Teller, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Teller is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska
, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 268. According to a 2009 estimate, the population had increased by exactly one person.
It is situated on the southern half of the spit
called Nook (or "Nooke") in Inupiaq
, which separates Port Clarence (see also Port Clarence, Alaska
) and Grantley Harbor, at the outlet of the Imuruk Basin
.
Teller is located on a spit 116 km (72.1 mi) northwest of Nome
on the Seward Peninsula
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (9.00%) is water.
and 92.54% Native American
. 0.37% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 76 households out of which 53.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.53 and the average family size was 3.80.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 41.4% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 15.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 135.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 134.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,000, and the median income for a family was $20,000. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $8,617. About 33.9% of families and 37.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 27.8% of those sixty five or over.
expedition found three camps with a total of some 400 inhabitants and a winter camp site with burial grounds in a roughly 10 miles (16.1 km) radius around the later site of Teller on September 1, 1827.
An expedition from the Western Union
telegraph spent the winter at the present site of Teller in 1866 and 1867; they called it "Libbyville" or "Libby Station". When the United States Government introduced reindeer
herding in Alaska, a reindeer station operated from 1892 to 1900 at a site near Teller. The station was named for United States Senator and Secretary of the Interior Henry Moore Teller
in 1892 by Sheldon Jackson
.
Teller was established in 1900 after the Bluestone Placer Mine discovery 25 km (15.5 mi) to the south. It took its name from the reindeer herding station. During the boom years in the early 20th century, Teller had a population of about 5,000 and was a major regional trading center. Natives from Diomede
, Wales
, Mary's Igloo
, and King Island
came to trade there.
The Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church built Teller Mission across the harbor from Teller in 1900. The mission was renamed Brevig Mission
in 1903, after the Reverend T.L. Brevig, who also served briefly as Teller's first postmaster
, a post to which he was appointed 2 April 1900.
The dirigible Norge
detoured to Teller on its first flight over the North Pole from Norway to Nome in 1926. Many present residents of Teller came from Mary's Igloo. Mary's Igloo is now a summer fishing camp and has no permanent residents.
Today, Teller is an Inupiat village that depends on subsistence hunting and fishing.
. James C. Isabell School serves grades Pre-K through 12.
Nome Census Area, Alaska
Nome Census Area is a census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 9,196. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat. Its largest community by far is the city of Nome....
, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 268. According to a 2009 estimate, the population had increased by exactly one person.
It is situated on the southern half of the spit
Spit (landform)
A spit or sandspit is a deposition landform found off coasts. At one end, spits connect to land, and extend into the sea. A spit is a type of bar or beach that develops where a re-entrant occurs, such as at cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift...
called Nook (or "Nooke") in Inupiaq
Inupiaq language
The Inupiat language, also known as Inupiatun, Inupiaq, Iñupiaq, Inyupiaq, Inyupiat, Inyupeat, Inyupik, and Inupik, is a group of dialects of the Inuit language, spoken in northern and northwestern Alaska. The Iñupiaq language is a member of the Eskimo languages group. There are roughly 2,100...
, which separates Port Clarence (see also Port Clarence, Alaska
Port Clarence, Alaska
Port Clarence is a census-designated place in Nome Census Area, Alaska. The population was 21 at the 2000 census. It is located on the spit separating the bay of Port Clarence from the Bering Strait.-History:...
) and Grantley Harbor, at the outlet of the Imuruk Basin
Imuruk Basin
The Imuruk Basin is a large interior body of water on western Alaska's Seward Peninsula. The drainage for this brackish saltwater lagoon covers about one quarter of the peninsula. The Kuzitrin, Pilgrim, Cobblestone and Agiapuk rivers empty into the Imuruk Basin...
.
Geography
Teller is located at 65°15′26"N 166°21′14"W (65.257294, -166.353807).Teller is located on a spit 116 km (72.1 mi) northwest of Nome
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
on the Seward Peninsula
Seward Peninsula
The Seward Peninsula is a large peninsula on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It projects about into the Bering Sea between Norton Sound, the Bering Strait, the Chukchi Sea, and Kotzebue Sound, just below the Arctic Circle...
