Unalakleet, Alaska

Unalakleet (/ˈjuːnələkliːt/ EW-nə-lə-kleet; Uŋalaqłiq in Iñupiaq) is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States, in the western part of the state. At the 2010 census the population was 688. Unalakleet is known in the region and around Alaska for its salmon and king crab harvests; the residents rely heavily on caribou, ptarmigan, oogruk (bearded seal), and various salmon species. Unalakleet is also known for its aesthetic value, as it resides right next to the Bering Sea, immediately next to a large, clean river (Unalakleet River) and has trees, tundra, and hills behind it.

History

Unalakleet, an adaptation of the Iñupiaq word "Una-la-thliq", which means "from the southern side". Some Unalakleet residents were mistakenly told it meant "where the east wind blows".

Unalakleet is located at the Norton Sound end of the Unalakleet-Kaltag Portage, an important winter travel route between Norton Sound and the Yukon River. Unalakleet has long been a major trade center between the Athabascans who lived in the interior of Alaska and the Inupiat who lived on the coast. The Russian-American Company built a trading post here at Unalakleet in the 1830s. Sami reindeer herders from Lapland were brought to Unalakleet to teach sound herding practices in 1898. In 1901, the United States Army Signal Corps built a 605-mile (974 km) telegraph line from St. Michael that passed through Unalakleet.