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Wiseman
For Photos of Wiseman click here
| Current Population: |
16
(2008 Estimated Population (not Certified))
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| Incorporation Type: |
Unincorporated |
| Borough Located In: |
Unorganized |
| Taxes: |
No taxing authority
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| Location
and Climate |
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Wiseman is located on the middle fork of the Koyukuk River at the junction of Wiseman Creek in the Brooks Range. It is about 260 miles northwest of Fairbanks off the Dalton Highway, 13 miles north of Coldfoot and 75 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Wiseman is located at 1,180 ft. elevation in a valley. The community
lies at approximately 67.410000° North Latitude
and -150.107500° West Longitude.
(Sec. 24, T030N, R012W, Fairbanks Meridian.)
Wiseman is located in the
Fairbanks Recording District.
The climate of the area is strongly continental. Winter temperatures can be extremely cold, -50 to -70 at times in January and February. There is a total loss of sunlight between December 5 and January 9. High temperatures occasionally reach 90. Precipitation averages 12-15 inches, and snowfall averages 36 inches per year. Aurora Borealis is especially vivid over this portion of the Brooks Range, and visible from September through March. |
Topographic
map of
Wiseman
area
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| History, Culture
and Demographics |
| In response to increased mining on the Nolan Creek and the Hammond River in the early 1900s, locals began to abandon Coldfoot, 13 miles to the south. Supplies were brought up the Koyukuk River to Wiseman Creek by horse-drawn barge, where a new town developed in 1907. It was first called "Wrights," then "Nolan," and finally Wiseman in 1923. A log post office operated from about 1909 to 1956, with mail and supplies freighted or flown in. A territorial school operated from 1934 to 1941. By 1974, the 414-mile pipeline "haul road" was constructed, which passes near Wiseman. Travel was restricted for the general public until December 1994. The road is now known as the Dalton Highway, named for James William Dalton, an arctic engineer. In 1979, Florence Jonas (or Kalhabuk), the last full Eskimo resident, passed away in Wiseman at the age of 82. A nearby mountain and the Chapel were named in her honor. The school, operated in the Community Center, was closed in November 2002 because it was unable to meet the State's minimum enrollment. Children are home schooled.
The population of the community consists of 19%
Alaska Native or part Native.
There are 30 original cabins from the 1920s still in use; 70% are used seasonally. Subsistence hunting, fishing and trapping sustain year-round residents.
During the 2000 U.S. Census,
total housing units numbered 30, and vacant housing units numbered 23.
Vacant housing units used
only seasonally numbered 22.
U.S. Census data for Year
2000 showed 10 residents
as employed. The unemployment rate at that time was
0 percent,
although
16.67 percent of
all adults were not in the work force. The median household
income was $23,750, per capita income was $8,211, and
10.53 percent of residents
were living below the poverty level.
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| Facilities,
Utilities, Schools and Health Care |
| Several homes have individual wells and septic tanks; others haul water and use outhouses. Individual generators are used for power; some residents use propane lights. 70% of the cabins in Wiseman are used only seasonally.
Electricity is provided by Individual Generators.
There are no state operated schools located in the community.
Local hospitals or health clinics include Wiseman health Clinic (907-796-9001).
Itinerant care - State Public Health Nurse visits once a year in October. Wiseman is classified as an isolated village, it is found in EMS Region 1C in the Interior Region. Emergency Services have limited highway, river and air access, and are within 30 minutes of a higher-level satellite health care facility
Auxiliary health care is provided by Fairbanks hospitals.
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| Economy
and Transportation |
Roadside services and transportation of materials for the North Slope Borough provide a few positions in Wiseman. Three residents hold a commercial fishing permit. Several residents sell handcrafted items and furs. Self-employment, seasonal visitor service jobs, seasonal highway maintenance jobs, and the National Park Service provide income.
The partially-paved Dalton Highway connects Wiseman to Fairbanks and the North Slope, although the road is long and can be hazardous if not adequately prepared. A State-owned 2,000' long by 30' wide gravel airstrip is available, but is not consistently maintained.. |
Organizations
with Local Offices
Community Non-Profit -
Wiseman Community Association
General Delivery
Wiseman, AK 99790
Phone 907-678-9001
Fax 907-678-9001
E-mail boreallodge@juno.com
Regional
Organizations
Regional Native Health Corporation - Tanana Chiefs Conference
P.O. Box 129
Tok, AK 99780
Phone 907-883-5181
Fax 907-883-1114
E-mail rose.isaac@tananachiefs.org
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