Fort Yukon, Alaska
Fort Yukon, Alaska
Gwichyaa Zheh | |
|---|---|
| City of Fort Yukon | |
 | |
  Fort Yukon Location in Alaska  Fort Yukon Fort Yukon (North America) | |
| Coordinates:66°34′3″N145°15′23″W/ 66.56750°N 145.25639°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Census Area | Yukon-Koyukuk |
| Incorporated | February 17, 1959[1] |
| Government | |
| •Mayor | Richard Carroll, Jr. |
| •State senator | Click Bishop(R) |
| •State rep. | Mike Cronk(R) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.94 sq mi (17.97 km2) |
| • Land | 6.74 sq mi (17.47 km2) |
| • Water | 0.20 sq mi (0.51 km2) |
| Elevation | 427 ft (130 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 428 |
| • Density | 63.46/sq mi (24.50/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-9(Alaska (AKST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-8(AKDT) |
| ZIP code | 99740 |
| Area code | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-26760 |
| GNISfeature ID | 1402276 |
Fort Yukon(Gwichyaa ZhehinGwich'in) is a city in theYukon-Koyukuk Census Areain theU.S. stateofAlaska,straddling theArctic Circle.The population, predominantlyGwich'inAlaska Natives,was 428 at the2020 census,down from 595 in 2000.
Fort Yukon was the hometown of the late AlaskaCongressmanDon Young.Served byFort Yukon Airport,it is also known for having the record highest temperature in Alaska.[3]
History
[edit]This area north of the Arctic Circle was occupied for thousands of years by cultures ofindigenous peopleand in historic times by theGwich’inpeople.Gwich'yaa Zheemeans "House on theFlats"inGwichʼin.[4][5]
What became the village of Fort Yukon developed from a trading post, Fort Yukon, established byAlexander Hunter Murrayof theHudson's Bay Company,on June 25, 1847. Murray drew numerous sketches of fur trade posts and of people and wrote theJournal of the Yukon, 1847–48,which gave valuable insight into the culture of the Gwich’in at the time. While the post was inRussian America,the Hudson's Bay Company continued to trade there until the American traders expelled it in 1869, following theAlaska Purchasewhen theAlaska Commercial Companytook over the post.
During theKlondike Gold Rush,in the winter of 1897–1898, Fort Yukon received two hundred prospectors fromDawson City,which was short of supply.[6]A post office was established on July 12, 1898, with John Hawksly as its first postmaster. The settlement suffered over the following decades as a result of severalinfectious diseaseepidemicsand a 1949 flood.
During the 1950s, theUnited States Air Forceestablished abaseandradarstation at Fort Yukon; the town was officially incorporated in 1959. Since the late 20th century, due in part to its extreme northerly location and its proximity toFairbanks,it has become a minor tourist destination.
On February 7, 1984, aTerrier Malemute-typesounding rocket,with a maximum altitude of 310 miles (500 km), was launched from Fort Yukon.[7]
Geography
[edit]
Fort Yukon is located on the north bank of theYukon Riverat its confluence with thePorcupine River,about 145 miles (233 km) northeast of Fairbanks.
As of 2014, theArctic Circlepasses through the southern portion of the city at66°33′48.1″N145°15′23″W/ 66.563361°N 145.25639°W.[8]Due to long-term oscillations in the Earth's axis, the Arctic Circle currently shifts northward by about 14.5 metres (48 ft) per year, though varying substantially from year to year due to the complexity of the movement.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau,Yukon City has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19 km2), of which 7.0 square miles (18 km2) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) of it (5.65%) is water.
Climate
[edit]Fort Yukon has a strongly continentalsubarctic climate(Köppen climate classification:Dfc). In the summer Fort Yukon hasmidnight sunand in December the sun appears for only a few hours each day.
Summer temperatures are exceptionally high for such a northerly area, being far warmer than thetree linethreshold. Thehighest temperature ever recorded in Alaskaoccurred in Fort Yukon on June 27, 1915, when it reached 100 °F (37.8 °C).[9][10]This was also the highest temperature recorded north of the Arctic Circle until June 20, 2020, when it was finally exceeded by a 38 °C (100.4 °F) reading atVerkhoyansk,[11][12]a location similarly known for its extremely continental climate.
