Anchorage Daily News

WALES

POPULATION: 139 (2006)

LOCATION: On Cape Prince of Wales, at the western tip of the Seward Peninsula, 111 miles northwest of Nome.

DESCRIPTION: A community with a strong traditional Kinugmiut Eskimo whaling culture. More than 90 percent of the population is Alaska Native. Ancient songs, dances and customs are still practiced. In the summer, Little Diomede residents travel between the two villages in large traditional skin boats. The economy is based on subsistence hunting and fishing, trapping, Native arts and crafts and some mining. A private reindeer herd is managed out of Wales, and local residents are employed to assist in the harvest. The village is accessed by air and sea only. There is one school, attended by about 45 students.

HISTORY: A burial mound of the Birnirk culture (A.D. 500-900) was discovered near Wales and is now a national landmark. In 1827 the Russian Navy reported the Eskimo villages of Eidamoo near the coast and King-a-ghe farther inland. In 1890, the American Missionary Association established a mission, and in 1894 a reindeer station was organized. A post office was established in 1902. Wales became a major whaling center due to its location along migratory routes, and it was the region's largest and most prosperous village, with more than 500 residents. The influenza epidemic of 1918-19 claimed the lives of many of Wales' finest whalers. The city government was incorporated in 1964.

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