Kiwalik, Alaska

Kiwalik (sometimes written Keewalik) is an unincorporated community in the Northwest Arctic Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located where the Kiwalik River flows into Kotzebue Sound on the Seward Peninsula, 97 km (60 mi) south of Kotzebue.

Kiwalik
unincorporated community
Kiwalik Location within the state of Alaska
Coordinates: 66°01′22″N 161°50′31″W
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Northwest Arctic
Government
• Borough mayor	Clement Richards, Sr.
• State senator	Donny Olson (D)
• State rep.	Dean Westlake (D)
Time zone	UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-8 (AKDT)
GNIS feature ID	1413351[1]

Kiwalik was once a small community that supported mining operations at Candle, 7 miles (11 km) away on the Kiwalik River, by Candle Creek. It is now used only by subsistence hunters and travelers who stop to use the public shelter cabin on the public road (Kiwalik-Candle route) to access the graveyard, which is surrounded by private property. The community is now abandoned and dilapidated, filled with rusty hulks, trash and broken down buildings.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	12		—
1930	12		—
1940	24		100.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[2]

Kiwalik first reported on the 1880 U.S. Census as an unincorporated Inuit village of "Kugalukmute."[3] It did not appear on the census again until 1930, when it reported as "Keewalik." It reported again as Keewalik in 1940. It has not reported separately since.

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Kiwalik, Alaska
2. "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
3. "Geological Survey Professional Paper". 1949.