Fort Yukon is also subject to severe winters, being less influenced bychinook windsthan areas to the west—the winter season absolute maximum being 13 °F (7.2 °C) colder than in Fairbanks. Until 1971, Fort Yukon held the all-time lowest temperature record for Alaska and the United States at −78 °F (−61.1 °C), and it still holds the record for the lowest mean monthly temperature when the notoriously cold month of December 1917 had an average daily temperature of −48.3 °F (−44.6 °C) and the minimum averaged −58 °F (−50.0 °C).[13]
| Climate data for Fort Yukon, Alaska (2006–2020 normals, extremes 2002–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 44 (7) |
35 (2) |
51 (11) |
69 (21) |
83 (28) |
90 (32) |
90 (32) |
89 (32) |
71 (22) |
75 (24) |
35 (2) |
40 (4) |
90 (32) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 21.5 (−5.8) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
37.7 (3.2) |
55.6 (13.1) |
75.7 (24.3) |
82.8 (28.2) |
84.2 (29.0) |
77.8 (25.4) |
66.3 (19.1) |
47.4 (8.6) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
24.1 (−4.4) |
85.6 (29.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | −8.6 (−22.6) |
1.3 (−17.1) |
17.5 (−8.1) |
39.0 (3.9) |
60.0 (15.6) |
70.8 (21.6) |
72.3 (22.4) |
64.5 (18.1) |
51.7 (10.9) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
3.9 (−15.6) |
−4.6 (−20.3) |
33.1 (0.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | −16.4 (−26.9) |
−9.7 (−23.2) |
3.7 (−15.7) |
27.3 (−2.6) |
48.6 (9.2) |
60.0 (15.6) |
62.2 (16.8) |
54.8 (12.7) |
42.9 (6.1) |
22.8 (−5.1) |
−4.0 (−20.0) |
−12.6 (−24.8) |
23.3 (−4.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −24.2 (−31.2) |
−20.7 (−29.3) |
−10.1 (−23.4) |
15.7 (−9.1) |
37.0 (2.8) |
49.1 (9.5) |
52.2 (11.2) |
45.2 (7.3) |
34.1 (1.2) |
15.9 (−8.9) |
−11.8 (−24.3) |
−20.5 (−29.2) |
13.5 (−10.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −53.5 (−47.5) |
−47.9 (−44.4) |
−37.0 (−38.3) |
−8.9 (−22.7) |
23.4 (−4.8) |
37.5 (3.1) |
43.7 (6.5) |
33.3 (0.7) |
20.5 (−6.4) |
−9.0 (−22.8) |
−37.3 (−38.5) |
−46.5 (−43.6) |
−56.3 (−49.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −63 (−53) |
−62 (−52) |
−52 (−47) |
−36 (−38) |
6 (−14) |
29 (−2) |
35 (2) |
26 (−3) |
3 (−16) |
−32 (−36) |
−48 (−44) |
−61 (−52) |
−63 (−53) |
| Averageprecipitationinches (mm) | 0.46 (12) |
0.51 (13) |
0.37 (9.4) |
0.30 (7.6) |
0.36 (9.1) |
0.76 (19) |
1.44 (37) |
1.38 (35) |
0.87 (22) |
0.93 (24) |
0.61 (15) |
0.64 (16) |
8.63 (219) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 6.6 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 52.7 |
| Source: NOAA (precipitation 1991–2020)[14][15] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Fort Yukon (1961–1990 normals, extremes 1889–1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 40 (4) |
41 (5) |
50 (10) |
65 (18) |
85 (29) |
100 (38) |
97 (36) |
88 (31) |
79 (26) |
61 (16) |
51 (11) |
37 (3) |
100 (38) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 16.6 (−8.6) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
35.5 (1.9) |
51.9 (11.1) |
72.1 (22.3) |
83.6 (28.7) |
84.9 (29.4) |
78.7 (25.9) |
64.0 (17.8) |
44.1 (6.7) |
18.6 (−7.4) |
17.8 (−7.9) |
87.0 (30.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | −9.9 (−23.3) |
−2.9 (−19.4) |
