ladd Army Airfield . The construction of Denali Elementary School, which began in 1950 near

756-443: Was the first airport for Fairbanks, Alaska , existing from 1923 to 1951, when most operations were moved to Fairbanks International Airport . In later years, the term Weeks Field came to be known for neighborhoods of Fairbanks in the path and vicinity of the former airstrip. Most of the area became a city (later borough ) park and residential areas, with the few surviving buildings serving mostly commercial functions. Weeks Field

784-426: Was transferred to the borough, and the collection swelled to 20,000 items. In 1974, a library construction bond passed, providing $ 4.2 million for construction of a new building. In 1977, the new Noel Wien Library opened its doors to the public. In 2023, the library closed for renovations and expansion. Since 1998, ceramic tiles made to look like book spines have decorated the main entry to Noel Wien Library. Sales of

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