Cape Lisburne (Alaska)
Encyclopedia
Cape Lisburne is a cape
located at the northwest point of the Lisburne Peninsula
on the Chukchi Sea
coast in Alaska
. It is 40 miles (64.4 km) northeast of the village of Point Hope, Arctic Slope. It is a part of the Chukchi Sea unit of Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
.
The first European to sight this cape was James Cook
. He named it on August 21, 1778 and wrote: "The southern extreme seemed to form a point which was named Cape Lisburne."
An early Inupiaq name for the cape was "Uivaq," generally spelled "Wevok
" or "Wevuk". Cape Lisburne was often referred to as "Uivaq Ungasiktoq" meaning "distant cape" as opposed to "Uivaq Qanitoq" (Cape Thompson) meaning "near cape."
The native Inupiaq who lived there were struck by an epidemic and many died along with a Methodist missionary and they are buried next to the mountain cliffs. The survivors moved to Point Hope but return each summer to hunt caribou and collect bird eggs from the cliffs,
The U.S. Air Force has a long range radar and communication station there that is part of the DEW Line network of radar sites along the Alaska North Slope
.
Cape (geography)
In geography, a cape or headland is a point or body of land extending into a body of water, usually the sea.A cape usually represents a marked change in trend of the coastline. Their proximity to the coastline makes them prone to natural forms of erosion, mainly tidal actions. This results in capes...
located at the northwest point of the Lisburne Peninsula
Lisburne Peninsula
The Lisburne Peninsula is a peninsula jutting out into the Chukchi Sea on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located at the westernmost point of the North Slope Borough. It is roughly trapezoid-shaped, having two points, the northwestern one being Cape Lisburne and the...
on the Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west by the De Long Strait, off Wrangel Island, and in the east by Point Barrow, Alaska, beyond which lies the Beaufort Sea. The Bering Strait forms its southernmost limit and connects it to the Bering Sea and the Pacific...
coast in 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...
. It is 40 miles (64.4 km) northeast of the village of Point Hope, Arctic Slope. It is a part of the Chukchi Sea unit of Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge comprising 2,400 islands, headlands, rocks, islets, spires and reefs in Alaska, with a total area of , of which is wilderness)...
.
The first European to sight this cape was James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
. He named it on August 21, 1778 and wrote: "The southern extreme seemed to form a point which was named Cape Lisburne."
An early Inupiaq name for the cape was "Uivaq," generally spelled "Wevok
Wevok, Alaska
Wevok is a former Inuit village in the western part of North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Its name is derived from the Inuit name of Cape Lisburne, which lies only to the west. Maximum elevation ....
" or "Wevuk". Cape Lisburne was often referred to as "Uivaq Ungasiktoq" meaning "distant cape" as opposed to "Uivaq Qanitoq" (Cape Thompson) meaning "near cape."
The native Inupiaq who lived there were struck by an epidemic and many died along with a Methodist missionary and they are buried next to the mountain cliffs. The survivors moved to Point Hope but return each summer to hunt caribou and collect bird eggs from the cliffs,
The U.S. Air Force has a long range radar and communication station there that is part of the DEW Line network of radar sites along the Alaska North Slope
Alaska North Slope
The Alaska North Slope is the region of the U.S. state of Alaska located on the northern slope of the Brooks Range along the coast of two marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean, the Chukchi Sea being on the western side of Point Barrow, and the Beaufort Sea on the eastern.The region contains the...
.