14.9 (−9.5) |
34.2 (1.2) |
56.2 (13.4) |
71.5 (21.9) |
73.2 (22.9) |
65.7 (18.7) |
50.7 (10.4) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
−0.5 (−18.1) |
−6.3 (−21.3) |
31.1 (−0.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | −18.2 (−27.9) |
−13.4 (−25.2) |
3.1 (−16.1) |
21.4 (−5.9) |
45.0 (7.2) |
60.6 (15.9) |
63.1 (17.3) |
56.3 (13.5) |
41.2 (5.1) |
18.5 (−7.5) |
−8.2 (−22.3) |
−14.8 (−26.0) |
21.2 (−6.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −26.0 (−32.2) |
−22.1 (−30.1) |
−10.2 (−23.4) |
9.8 (−12.3) |
33.2 (0.7) |
48.9 (9.4) |
52.0 (11.1) |
45.7 (7.6) |
32.5 (0.3) |
11.5 (−11.4) |
−14.0 (−25.6) |
−22.2 (−30.1) |
11.7 (−11.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −51.5 (−46.4) |
−48.5 (−44.7) |
−33.3 (−36.3) |
−15.5 (−26.4) |
19.0 (−7.2) |
36.0 (2.2) |
41.7 (5.4) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
18.5 (−7.5) |
−10.8 (−23.8) |
−41.9 (−41.1) |
−48.1 (−44.5) |
−58.5 (−50.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −78 (−61) |
−70 (−57) |
−62 (−52) |
−42 (−41) |
−3 (−19) |
25 (−4) |
25 (−4) |
21 (−6) |
0 (−18) |
−40 (−40) |
−61 (−52) |
−71 (−57) |
−78 (−61) |
| Averageprecipitationinches (mm) | 0.46 (12) |
0.35 (8.9) |
0.25 (6.4) |
0.25 (6.4) |
0.34 (8.6) |
0.81 (21) |
0.94 (24) |
1.06 (27) |
0.67 (17) |
0.56 (14) |
0.30 (7.6) |
0.53 (13) |
6.51 (165) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.8 (12) |
4.1 (10) |
2.2 (5.6) |
1.6 (4.1) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.5 (1.3) |
4.4 (11) |
3.5 (8.9) |
5.8 (15) |
27.2 (69) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 5.0 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 5.8 | 6.6 | 8.8 | 5.2 | 7.8 | 5.5 | 6.9 | 66.0 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 inch) | 5.8 | 4.7 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 6.5 | 33.9 |
| Source 1: WRCC[16] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS (snowfall)[17] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
[edit]| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 109 | — | |
| 1900 | 156 | — | |
| 1910 | 321 | 105.8% | |
| 1920 | 319 | −0.6% | |
| 1930 | 304 | −4.7% | |
| 1940 | 274 | −9.9% | |
| 1950 | 446 | 62.8% | |
| 1960 | 701 | 57.2% | |
| 1970 | 448 | −36.1% | |
| 1980 | 619 | 38.2% | |
| 1990 | 580 | −6.3% | |
| 2000 | 595 | 2.6% | |
| 2010 | 583 | −2.0% | |
| 2020 | 428 | −26.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] | |||
Fort Yukon first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village of 109 residents. Of those, 107 were members of theTinnehTribe and 2 were Whites.[19]It did not appear on the 1890 census, but has returned in every successive census since 1900. It formally incorporated in 1959, the year Alaska became a state.
As of thecensus[20]of 2000, there were 595 people, 225 households, and 137 families residing in the city. The population density was 85.0 inhabitants per square mile (32.8/km2). There were 317 housing units at an average density of 45.3 per square mile (17.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.05%Native American,10.76%White,0.17%BlackorAfrican American,0.17%Asian,and 0.17% fromother races,and 2.69% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 1.34% of the population.
