Editing Aniak, Alaska

{{distinguish|Akiak, Alaska}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name                   = Aniak
| native_name                     = Anyaraq
     
| native_name_lang                = esu
| settlement_type                 = [[City (Alaska)|City]]
| nickname                        = 
| motto                           = 
<!-- Images -->
| image_skyline                   = ANI-Aerial Map.jpg
| imagesize                       = 
| image_caption                   = Aerial view of Aniak, 1996
| image_flag                      = 
| image_seal                      = 
<!-- Maps -->
| pushpin_map                     = Alaska
| pushpin_map_caption             = Location in Alaska

<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = United States
| subdivision_type1               = State
| subdivision_name1               = [[Alaska]]
| subdivision_type2               = [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|Census Area]]
| subdivision_name2               = [[Bethel Census Area, Alaska|Bethel]]
| government_footnotes            = 
| government_type                 = 
| leader_title                    = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name                     = Nicholas H. Kameroff, Jr.<ref>{{Cite book|title=2023 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory|date=January 2023|publisher=Alaska Municipal League|location=[[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]]|page=45|url=https://www.akml.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Aniak.pdf|access-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref>
| leader_title1                   = [[Alaska Senate|State senator]]
| leader_name1                    = [[Lyman Hoffman]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.alaskasenate.org/2020/member/lyman-hoffman/ |title=Senator Lyman Hoffman |publisher=Alaskasenate.org |website=Alaska Senate Majority |access-date=November 16, 2019 |archive-date=April 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408143501/https://www.alaskasenate.org/2020/member/lyman-hoffman/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| leader_title2                   = [[Alaska House of Representatives|State rep.]]
| leader_name2                    = [[Bryce Edgmon]] ([[Independent politician|I]])
| established_title               = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date                = May 10, 1972<ref>{{cite journal|title=Directory of Borough and City Officials 1974|journal=Alaska Local Government|volume=XIII|issue=2|page=19|location=Juneau|publisher=[[Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development|Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs]]|date=January 1974}}</ref>

<!-- Area -->
| area_magnitude                  = 
| area_footnotes                  = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_02.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
| area_total_km2                  = 21.95
| area_land_km2                   = 16.02
| area_water_km2                  = 5.93
| area_total_sq_mi                = 8.47
| area_land_sq_mi                 = 6.18
| area_water_sq_mi                = 2.29

<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of                = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes            = 
| population_total                = 507
| timezone                        = [[Alaska Time Zone|Alaska (AKST)]]
| utc_offset                      = -9
| timezone_DST                    = AKDT
| utc_offset_DST                  = -8
| elevation_footnotes             = 
| elevation_m                     = 15
| elevation_ft                    = 49
| coordinates                     = {{coord|61|34|44|N|159|33|1|W|region:US-AK|display=inline}}
| postal_code_type                = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code                     = 99557
| area_code                       = [[Area code 907|907]]
| area_code_type                  = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| blank_name                      = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info                      = 02-03550
| blank1_name                     = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info                     = {{GNIS 4|1398286}}
| website                         = 
| footnotes                       = 
| pop_est_as_of                   = 
| pop_est_footnotes               = 
| population_est                  = 
| population_density_sq_mi        = 81.97
| unit_pref                       = Imperial
| population_density_km2          = 31.65
| name                            = 
}}
[[File:Landing Fields - Alaska - Aniak - NARA - 68158686 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Aniak Landing Field, 1944]]

'''Aniak''' ({{langx|esu|Anyaraq}}) is a city in the [[Bethel Census Area, Alaska|Bethel Census Area]] in the [[United States|U.S]]. state of [[Alaska]]. At the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]] the population was 501, down from 572 in 2000.

==Geography==
{{coord|61|34|44|N|159|33|1|W|type:city}} (61.578821, -159.550255).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

Aniak is on the south bank of the [[Kuskokwim River]] at the head of Aniak Slough, {{convert|59|mi|km}} southwest of Russian Mission in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. It lies {{convert|92|mi|km}} northeast of Bethel and {{convert|317|mi|km}} west of Anchorage.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|8.8|sqmi|km2}}, of which, {{convert|6.5|sqmi|km2}} of it is land and {{convert|2.3|sqmi|km2}} of it (25.82%) is water.

