Antique Car Collection at Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

About the Event

Auto Collection

SOLE SURVIVORS, THE VERY RARE & ALASKA'S FIRST AUTOMOBILES

The antique car collection at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum is, quite simply, second to none. Since 2007, Fairbanks entrepreneur Tim Cerny has been lovingly and meticulously building the nearly 100-vehicle collection, carefully selecting each one for its historical significance, technological innovations or rarity. These magnificent automobiles exemplify some of the most fascinating developments in U.S. automotive history from the late 1800s through just prior to World War II.

When it comes to extremely rare finds, the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum is the only place where you can see a Compound, an Argonne, an Argo Limousine, a Columbia Mark XIX or a McFarlan Type 125, all of which are the last of their kind in the world. Our Sheldon, Heine-Velox Victoria automobile and Hay Motor Vehicle are the only models of their kind ever built.

 Several of Alaska's earliest cars are also on display, including the Territory's very first automobile. It was hand built in 1905 by a man who had never seen a car before!

Most remarkably, all but three of the autos in the collection are operable and can be seen motoring on the 105-acre grounds of the Wedgewood Resort during the summer, making the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum a true "living museum."

Alaska Motoring History

As one of the premier vintage car museums in the world, the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum tells the story of our automotive evolution from the late 1800s through to Pre-World War II. We also bring Alaska's rich and colorful auto and transportation history to life in vivid detail.

THE STORY OF CARS IN ALASKA

Young Robert "Bobby" Sheldon built Alaska's first automobile in 1905 to "dazzle a young lady in Skagway, Alaska." Although he had never seen an automobile before, Bobby Sheldon assembled buggy wheels, a marine engine, some tin and two bar stools into a functional runabout that could travel 15 miles per hour. Did he win the young lady's attention? Good question! Visit the museum to learn the answer and enjoy many more early 20th-century Alaskan motoring transportation stories.

The first production automobiles reached Alaska by steamship in 1908. Initially, these "devil wagons" provided much excitement and entertainment. Most new owners had never driven a car before, accidents were frequent and some terrified passengers demanded to be let out after only a few miles. Extreme cold, deplorable road conditions and an absence of repair shops meant that Alaskan motorists required tremendous ingenuity and resourcefulness.

Over 100 historic motoring photographs decorate the auto museum's walls illustrating the North's unique transportation challenges, including the navigation of glacial streams, avalanche chutes and extremely deep snow. Other photos and archival movie footage depict the utility of automobiles for passenger transport, hunting, freight hauling, woodcutting, racing, tourism and leisure throughout the vast territory.

The Alaska gallery features a special exhibit on the historic Valdez-Fairbanks Trail, which opened up access to Fairbanks and Alaska's interior year-round. Our most popular display is a replica of the original Sourdough Roadhouse, where you can dress up in historic fashions, climb into an antique automobile and have your photo taken using your own camera. The auto museum is also home to a variety of Alaskan artifacts, including an antique Tokheim gasoline pump, a Ford Model A sawmill and an operational Fairbanks-Morse engine that once powered Alaska's first telegraph system.

General Admission

Ages 13 and above - $18
Ages six to 12 - $10
5 and under - Free
Adult Season Pass - $80
Family Season Pass - $120

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