Manley, Frank J.

The man known in Alaska as Frank G. Manley was born Hilliard B. Knowles in Coryell County, Texas, in the 1860s. He came north with the gold rushes of the late 1890s and attained success as a miner and entrepreneur in the Yukon and Alaska. Among his many enterprises was the Hot Springs Resort, a three-story 45-room log hotel with natatorium, greenhouses, and other amenities. Built at Hot Springs (now Manley Hot Springs), Alaska, in 1907, the complex was heated with the area's thermal springs and raised its own produce to supply its restaurant. Situated between Fairbanks and Tanana in a region with many gold-bearing creeks, it served both travelers and the local mining population. Secondary accounts differ as to whether the hotel burned in 1911 or 1913. By that time, however, Manley had already redirected his energies to the next big gold strikes at Iditarod and Chisana, Alaska. He eventually retired to California, where he died in 1933.

From the description of Manley-Hot Springs Resort records, 1906-1911. (University of Alaska, Fairbanks). WorldCat record id: 264797328