The Dena'inaAthabascan village of Eklutna is the last of eight villages that existed before construction of the Alaska Railroad brought an influx of American colonists around 1915. First settled more than 800 years ago, it is the oldest inhabited location in the Anchorage area. Its Dena'ina name is Idlughet[it͡ɬuʁətʰ] ("by the objects", referring to two nearby hills); the name "Eklutna" derives from Idluytnu[pronunciation?], the name for Eklutna River, meaning "(plural) objects river".
Russian Orthodoxmissionaries arrived in the 1840s. The melding of Orthodox Christianity and native practices resulted in the brightly colored spirit houses which can be seen at the Eklutna Cemetery, in use since 1650 and now a historical park. The cemetery is probably the most photographed graveyard in Alaska, overshadowing other features of the village.
An Alaska Railroad siding and station house were built near the village Eklutna in 1918. The federal government operated a boarding school for native children near the village before World War II. The U.S. Army established a facility nearby in the mid-20th century; it is now gone.
In 2014, a 160-acre homestead acquired in 1924 was donated to the Native Village of Dena’ina Athabascan country, where Alaska Native people have lived for thousands of years. For the most part, the land has remained untouched — and under a conservation easement, it will be maintained as a refuge for wildlife and protected from real estate development.
Eklutna Spirit Houses
Virtually all residents of the Eklutna Village are either Alaska Native or part Native; most are members of the federally recognized Native Village of Eklutna. For employment, most Tribal Members commute to work in Anchorage, nearby Eagle River, or the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
Eklutna first appeared on the 1930 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. Of its 158 residents, 61 were Native, 49 were Creole (Mixed Russian & Native), 47 were White, and 1 was Asian.[2] It continued to report on the census until 1970 and was annexed into Anchorage in 1975.
Eklutna Annie, a known but unidentified victim of serial killer Robert Hansen, found in 1980
ReferencesEdit
^. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-10-01. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
^Department of Commerce - Bureau of the Census. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
Further readingEdit
Kari, James; James A. Fall (2003). Shem Pete's Alaska: The Territory of the Upper Cook Inlet Dena'ina (2nd ed.). University of Alaska Press. pp. 320–322. ISBN1-889963-57-7.
External linksEdit
Alaska Division of Community Advocacy - Community Information Summary[dead link]
eklutna, anchorage, eklutna, dena, idlughet, ahtna, zdlaaygha, native, village, within, municipality, anchorage, state, alaska, tribal, council, estimates, population, many, tribal, members, live, surrounding, communities, russian, orthodox, eklutna, cemetery,. Eklutna ɛ ˈ k l uː t n e Dena ina Idlughet Ahtna Zdlaaygha is a native village within the Municipality of Anchorage in the U S state of Alaska The Tribal Council estimates the population at 70 many tribal members live in the surrounding communities The Russian Orthodox Eklutna Cemetery Contents 1 About 2 Demographics 3 Education 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksAbout EditEklutna lies 24 miles 39 km northeast of Anchorage near the intersection of Mi 142 of the Alaska Railroad and the Mile 26 of the Glenn Highway 2 miles 3 2 km from the mouth of the Eklutna River at the head of the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet at 61 27 30 N 149 21 44 W 61 45833 N 149 36222 W 61 45833 149 36222 in the Anchorage Recording District The Dena ina Athabascan village of Eklutna is the last of eight villages that existed before construction of the Alaska Railroad brought an influx of American colonists around 1915 First settled more than 800 years ago it is the oldest inhabited location in the Anchorage area Its Dena ina name is Idlughet it ɬuʁetʰ by the objects referring to two nearby hills the name Eklutna derives from Idluytnu pronunciation the name for Eklutna River meaning plural objects river Russian Orthodox missionaries arrived in the 1840s The melding of Orthodox Christianity and native practices resulted in the brightly colored spirit houses which can be seen at the Eklutna Cemetery in use since 1650 and now a historical park The cemetery is probably the most photographed graveyard in Alaska overshadowing other features of the village An Alaska Railroad siding and station house were built near the village Eklutna in 1918 The federal government operated a boarding school for native children near the village before World War II The U S Army established a facility nearby in the mid 20th century it is now gone In 2014 a 160 acre homestead acquired in 1924 was donated to the Native Village of Dena ina Athabascan country where Alaska Native people have lived for thousands of years For the most part the land has remained untouched and under a conservation easement it will be maintained as a refuge for wildlife and protected from real estate development Eklutna Spirit HousesVirtually all residents of the Eklutna Village are either Alaska Native or part Native most are members of the federally recognized Native Village of Eklutna For employment most Tribal Members commute to work in Anchorage nearby Eagle River or the Matanuska Susitna Valley Demographics EditPopulation of Eklutnabefore absorption CensusPop Note 1930158 19401590 6 195053 66 7 196050 5 7 197025 50 0 source 1 Eklutna first appeared on the 1930 U S Census as an unincorporated village Of its 158 residents 61 were Native 49 were Creole Mixed Russian amp Native 47 were White and 1 was Asian 2 It continued to report on the census until 1970 and was annexed into Anchorage in 1975 Education EditAnchorage School District operates area public schools See also EditEklutna Annie a known but unidentified victim of serial killer Robert Hansen found in 1980References Edit Census Of Population And Housing U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on 2013 10 01 Retrieved 2011 05 25 Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census Fifteenth Census of the United States 1929 Population Alaska PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2018 06 18 Retrieved 2018 07 18 Further reading EditKari James James A Fall 2003 Shem Pete s Alaska The Territory of the Upper Cook Inlet Dena ina 2nd ed University of Alaska Press pp 320 322 ISBN 1 889963 57 7 External links EditAlaska Division of Community Advocacy Community Information Summary dead link Eklutna Inc ANCSA village corporation Native Village of Eklutna 61 27 29 N 149 21 44 W 61 4580556 N 149 3622222 W 61 4580556 149 3622222 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Eklutna Anchorage amp oldid 1162414415, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
