Gakona (Alaska)

Valdez - Cordova Census Area

02-27420

Gakona is a census -designated place in the Valdez - Cordova Census Area, Alaska. The town lies at the mouth of the Gakona River into the Copper River at the Tok Cut -Off, a few kilometers east of the Richardson Highway. South-east borders the Wrangell-St Elias National Park and to the municipality.

History

Alaska Natives from the Ahtna people were already living up to 7000 years ago in the lowlands of the Copper River. Gakona has long been used as storage for wood and fish and later became a municipal solid.

1904 Doyle 's Roadhouse was built at the intersection of Valdez - Eagle and Valdez - Fairbanks -way (Valdez Trail ). In addition to the rest house, a post office, a stagecoach station and a blacksmith in Gakona emerged. Some of these buildings still stand today. Built in 1929 Gakona Lodge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and displays artifacts from the gold rush of the late 19th century.

Northeast of Gakona is since 1993 the system of HAARP, one civilian and military research program, high-frequency electromagnetic waves are used to study the upper atmosphere at the.

With the Native Village of Gakona a nationally recognized native inhabitants exist in the locality. Knappe 20 % of the population Gakonas are natives or their descendants.

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