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Community Type: 2nd Class City
- Current
Population: 351
- Borough
Name: Unorganized
- Regional
Native Corporation: Bering Straits Native Corp.
- REAA/School
District: Bering Straits Schools
- Latitude:
63° 29' N
- Longitude:
162° 02' W
- See Map
of the region
- Land Area:
21.20
- Water Area:
6.10
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| Location:
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St. Michael is located on the east coast of St. Michael Island
in Norton Sound, 125 miles southeast of Nome.
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| History:
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Fort St. Michael was built by the Russian-American Company in
1833; it was the northernmost Russian settlement in Alaska. The
Native village of Tachik stood to the northeast. During the gold
rush of 1897, it was a trading post for Eskimos. The existing
Native trade monopoly was difficult for the Russians to break
into. Centralization of people from surrounding villages intensified
after the measles epidemic of 1900 and the influenza epidemic
of 1918 wiped out many small settlements.
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| Culture:
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St. Michael is largely an Eskimo population today, with strong
historical Russian influences. Seal, beluga whale, moose, caribou,
fish and berries are important staples. The sale or importation
of alcohol is banned in the village.
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| Economy:
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The St. Michael economy is based on subsistence food harvests
supplemented by part-time wage earning. Most cash positions are
found in city government, the IRA council and village corporation,
schools, and local stores. Eight residents hold commercial fishing
permits, primarily for the herring fishery. Stebbins and St. Michael
jointly manage a herd of reindeer.
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| Transportation:
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St. Michael is accessible by air and sea only. The State owns
an airstrip, and a seaplane base is available. Regular and charter
flights are available from Nome and Unalakleet. It is near the
Yukon River delta and has a good natural harbor, but no dock.
Lighterage service is provided on a frequent basis from Nome,
and St. Michael receives at least one annual shipment of bulk
cargo. A 10.5-mile road exists to Stebbins.
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| Climate:
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St. Michael has a subarctic climate with a maritime influence
during the summer and a continental influence during the winter.
Summer temperatures range from 40 to 60; winters range from -4
to 16. Annual precipitation is only 12 inches, with snowfall of
38 inches. Norton Sound is ice free from June to November.
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