Introducing Bettles
This small village serves as the major departure point to the Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve. Founded by Gordon C Bettles in 1900 as a trading post, Bettles was originally 6 miles down the middle fork of the Koyukuk River. Riverboats would work their way up the Koyukuk and unload their supplies in Bettles. The supplies were then transported to smaller scows and horsedrawn barges. The smaller boats would then take the cargo to the mining country further upriver.
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WWII brought a need for a major airstrip in Arctic Alaska, and the Civil Aviation Agency (now the Federal Aviation Administration) chose to construct one upriver from Bettles. Eventually the entire village moved to the airstrip. Today Bettles has the distinction of being the smallest incorporated city in Alaska.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
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