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Quinhagak

(QUINN-uh-hawk); var. Kwinhagak

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Original power plant

Quinhagak is on the Kanektok River on the east shore of Kuskokwim Bay, less than a mile from the Bering Sea coast. It lies 71 miles southwest of Bethel. The Yup'ik name is Kuinerraq, meaning "new river channel." Quinhagak is a long-established village whose origin has been dated to 1,000 A.D. It was the first village on the lower Kuskokwim to have sustained contact with whites. Gavril Sarichev reported the village on a map in 1826. After the purchase of Alaska in 1867, the Alaska Commercial Co. sent annual supply ships to Quinhagak with goods for Kuskokwim River trading posts. Supplies were lightered to shore from the ship, and stored in a building on Warehouse Creek. A Moravian Mission was built in 1893. There were many non-Natives in the village at that time; most waiting for boats to go upriver. In 1904 a mission store opened, followed by a post office in 1905 and a school in 1909. Between 1906 and 1909, over 2,000 reindeer were brought in to the Quinhagak area. They were managed for a time by the Native-owned Kuskokwim Reindeer Company, but the herd had scattered by the 1950s. In 1915 the Kuskokwim River was charted, so goods were barged directly upriver to Bethel. In 1928, the first electric plant opened; the first mail plane arrived in 1934. The City was incorporated in 1975. 


Tank farm and fuel fill line

New fuel-efficient engine

 

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Quinhagak Facts

Community Profile

Community Facilities

Economy

Most of the employment is with the school, government services or commercial fishing. Trapping, basket weaving, skin sewing and ivory carving also provide income. Subsistence remains an important part of the livelihood; seal and salmon are staples of the diet. 83 residents hold commercial fishing permits for salmon net and herring roe fisheries. Coastal Villages Seafood LLC processes halibut and salmon in Quinhagak.

Culture and Activities

A federally-recognized tribe is located in the community -- the Native Village of Kwinhagak. The community is primarily Yup'ik Eskimos who fish commercially and are active in subsistence food gathering. The sale, importation or possession of alcohol is banned in the village. Boats, ATVs, snow machines, and some vehicles are used for local transportation. Winter trails are marked to Eek (39 mi.) and Goodnews (39 mi.)

Climate

Community Weather

broken clouds   Broken clouds, 48°F

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