.
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 city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (9.00%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 268 people, 76 households, and 61 families residing in the city. The population density was 139.9 people per square mile (53.9/km²). There were 87 housing units at an average density of 45.4 per square mile (17.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 7.46% WhiteRace (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 92.54% 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...
. 0.37% 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 76 households out of which 53.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.53 and the average family size was 3.80.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 41.4% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 15.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 135.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 134.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,000, and the median income for a family was $20,000. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $31,250 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 city was $8,617. About 33.9% of families and 37.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 27.8% of those sixty five or over.
History
The Inupiat had a fishing camp called Nook 32 km (19.9 mi) south of Teller in the early 19th century. The 1825-28 BeecheyFrederick William Beechey
Frederick William Beechey was an English naval officer and geographer. He was the son of Sir William Beechey, RA., and was born in London.-Career:...
expedition found three camps with a total of some 400 inhabitants and a winter camp site with burial grounds in a roughly 10 miles (16.1 km) radius around the later site of Teller on September 1, 1827.
An expedition from the Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
telegraph spent the winter at the present site of Teller in 1866 and 1867; they called it "Libbyville" or "Libby Station". When the United States Government introduced reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
herding in Alaska, a reindeer station operated from 1892 to 1900 at a site near Teller. The station was named for United States Senator and Secretary of the Interior Henry Moore Teller
Henry Moore Teller
Henry Moore Teller was a U.S. politician. Secretary of the Interior between 1882 and 1885.-Biography:He served in the Senate and Cabinet for over thirty years, and was connected with the Free Silver question, beginning in 1880. During that time, he did much in and out of Congress with tongue and...
in 1892 by Sheldon Jackson
Sheldon Jackson
Sheldon Jackson was a Presbyterian missionary who also became a political leader. During this career he travelled about 1 million miles and established over 100 missions and churches in the Western United States. He is best remembered for his extensive work during the final quarter of the 19th...
.
Teller was established in 1900 after the Bluestone Placer Mine discovery 25 km (15.5 mi) to the south. It took its name from the reindeer herding station. During the boom years in the early 20th century, Teller had a population of about 5,000 and was a major regional trading center. Natives from Diomede
Diomede, Alaska
Diomede is a city in the Nome Census Area of the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on Little Diomede Island...
, Wales
Wales, Alaska
Wales is a town in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 152. It is the westernmost town on the American mainland.-Geography:...
, Mary's Igloo
Mary's Igloo, Alaska
Mary's Igloo is an abandoned village located in Nome Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska.- Geography :Mary's Igloo is located at .Mary's Igloo is located on the northwest bank of the Kuzitrin River, on the Seward Peninsula...
, and King Island
King Island, Alaska
King Island is an island in the Bering Sea, west of Alaska. It is about west of Cape Douglas and is south of Wales, Alaska....
came to trade there.
The Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church built Teller Mission across the harbor from Teller in 1900. The mission was renamed Brevig Mission
Brevig Mission, Alaska
Brevig Mission is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska. The population was 276 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Brevig Mission is located at ....
in 1903, after the Reverend T.L. Brevig, who also served briefly as Teller's first postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
, a post to which he was appointed 2 April 1900.
The dirigible Norge
Norge (airship)
The Norge was a semi-rigid Italian-built airship that carried out what many consider the first verified overflight of the North Pole on May 12, 1926. It was also the first aircraft to fly over the polar ice cap between Europe and America...
detoured to Teller on its first flight over the North Pole from Norway to Nome in 1926. Many present residents of Teller came from Mary's Igloo. Mary's Igloo is now a summer fishing camp and has no permanent residents.
Today, Teller is an Inupiat village that depends on subsistence hunting and fishing.
Education
Teller is served by the Bering Strait School DistrictBering Strait School District
Bering Strait School District is a school district in northwestern Alaska, United States, serving approximately 1,700 students in grades K-12 in fifteen isolated villages...
. James C. Isabell School serves grades Pre-K through 12.