Editing Circle, Alaska (section)

==History==
Circle was established in 1893 when [[gold]] was discovered in [[Birch Creek (Yukon River tributary)|Birch Creek]];<ref>[[Stephen Haycox|Haycox, Stephen]], ''Alaska: An American Colony'' (University of Washington Press, 2002), pp. 201-02.</ref> it served as an unloading point for supplies shipped up the [[Yukon River]] from the [[Bering Sea]]. The goods were sent overland to gold mining camps. In 1896, before the [[Klondike Gold Rush]], Circle was the largest mining town on the Yukon River and had a population of 700. It had a store, a few dance halls, an opera house, a library, a school, a hospital, an [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|American Episcopal church]], a newspaper, a mill, and several federal officials: United States commissioner, marshal, customs inspector, tax collector and a postmaster.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-22 |title=Circle |url=https://www.tananachiefs.org/about/communities/circle/ |access-date=2024-07-19 |website=Tanana Chiefs Conference |language=en-US}}</ref>

Circle lost much of its population after gold discoveries in the Klondike in 1897, and [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]] in 1899. A few miners stayed near Circle. Mining in the area has continued into the 21st century. Most of the residents of Circle today are [[Alaskan Athabaskans|Athabascan]].
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[[Image:Panorama of Circle, Alaska, 1899.jpg|thumbnail|center|1000px|Panoramic view of Circle's main street, September 1899.]]
[[Image:Circle Alaska panorama.jpg|thumbnail|center|1000px|Panoramic view of Circle, Alaska, on August 6, 2008. At far right is the [[Yukon River]].]]