Monday, August 14, 2006

Humble, historic cabin reels anthropologists in
Gleaming, multimillion-dollar buildings at the University of Alaska Fairbanks stand as symbols to the advancement of science in the North and a research budget of more than $120 million.

But if you know where to look on the campus of 5,600 students, tucked in a remnant of the boreal forest you can find a smaller testament to research in a different age.

The Rainey-Skarland cabin, a single-story, 1,142-square-foot building, has been home to northern anthropologists since 1936 and a social center for researchers studying the history of Alaska's indigenous populations.