Editing Wales, Alaska (section)

==History==
A [[burial mound]] from the [[Birnirk culture]] (CE 500 to 900) was discovered near Wales and is now a [[National Historic Landmark]].

In 1827, a Russian Navy report listed the [[Inupiat people|Inupiat]] villages of "Eidamoo" near the coast and "King-a-ghe" inland in the area.

In 1890, the American Missionary Association established a mission at the site of present-day Wales. In the 1890s, [[reindeer]] (domesticated caribou) were brought to the area and in 1894 a reindeer station was established. Wales became an important whaling center due to its location along [[whale]] migratory routes, and it was the region's largest and most prosperous village, with more than 500 residents. Wales is named after the country [[Wales]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The [[1918 flu pandemic]] decimated the population and economy of Wales.<ref>{{cite news |title=Life on the edge of America: Scenes from the village of Wales, Alaska |url=https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2016/04/21/life-on-the-edge-of-america-scenes-from-the-village-of-wales-alaska/83349490/ |work=[[USA Today]] |date=April 21, 2016 |quote=... an estimated 200 residents of Wales, Alaska were buried after being killed in the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic. Wales was once one of the largest Eskimo villages in Alaska; today only about 150 people live there, and the town never recovered from the massive losses it suffered during the flu epidemic.}}</ref>

In 2002 a [[Wind-Diesel Hybrid Power Systems|wind-diesel]] system became operational.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

On November 9, 2011, the city experienced the [[2011 Bering Sea superstorm]]. Wind gusts of {{convert|89|mph}} were recorded in Wales.

On January 17, 2023, a [[polar bear]] entered the community of Wales and chased multiple residents. The bear fatally attacked a woman and her 1-year-old son. It was shot and killed by a local resident as it mauled the pair. This was Alaska's first reported polar bear attack in over 30 years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Whittle |first=Patrick |date=January 18, 2023 |title=Mother, 1-year-old son killed in Alaska polar bear attack |pages=1 |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/animals-animal-attacks-wales-polar-bears-96bc5f7f89f738547d4a074c29cb1822 |access-date=January 18, 2023}}</ref>