Big Delta, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Big Delta is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
, Alaska
, United States
. The population was 749 at the 2000 census
. Big Delta is at the confluence of the Delta River
and the Tanana River
and gets it name from the huge river delta
formed by the confluence.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 61.1 square miles (158.2 km²), of which, 55.2 square miles (143 km²) of it is land and 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²) of it (9.70%) is water.
of 2000, there were 749 people, 165 households, and 117 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 13.6 people per square mile (5.2/km²). There were 232 housing units at an average density of 4.2/sq mi (1.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.46% White
, 0.13% Black
or African American
, 1.47% Native American
, 0.53% Asian
, and 2.40% from two or more races. 2.54% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 165 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples
living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 3.90.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 36.3% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $49,000, and the median income for a family was $53,125. Males had a median income of $32,250 versus $37,708 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $14,803. About 7.9% of families and 30.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.
. They survived by hunting the abundant game and fishing in the rivers of the interior of Alaska.
Beginning in 1899, the United States Army built a pack trail from Valdez
, on the south coast of Alaska, to Eagle
, northeast of Big Delta, a distance of about 660 km (410.1 mi). The trail crossed the Tanana River near the confluence of the Delta and Tanana Rivers.
Gold was discovered in 1902 in Fairbanks
, about 150 km (93.2 mi) north of the crossing of the Tanana River. Roadhouses were built along the pack trail that connected the south coast of Alaska with Fairbanks. One such roadhouse was Bates Landing, which was built at the confluence of the Delta and Tanana Rivers, about 12 km (7.5 mi) north of the current Delta Junction, in the area known now as Big Delta. The U. S. government collected a toll on the south side of the Tanana River from all passengers crossing north. In 1904 work began on the Richardson Highway
, which mostly followed the route of the pack trail.
In 1906, John Hajdukovich bought the roadhouse and enlarged it. In addition to running the lodge there, he took hunting parties into the nearby Granite Mountains
and traded with the Athabaskans in the surrounding area. An 18-year-old Swedish girl named Rika Wallen came to the roadhouse to work for John. After several years, John deeded the roadhouse to Rika in lieu of back wages he owed her. Rika also homesteaded an adjoining piece of land. Rika's Roadhouse and the adjacent property are now the Big Delta State Historical Park.
In 1928 a herd of bison
were brought from the U. S. state of Montana to Big Delta, because they were thought to be threatened with extinction in the continental United States. The herd still roams in the Delta Junction
area, about 12 km (7.5 mi) south of Big Delta.
The construction of the Alaska Highway
during World War II
shifted much of the economic activity of the area south to Delta Junction. Later history of the area can be found in the entry for Delta Junction
.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area is a census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 6,174. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 749 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. Big Delta is at the confluence of the Delta River
Delta River
The Delta River is a tributary of the Tanana River, which in turn is a tributary of the Yukon River in Alaska in the United States....
and the Tanana River
Tanana River
The Tanana River is a tributary of the Yukon River in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to linguist and anthropologist William Bright, the name is from the Koyukon tene no, tenene, literally "trail river"....
and gets it name from the huge river delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
formed by the confluence.
Geography
Big Delta is located at 64°8′50"N 145°48′6"W (64.147324, -145.801545).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 61.1 square miles (158.2 km²), of which, 55.2 square miles (143 km²) of it is land and 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²) of it (9.70%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 749 people, 165 households, and 117 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 13.6 people per square mile (5.2/km²). There were 232 housing units at an average density of 4.2/sq mi (1.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.46% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.13% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.47% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.53% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.40% from two or more races. 2.54% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 165 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 3.90.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 36.3% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $49,000, and the median income for a family was $53,125. Males had a median income of $32,250 versus $37,708 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $14,803. About 7.9% of families and 30.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.
History
From at least 10,000 years ago to the present, Athabascan Indians have inhabited portions of the interior of AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. They survived by hunting the abundant game and fishing in the rivers of the interior of Alaska.
Beginning in 1899, the United States Army built a pack trail from Valdez
Valdez, Alaska
Valdez is a city in Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 4,020. The city is one of the most important ports in Alaska. The port of Valdez was named in 1790 after the Spanish naval officer Antonio Valdés y...
, on the south coast of Alaska, to Eagle
Eagle, Alaska
Eagle is a city located along the United States-Canada border in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. It includes Eagle Historic District, a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The population was 129 at the 2000 census...
, northeast of Big Delta, a distance of about 660 km (410.1 mi). The trail crossed the Tanana River near the confluence of the Delta and Tanana Rivers.
Gold was discovered in 1902 in Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
, about 150 km (93.2 mi) north of the crossing of the Tanana River. Roadhouses were built along the pack trail that connected the south coast of Alaska with Fairbanks. One such roadhouse was Bates Landing, which was built at the confluence of the Delta and Tanana Rivers, about 12 km (7.5 mi) north of the current Delta Junction, in the area known now as Big Delta. The U. S. government collected a toll on the south side of the Tanana River from all passengers crossing north. In 1904 work began on the Richardson Highway
Richardson Highway
The Richardson Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska, running 368 miles from Valdez to Fairbanks. It is marked as Alaska Route 4 from Valdez to Delta Junction and as Alaska Route 2 from there to Fairbanks. It is also connects segments of Alaska Route 1 between the Glenn Highway and the...
, which mostly followed the route of the pack trail.
In 1906, John Hajdukovich bought the roadhouse and enlarged it. In addition to running the lodge there, he took hunting parties into the nearby Granite Mountains
Granite Mountains (Alaska)
The Granite Mountains is a small mountain range in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska....
and traded with the Athabaskans in the surrounding area. An 18-year-old Swedish girl named Rika Wallen came to the roadhouse to work for John. After several years, John deeded the roadhouse to Rika in lieu of back wages he owed her. Rika also homesteaded an adjoining piece of land. Rika's Roadhouse and the adjacent property are now the Big Delta State Historical Park.
In 1928 a herd of bison
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
were brought from the U. S. state of Montana to Big Delta, because they were thought to be threatened with extinction in the continental United States. The herd still roams in the Delta Junction
Delta Junction, Alaska
Delta Junction is a city in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 897. The city is located a short distance south of the confluence of the Delta River with the Tanana River, which is at Big Delta...
area, about 12 km (7.5 mi) south of Big Delta.
The construction of the Alaska Highway
Alaska Highway
The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
shifted much of the economic activity of the area south to Delta Junction. Later history of the area can be found in the entry for Delta Junction
Delta Junction, Alaska
Delta Junction is a city in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 897. The city is located a short distance south of the confluence of the Delta River with the Tanana River, which is at Big Delta...
.