Georgetown, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Georgetown is an unincorporated Alaska Native village located in the Bethel Census Area
of the U.S. state
of Alaska
. The population as of the 2000 census
was 3.
in the Kilbuck-Kuskokwim mountains. It is 16 miles (26 km) downstream of Red Devil
just upstream of the mouth of the George River. Georgetown is accessible by boat, snowmobile (winter), or small plane.
of the Russian Imperial Navy explored the area in 1844. The village was known by its native name of Keledzhichagat at that time. It was used as a summer fish camp for residents of Kwigiumpainukamiut. In 1909, gold was discovered up the George River and a mining settlement quickly developed. This settlement was located on the bank of the Kuskokwim river just west of the mouth of the George River.
The settlement and the river were named for three traders named George: George Hoffman, George Fredericks and George Morgan. By 1910, the population of Georgetown increased to about 300 with about 200 dwellings due to the mining activity. A fire swept through the town in 1911 and destroyed most of these buildings. By 1953, the only large structure that remained at the original site was the two-story log house belonging to George Fredericks.
A second settlement began to develop east of the George River, and this settlement was also called Georgetown. A state school was established in 1965. As mining activity declined, residents began leaving and the school was closed in 1970.
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
provided an opportunity for the town's descendants to take ownership of the land, and the Native Village of Georgetown was established in 1971. As of 1 June 2009, the Georgetown Tribal Council had 128 members, and most surviving original members and their descendants still live in the vicinity.
Bethel Census Area, Alaska
Bethel Census Area is a census area located in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of 2000, the population is 16,006. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. The population as of 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...
was 3.
Geography
Georgetown is located at 61°53′N 157°42′W on the north bank of the upper Kuskokwim RiverKuskokwim River
The Kuskokwim River or Kusko River is a river, long, in Southwest Alaska in the United States. It is the ninth largest river in the United States by average discharge volume at its mouth and seventeenth largest by basin drainage area.The river provides the principal drainage for an area of the...
in the Kilbuck-Kuskokwim mountains. It is 16 miles (26 km) downstream of Red Devil
Red Devil, Alaska
Red Devil is a census-designated place in Bethel Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 48 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Red Devil is located at ....
just upstream of the mouth of the George River. Georgetown is accessible by boat, snowmobile (winter), or small plane.
History
This section of the Kuskokwim river first had contact with non-Native explorers in the mid-19th century. Lt. Lavrenty ZagoskinLavrenty Zagoskin
Lavrenty Alekseyevich Zagoskin was a Russian naval officer and explorer of Alaska.Zagoskin was born in 1808 in the Russian district of Penza in a village named Nikolayevka. Even though Nikolayevka was not near the ocean, Zagoskin would eventually train for the Russian Navy and served as a naval...
of the Russian Imperial Navy explored the area in 1844. The village was known by its native name of Keledzhichagat at that time. It was used as a summer fish camp for residents of Kwigiumpainukamiut. In 1909, gold was discovered up the George River and a mining settlement quickly developed. This settlement was located on the bank of the Kuskokwim river just west of the mouth of the George River.
The settlement and the river were named for three traders named George: George Hoffman, George Fredericks and George Morgan. By 1910, the population of Georgetown increased to about 300 with about 200 dwellings due to the mining activity. A fire swept through the town in 1911 and destroyed most of these buildings. By 1953, the only large structure that remained at the original site was the two-story log house belonging to George Fredericks.
A second settlement began to develop east of the George River, and this settlement was also called Georgetown. A state school was established in 1965. As mining activity declined, residents began leaving and the school was closed in 1970.
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, commonly abbreviated ANCSA, was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon on December 23, 1971, the largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was intended to resolve the long-standing issues surrounding aboriginal land claims in...
provided an opportunity for the town's descendants to take ownership of the land, and the Native Village of Georgetown was established in 1971. As of 1 June 2009, the Georgetown Tribal Council had 128 members, and most surviving original members and their descendants still live in the vicinity.