===Climate===

Climate is maritime in the summer and continental in winter. Temperatures range between -72 and 92&nbsp;°F. Average yearly precipitation is {{convert|19|in|mm}}, with snowfall of {{convert|60|in|m}}.
{{Weather box
| collapsed =
| location = [[Aniak Airport]], Alaska
| single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 48
| Feb record high F = 53
| Mar record high F = 50
| Apr record high F = 63
| May record high F = 81
| Jun record high F = 92
| Jul record high F = 87
| Aug record high F = 84
| Sep record high F = 75
| Oct record high F = 63
| Nov record high F = 54
| Dec record high F = 46
|year record high F = 
| Jan high F = 9.7
| Feb high F = 15.4
| Mar high F = 23.3
| Apr high F = 35.2
| May high F = 51.2
| Jun high F = 62.4
| Jul high F = 65.2
| Aug high F = 60.5
| Sep high F = 52.7
| Oct high F = 35.3
| Nov high F = 21.4
| Dec high F = 9.3
|year high F = 
|Jan mean F = 1.2
|Feb mean F = 5.9
|Mar mean F = 12.6
|Apr mean F = 28.1
|May mean F = 42.4
|Jun mean F = 52.9
|Jul mean F = 56.2
|Aug mean F = 52.9
|Sep mean F = 44.8
|Oct mean F = 28.9
|Nov mean F = 14.2
|Dec mean F = 1.1
|year mean F = 
| Jan low F = -7.3
| Feb low F = -3.7
| Mar low F = 1.9
| Apr low F = 17.0
| May low F = 33.5
| Jun low F = 43.3
| Jul low F = 47.2
| Aug low F = 45.2
| Sep low F = 36.8
| Oct low F = 22.2
| Nov low F = 7.0
| Dec low F = -7.1
|year low F = 
| Jan record low F = −72
| Feb record low F = −56
| Mar record low F = −51
| Apr record low F = −34
| May record low F = -3
| Jun record low F = 28
| Jul record low F = 31
| Aug record low F = 23
| Sep record low F = 5
| Oct record low F = -17
| Nov record low F = −40
| Dec record low F = −55
|year record low F = 
|precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 0.82
| Feb precipitation inch = 0.86
| Mar precipitation inch = 0.92
| Apr precipitation inch = 0.71
| May precipitation inch = 1.08
| Jun precipitation inch = 1.54
| Jul precipitation inch = 2.34
| Aug precipitation inch = 4.11
| Sep precipitation inch = 2.69
| Oct precipitation inch = 1.20
| Nov precipitation inch = 1.46
| Dec precipitation inch = 1.10
|year precipitation inch = 
|Jan snow inch = 7.6
|Feb snow inch = 9.4
|Mar snow inch = 10.0
|Apr snow inch = 4.5
|May snow inch = 1.1
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 3.3
|Nov snow inch = 10.0
|Dec snow inch = 10.0
|year snow inch = 
|source 1 = WRCC <ref name="climate">[https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ak0332 Aniak, Alaska - Period of Record : 8/1/1920 to 3/31/1990] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525063109/http://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ak0332 |date=May 25, 2017 }}. Retrieved November 10, 2019.</ref>
|date=October 2019}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1940= 122
|1950= 142
|1960= 308
|1970= 205
|1980= 341
|1990= 540
|2000= 572
|2010= 501
|2020= 507
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
Aniak first appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alaska - Number of Inhabitants |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/33973538v1ch11.pdf |website=United States Census Bureau |date=1940}}</ref> It formally incorporated in 1972.

As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 572 people, 174 households, and 133 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|87.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 203 housing units at an average density of {{convert|31.1|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the city was 25.00% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 0.35% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 68.36% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.52% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], and 5.77% from two or more races. 1.05% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 174 households, out of which 51.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with 0 husbands present, and 23.0% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.29 and the average family size was 3.74.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 40.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,875, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $37,708 versus $34,500 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $16,550. About 11.8% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 13.4% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

== History ==
[[Image:Aniakshore.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Shoreline of the Kuskokwim River at Aniak]]
''Aniak'' is the [[Central Alaskan Yup'ik language|Central Alaskan Yup'ik]] name for the area around present-day Aniak. The word means "the place where it comes out" - that is, where the [[Aniak River]] flows into the Kuskokwim. The local [[Yup'ik people]] had deserted the original village at Aniak by the early-19th century, when Russian explorers first arrived in the area.

20th-century prospectors believed that the early Russian traders discovered [[gold]] in a tributary to the Kuskokwim called "Yellow River" in 1832.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} Many think that the Yellow River these traders referred to is the Aniak River.<ref>Brown, Charles M. Alaska's Kuskokwim River Region. Bureau of Land Management. Anchorage, Alaska: Bureau of Land Management, State Office, 1983. 101.</ref>{{request quotation|date=January 2025}} Russian traders did discover a [[mercury (element)|mercury]] deposit near the [[trading post]] called [[Kolmakov Redoubt]] {{convert|22|mi|km}} east of Aniak in 1838.<ref>Spurr, J.E., 1900, A reconnaissance in southwestern Alaska in 1898: U.S. Geological Survey 20th Annual Report, Part 7, p. 31-264.</ref> Placer gold was found by Russian traders in New York Creek {{convert|30|mi|km}} east of Aniak in 1844.<ref>Berry, M.J., 1973, ''A history of mining on the Kenai Peninsula'': Seattle, Washington, Alaska Northwest Publishing Company, 214 p.</ref> The Russians, however, did not engage in any significant mining activities, and it wasn't until after Washington's [[Alaska Purchase|purchase of Alaska]] in 1867 that the American prospectors began seriously investigating the potential for prospecting along the Kuskokwim river. A handful of prospecting parties began venturing into the area, however they had to travel great distances to an area where trading posts were few and far between, so the activity was limited, especially given the exposure of other late-19th century strikes in Alaska which were better served by existing infrastructure.

