A Statue to Remember Irene,
“The Queen of Fairbanks”

Irene Mary Sherman, 1988 photo by Erik Hill, *Anchorage Daily News*

Irene Sherman was America’s farthest-north bag lady for much of the 20th century, walking or pedaling the streets of Fairbanks, Alaska, and spreading her unique brand of friendship. Born here into a gold-mining family, Irene was terribly burned in a cabin fire at age five due to parental negligence, and she bore those scars—both physically and mentally—for life. At age nine, she became a ward of the Territory of Alaska and was sent to Seattle for further surgeries, foster care, and eventually residency in the Home of the Good Shepherd. She yearned to go back home to Alaska, and finally returned at age nineteen. When she became a chronic hoarder, no one knows, but for a time in the 1940s, she was known as “Packsack Annie” and squatted in a wall tent (year-round!) in the part of town called Graehl. Later, thanks to the benevolence of A. Leslie Nerland and his wife, Irene was permitted to live on land that Les Nerland deeded to the borough. But first he signed legal documents that gave Irene a place to live there until her death. Like others in Fairbanks who watched out for Irene, the Nerlands were generous toward Irene without fanfare.

Irene was the picture of resilience as she marched around town in oversized men’s boots, decked out in many layers of hand-picked used clothes, whether it was eighty above or forty below. The self-proclaimed “Queen of Fairbanks” was loud and coarse and drank too much, ever ready to refill the beer mug tied to her waist. Still, Irene lived every day to its fullest. She was a welcome fixture in the annual Golden Days Parade, loudly cheered as she pedaled past crowds on her three-wheeled cycle.

So why dedicate a statue to a woman who lived in the margins? As Irene bestowed her love on the people of the Golden Heart City, in good measure, she received it. Elsewhere she may have been institutionalized for her nonconformity, in her hometown Irene was free to live independently while surrounded by watchful friends. She enjoyed the grace, goodwill, and quiet financial support of pioneer families and newcomers alike, especially the Nerland and Burnett families, and many others who made life better for Irene in ways large and small.

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How to Help

The Irene Sherman Golden Heart Project is dedicated to honoring one of our community’s earliest pioneers, an unforgettable woman who was loved and respected as the “Queen of Fairbanks.” Would you join us with financial support to erect a statue of Irene?

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