Trade Winds, Fairbanks, AK (restaurant)

Name:Trade Winds
Type:restaurant
Street:409 Gaffney Road
City:Fairbanks
State:AK
Zip:99701
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
The Trade Winds bar and restaurant opened in December 1956 at the corner of Gaffney Road and Noble Street in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was not related to any of the myriad other “Trade Winds” establishments. In April 1960, the restaurant moved to One Mile Steese Highway, still in Fairbanks. The Trade Winds was destroyed by a fire in January 1962 which also sadly claimed the life of one of the owners and severely injured another.

[ Edited by: kenbo-jitsu 2013-12-07 08:38 ]

TikiTacky posted these photos of this great matchbook which just sold on eBay. I hope someone on TC got it.

The Trade Winds opened on Christmas Eve 1956.

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1956-12-24

The reference to "The Wagon Wheel" is funny because the (completely unrelated) Trade Winds in Oxnard, CA was located at "Wagon Wheel Junction" in Oxnard.

In March 1958 the restaurant co-sponsored a float in the Fairbanks Winter Carnival and won a prize. Can you imagine dancing in a grass skirt in Fairbanks Alaska in March?

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1958-03-24

The Trade Winds moved to a new location in April 1960. Note the tiki.

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1960-04-02

This ad uses the exact same graphic as this other ad from Pellitteri's Beachcomber Lounge in Madison, WI. Tropical clip art circa 1960.
.
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1961-09-29 . (Madison) Wisconsin State Journal 1960-07-29

The Trade Winds ended abruptly and tragically.

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1962-01-08

.
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1962-01-09

I've been hoping some information would come up on this Trade Wind's for a while now. Thanks for starting it Kenbo.

From the University of Alaska, Fairbanks web site dated 1950-1959.

Margin notes.."Photograph shows women dressed in hula skirts standing on the back of a parade float during the Fairbanks Winter Carnival. A a banner on the float reads "Aloha from the Trade Winds and from Liberty's Hula Studio"

aloha, tikicoma

That photo must have been taken Saturday, March 22nd, 1958 -- unless they reused the float another year.

[ Edited by: kenbo-jitsu 2013-12-07 22:09 ]

Some Trade Winds artifacts that I spotted on ebay.

A menu

Owned by Chuck and Elsie Garvey.

With a nice drink list.

And a swizzle.

DC

Those are great. Thanks, Dustycajun. It always amazes me stuff like this still exists.

• kj