The euphoria caused by the [[Klondike Gold Rush]] in 1897-98 would set the stage for a change however, with thousands of prospectors across the [[District of Alaska]] poised to make a rush upon rumor of each potential new strike. One such rush was the Yellow River Stampede of 1900, in which many prospectors left [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]] to venture into the Kuskokwim basin upon rumors that someone had found the Yellow River strike - despite the feven although the location of that strike was unknown. Finding precious little gold and experiencing substantial hardship, many of these folks would return to Nome following the difficult winter of 1901, but some stayed behind to continue their search. A 1906 gold-discovery at the head of the [[Innoko River]], a tributary of the [[Yukon River]], caused another gold rush in 1907, with many of the prospectors choosing to access the site via the Kuskokwim River instead. Trading posts were established at the [[Takotna River]] which required riverboat service to travel the Kuskokwim river. With riverboat service now available on the Kuskokwim River, prospecting activity picked up, and some strikes started to occur in the Kuskokwim basin. Strikes were made at Crooked Creek, George River, New York Creek, and Aniak River among others. Most strikes were short-lived. However, the Kuskokwim River was now seeing an increase in river traffic that needed servicing.

In 1910, a lone prospector named "Old Man" Keeler reportedly found placer gold in the Aniak River basin. In 1911, three prospectors, Harry Buhro, E. W. "Kid" Fisher, and Fred Labelle, who had been working the George River area, decided to give the Aniak River basin area a try; they discovered gold at Marvel, Fisher, and Dome creeks.<ref>Maddren, A.G., "Iditarod Pioneer". ''US Geological Survey Bulletin'' 622. 1911. p. 301.</ref> These creeks feed into the Aniak River about {{convert|50|mi|km}} south of Aniak. Initially prospectors would reach this site by poling up the river in boats, however that was a difficult journey due to the nature of the river. The trip would take 15 to 20 days from the Kuskokwim river. By 1913, a hydraulic plant had been installed at Marvel Creek and in 1914 construction of a {{convert|70|mi|km|adj=on}} [[cat trail]] began, starting {{convert|1|mi|km|adj=on}} south of Aniak on the mouth of the Aniak Slough and proceeding to the diggings at Marvel Creek. The cat trail was last used in the spring of 2006 by miners still working claims.

This same year,{{when|date=January 2025}} Tom L. Johnson homesteaded the site of the long-abandoned Yup'ik village in the Aniak area and opened a store and post office there to service prospectors and miners in the vicinity. Willie Pete and Sam Simeon brought their Yup'ik families from [[Ohagamiut, Alaska|Ohagamiut]] to Aniak. In 1936 a territorial school was opened. In anticipation of the [[Lend-Lease]] program to help supply Russia with war materials, construction of an airfield began in 1939.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} With the airfield in place, Aniak became the transportation hub for villages in the area including [[Chuathbaluk, Alaska|Chuathbaluk]], [[Anvik, Alaska|Anvik]], [[Upper Kalskag, Alaska|Kalskag]], [[Crooked Creek, Alaska|Crooked Creek]], [[Holy Cross, Alaska|Holy Cross]] and others. In 1956 during the [[Cold War]], construction of a [[White Alice Communications System|White Alice]] Relay Station began bringing money, jobs, and communication capability to the area. The impact to the community from the relay station was immediate: the first telephone capable of long-distance phone calls was installed at the Aniak Lodge in 1957 and Aniak's population more than doubled from 142 in 1950 to 308 in 1960. The 2000 census places Aniak's population at 572.

==Education==
The [[Kuspuk School District]] operates two schools in Aniak: Auntie Mary Nicoli Elementary School and Aniak Jr/Sr High School.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=0200760|title=Kuspuk School District schools for this district|publisher=[[National Center for Education Statistics]]|access-date=2024-05-27}}</ref>

== Notable residents ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2025}}
* [[Sam Phillips (Yup'ik)]], also known as [[Crow Village Sam]] (ca. 1893–ca. 1974), a Yup'ik community leader was born here

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Alaska}}
* [https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/dcra/DCRAExternal/community/Details/319d7670-7304-4cb9-9b6b-afe9d3f2b94f Aniak] at the Community Database Online from the [[Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development|Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs]]
* Maps from the [[Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304200242/http://labor.alaska.gov/research/alari/images/maps/6_4_19map.pdf 2000], [https://web.archive.org/web/20151222092129/http://labor.alaska.gov/research/census/placemaps/03550.pdf 2010]

{{Coord|display=title|61.578821|-159.550255}}
{{Bethel Census Area, Alaska}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Alaska]]
[[Category:Cities in Bethel Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Mining communities in Alaska]]
[[Category:Road-inaccessible communities of Alaska]]