There were 225 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.8% weremarried couplesliving together, 23.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.37.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 33.4% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,375, and the median income for a family was $32,083. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $27,813 for females. Theper capita incomefor the city was $13,360. About 18.0% of families and 18.5% of the population were below thepoverty line,including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
[edit]Yukon Flats School Districtoperates the Fort Yukon School, serving Fort Yukon.[21]
TheUniversity of Alaska(Fairbanks) operates a rural campus facility called the Yukon Flats Center.[22]
Notable people
[edit]- Hudson Stuck(1863–1920), Episcopal priest, social reformer, mountain climber (buried there in the native cemetery)
- Hannah Paul Solomon(1908–2011), first woman elected mayor of Fort Yukon
- Jonathon Solomon(1932–2006), Goldman Environmental Prize recipient for his efforts to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
- Don Young(1933–2022), longest-servingRepublicanmember of the U.S. House of Representatives and of Congressin history
- Clarence Alexander(born 1939), First Chief of Fort Yukon
- Woodie Salmon(born 1952), politician, Representative, Alaska State House of Representatives, 2004–2010, former Chief, Chalkyitsik, Council Member, Fort Yukon Mayor, Fort Yukon
- F. Kay Wallis(bornc. 1944), traditional healer and Representative, Alaska State House of Representatives, 1985–1990
- Velma Wallis(born 1960), Native American writer
References
[edit]- ^1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory.Juneau:Alaska Municipal League/Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs.January 1996. p. 57.
- ^"2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedOctober 29,2021.
- ^"Alaska State Almanac - General information about Alaska from NETSTATE.COM".Archivedfrom the original on May 7, 2016.RetrievedApril 22,2016.
- ^"Alaska Native Place Names - Alaska Native Language Archive".Archivedfrom the original on November 2, 2013.
- ^D'Orso, Michael (2007).Eagle Blue: A Team, a Tribe, and a High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska.Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 93.ISBN978-1-59691-115-4.
- ^"1897 - Yukon Nuggets - Yukon History".Archivedfrom the original on October 7, 2011.
- ^"Fort Yukon"ArchivedDecember 2, 2008, at theWayback Machine.Encyclopedia Astronautica.astronautix. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^"Obliquity of the Ecliptic (Eps Mean)".Neoprogrammics.RetrievedMay 13,2014.
- ^"NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards Information - Alaska Weather Interesting Facts and Records"(PDF).National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on September 29, 2006.RetrievedJanuary 3,2007.
- ^"State Extremes".Western Regional Climate Center,Desert Research Institute.Archivedfrom the original on May 13, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 3,2007.
- ^Sinclare, Terry (June 22, 2020)."A small town in Siberia has likely broken the Arctic high temperature record".Webcenter11.Gray Television, Inc. Archived fromthe originalon June 26, 2020.RetrievedJune 22,2020.
- ^"Arctic Temperatures Hit Record High in Russia Amid Heat Wave".The Moscow Times. June 22, 2020.RetrievedJune 22,2020.
- ^Day, Preston C. "Extreme Cold in the Yukon Region: The Cold Winter of 1917–18".Monthly Weather Review.46(12): 571–572.
- ^"NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedJuly 29,2023.
- ^"Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Archived fromthe originalon January 27, 2024.RetrievedJuly 29,2023.
- ^"1961-1990 Monthly Climate Summary, FT YUKON, ALASKA (503175)".Western Regional Climate Center. Archived fromthe originalon January 27, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 27,2024.
- ^XMACIS
- ^"Census of Population and Housing".Census.gov.RetrievedJune 4,2015.
- ^"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on August 17, 2017.RetrievedJuly 1,2017.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJanuary 31,2008.
- ^"Mailing Addresses and Contact InformationArchived2016-12-20 at theWayback Machine."Yukon Flats School District.Retrieved on December 4, 2016.
- ^Yukon Center
External links
[edit]
Media related toFort Yukon, Alaskaat Wikimedia Commons
Municipalities and communities ofYukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska,United States | ||
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| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
HistoricHBC operationsin the Pacific Northwest | |||||
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