| |
Kwethluk
(KWEETH-luk)
For Photos of Kwethluk click here
For a Map of Kwethluk click here
| Current Population: |
764
(2008 DCCED Certified Population)
|
| Incorporation Type: |
2nd Class City |
| Borough Located In: |
Unorganized |
| Taxes: |
Sales: 5%,
Property: None, Special: None
|
| National Flood Insurance Program Participant: |
Yes |
| Coastal Management District: |
Ceñaliulriit CRSA |
|
| Location
and Climate |
|
This is a Yup'ik community located 12 air miles east of Bethel on the Kwethluk River at its junction with the Kuskokwim. The village is the second largest along the Lower Kuskokwim River, following Bethel. The community
lies at approximately 60.812220° North Latitude
and -161.435830° West Longitude.
(Sec. 05, T008N, R069W, Seward Meridian.)
Kwethluk is located in the
Bethel Recording District.
The area encompasses 10.0
sq. miles of land and 1.7 sq. miles
of water.
Kwethluk's precipitation averages 16 inches, with snowfall of 50 inches. Summer temperatures average from 42 to 62 °F; winter averages are -2 to 19 °F. Extremes have been recorded from -46 to 86 °F. The Kuskokwim is typically ice-free from June through October. |
Topographic
map of
Kwethluk
area
 |
| History, Culture
and Demographics |
| Archaeological evidence from a nearby site indicates that the area has been occupied since prehistoric times. The name Kwethluk is derived from "Kwikli," meaning "river." In the late 1800s, families from four villages on the Kwethluk River joined others living at the site. In 1889, an Eskimo lay worker for the Moravian Church was stationed at the village. A measles epidemic struck the village in the late 1890s. The Moravian Church built a chapel in 1896, followed by a Russian Orthodox church in 1912. Discovery of gold in nearby creeks in 1909 attracted prospectors to the area, but the finds proved disappointing, and most were gone by 1911. One placer deposit, discovered on the upper Kwethluk River, delivered a small yield and was worked until World War II. A Moravian orphanage was established three miles upriver. A BIA school with teachers' quarters was built in 1924. In 1939, the villagers owned 31,000 reindeers, used for food and skins. A tuberculosis epidemic at this time tragically reduced the population. A post office was established in 1947, and a Native-owned store opened in 1948. An airstrip was cleared in 1956. Snowmachines replaced dog teams in the 1960s as the principal form of winter transportation. The city was incorporated in 1975.
A federally-recognized tribe is located in the community -- the Organized Village of Kwethluk.
The population of the community consists of 94.8%
Alaska Native or part Native.
Kwethluk is predominantly a Yup'ik Eskimo village that practices a subsistence lifestyle. The sale or importation of alcohol is banned in the village.
During the 2000 U.S. Census,
total housing units numbered 199, and vacant housing units numbered 46.
Vacant housing units used
only seasonally numbered 33.
U.S. Census data for Year
2000 showed 175 residents
as employed. The unemployment rate at that time was
15.76 percent,
although
54.43 percent of
all adults were not in the work force. The median household
income was $25,417, per capita income was $6,503, and
29.52 percent of residents
were living below the poverty level.
|
| Facilities,
Utilities, Schools and Health Care |
| The city and village have formed a joint Kwethluk Utilities Commission to provide water treatment, honeybucket, washeteria, and refuse services. The school and teachers' housing have individual systems. Residents haul water for household use. There are sewage container disposal bins; these are hauled to the sewage lagoon. None of the 147 homes have complete plumbing, but many residents have steambaths.
Electricity is provided by Kwethluk, Inc..
There is one school located in the community,
attended by 254
students.
Local hospitals or health clinics include Sarah S. Nicholai Memorial Health Clinic (907-757-6627).
Kwethluk is classified as an isolated village, it is found in EMS Region 7A in the Yukon/Kuskokwim Region. Emergency Services have river, air and floatplane access. Emergency service is provided by a health aide
|
| Economy
and Transportation |
The largest employers are the school district, village corporation, store, and health clinic. 49 residents hold commercial fishing permits. Subsistence activities play a central role in the lifestyle; salmon, moose, and caribou are the staples of the diet. Seal meat and seal oil are obtained in trade with coastal relatives and neighbors. Most families travel to fish camps each summer.
Kwethluk is dependent on air transportation for year-round movement of freight and passengers. A state-owned 1,750' long by 35' wide gravel airstrip and seaplane base are available. Barge services deliver cargo during the summer. There are no docking facilities. Snowmachines, ATVs, and skiffs are used for local travel, and the river becomes an ice road during winter. Winter trails are marked to Eek (45 mi.), Three Step Mountain (55 mi.), and Columbia Creek (49 mi.). |
Organizations
with Local Offices
City -
City of Kwethluk
P.O. Box 50
Kwethluk, AK 99621
Phone 907-757-6022
Fax 907-757-6497
E-mail kwtocity@unicom-alaska.com
Electric Utility -
Kuiggluum Kallugvia
P.O. Box 110
Kwethluk, AK 99621
Phone 907-757-6613
Fax 907-757-6212
Housing Authority -
Kwethluk Tribal Resident Council, Inc.
P.O. Box 49
Kwethluk, AK 99621
Phone 907-757-6063
Fax 907-757-6330
E-mail angellan@unicom-alaska.com
Village Corporation -
Kwethluk Incorporated
P.O. Box 109
Kwethluk, AK 99621
Phone 907-757-6613
Fax 907-757-6212
Village Council -
Organized Village of Kwethluk
P.O. Box 130
Kwethluk, AK 99621-0130
Phone 907-757-6714
Fax 907-757-6328
E-mail kwtira@unicom-alaska.com
Regional
Organizations
Regional Native Corporation - Calista Corporation
301 Calista Court, Suite A
Anchorage, AK 99518-3028
Phone 907-279-5516
Fax 907-272-5060
E-mail calista@calistacorp.com
Web http://www.calistacorp.com
Regional Native Health Corporation - Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp.
P.O. Box 528
Bethel, AK 99559
Phone 907-543-6020
Fax 907-543-6006
E-mail gene_peltola@ykhc.org
Web http://www.ykhc.org/
Native Housing Authority - Kwethluk Tribal Resident Council, Inc.
P.O. Box 49
Kwethluk, AK 99621
Phone 907-757-6063
Fax 907-757-6330
E-mail angellan@unicom-alaska.com
|
 |
|
