Anchorage Daily News

NAKNEK

POPULATION: 543 (2007)

LOCATION: On the north bank of the Naknek River, at the northeastern end of Bristol Bay, 297 miles southwest of Anchorage.

DESCRIPTION: Seat of the Bristol Bay Borough and a fishing community with a mixed population of non-Natives (who are more than 50 percent of the inhabitants), Aleuts, Yup'ik Eskimos and Indians. Naknek has a seasonal economy as a service hub for the Bristol Bay red salmon fishery; 115 residents hold commercial permits and several thousand people typically flood the area during the fishing season. Millions of pounds of salmon are trucked over the Naknek-King Salmon road each summer to where jets transport the fish to the Lower 48. Several major fish processors operate facilities here. Government employment is also critical. At the time of the April 2000 U.S. Census, nearly a third of the 455 homes were used only seasonally and per capita income was $21,182. Two schools are attended by about 225 students.

HISTORY: The region was first settled more than 6,000 years ago by Yup'ik Eskimos and Athabascan Indians. In 1821, the original Eskimo village of "Naugeik" was noted by a Russian naval officer, and by 1880 it was called Kinuyak and later spelled Naknek. The Russians built a fort near the village, and fur trappers inhabited the area for some time prior to the U.S. purchase of Alaska in 1867. The first salmon cannery opened in 1890. By 1900, about 12 canneries were in Bristol Bay. A post office was established in 1907.

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